A Night With Sheriff John Brown
“Doesn’t pay to be in a stolen car, does it?”
“Nope.”
“Enjoy jail, man.”
For this assignment, I watched “COPS.” That’s right: “old-school” reality TV. And in case anyone cares, it was episode #2005.
CONTEXT
“COPS” is in its 19th broadcast season – which, eerily enough, puts it neck-and-neck with “The Simpsons.” The show broadcasts on FOX, and was created by John Langely of Langely Productions (and in 1995, Langely Films). Langely also acts as Executive Producer. If you cruise by the official “COPS” website (www.cops.com), you’ll find he’s REALLY proud to have “pioneered” the “video verite” feel of his cash baby.
CONTENT
“COPS” follows various officers of law enforcement as they do their various jobs. Often this means syncing a wireless mic on the cop as the poor cameraman doesn’t kill him/herself trying to keep up. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty INACOURTOFLAW.
FORM
Any given episode of “COPS” is filmed with one high-quality camera and an extremely small and agile crew. The result is the shaky “video verite” the series is known for. No matter where they go, footage is never shot from the suspect’s perspective. Shot duration is long, but always in movement. Any “story” is edited to run within nine minutes.
WHO CARES?
Even though “COPS” doesn’t have the glamour of modern reality television, I still found Mendible’s essay on Humiliation relevant. To echo Stanley’s 'New York Times' quote, the humiliation “COPS” employs is the show’s leading, most unifying principle. Why else do we tune in but to see society’s “rougher edges” get ironed out – live, in front of our eyes? And Schick’s “forced humiliation” can’t get more forced than from a cop sitting on your back and a camera crew inches away from your face. The object (perpetrator) knows s/he’s humiliated, and the subject (cop) is willfully exercising his/her power.
The fact that “all suspects are innocent until proven guilty” is stated only to cover the asses at Langely Productions; when black kid X is thrown against the police car after being written up for Possession with Intent, nothing about the show’s construction reinforces his innocence. And because this pervading sense of guilt is never questioned, viewers are able to slide into a world of self-satisfaction relative to the events on “COPS.” Thus Schick’s cycle of humiliation is complete.
“COPS” is like any other game show, only without the game. Or a winner.