NATIONWIDE -- As protests across the country have brought increased scrutiny to police officers and policing, A&E Network Wednesday announced it had pulled the plug on the documentary-style series “Live PD.”

The show, which premiered in 2016, frequently trained its lens on Williamson County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

The move by A&E came on the heels of the cancellation of “Cops” by the Paramount Network. The show had been on the air for 33 seasons, debuting in 1989.

“Cops” had been temporarily pulled from the air in May following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police. It was permanently canceled Tuesday. 

“’Cops’ is not on the Paramount Network and we don’t have any current or future plans for it to return,” a spokesperson for the cable channel said in a statement Tuesday.

The cancellation of “Live PD” also comes following an investigation by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE, the Austin ABC television affiliate, that revealed a “Live PD” crew was rolling when 40-year-old Javier Ambler, who was black, died in the custody of Williamson County Sheriff’s Office deputies. Deputies had deployed a Taser on Ambler. The “Live PD” footage hasn’t surfaced and may have been discarded, but body cam footage shows he pleaded that he was sick and couldn’t breathe. Deputies maintain Ambler failed to follow orders. 

“This is a critical time in our nation’s history and we have made the decision to cease production on Live PD,” A&E said in a statement. “Going forward, we will determine if there is a clear pathway to tell the stories of both the community and the police officers whose role it is to serve them. And with that, we will be meeting with community and civil rights leaders as well as police departments.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.