‘Cops’ creator John Langley dies during Mexico off-road race
- John Langley died of an apparent heart attack, family spokesperson says
- His show ‘Cops’ was among the first reality series on TV in 1989
John Langley creator of the long-running TV series Cops, has died during an off-road race in Mexico, a family spokeswoman said.
Langley died in Baja, Mexico, of an apparent heart attack on Saturday during the Coast to Coast Ensenada-San Felipe 250 off-road race, family spokeswoman Pam Golum said. He was 78.
Cops was among the first reality series on the air when it debuted in 1989, and it would become an institution through 32 seasons. Langley and production partner Malcolm Barbour had shopped the idea for years, and found a home for it on the fledgling Fox network.
The show was famous for following police, from deputies in the Deep South to officers from big city police departments, on long, boring nights in patrol cars or in fevered foot chases.
Its quirks, including its often shirtless suspects and its reggae theme song Bad Boys, were frequent fodder for stand-up comics and were often referenced in films, TV shows and songs.
It ran on Fox until 2013, when Viacom-owned Spike TV, later re-branded as The Paramount Network, picked it up.