Dog Gets Dropped by A&E
November 2, 2007

With the ratings for Dog the Bounty Hunter still going through the roof - the show is the highest rated on A&E - it's somewhat amazing that the network decided this week to take a moral stand and have removed all reruns of its number one show, Dog the Bounty Hunter from its primetime schedule. Variety notes that the move is only "for the foreseeable future," presumably leaving the door open for Dog the Bounty Hunter episodes to be produced again someday, after they were completely suspended on Thursday, just as the show was set to begin taping its fifth season.

Duane "Dog" Chapman has been in trouble before, mostly with the law, but this time he may have dug himself a hole that he'll never get out of. Variety even calls Dog the Bounty Hunter "toxic". What happened? Mr. Chapman went on a rant over the phone about his son's girlfriend and the two phone calls were obtained and published in The National Enquirer earlier this week. In the calls, Dog uses the n-word to describe his son's girlfriend.

The spin control started immediately with Chapman apologizing in a statement but the advertisers started jumping ship, in a scene reminiscent of what happened to Don Imus earlier this year. In fact, A&E couldn't get enough advertisers for the Dog marathon it had planned for Saturday and so have replaced it with episodes of Dallas Swat and The First 48. Episodes of CSI: Miami will air in the regular time slot of Dog the Bounty Hunter, Tuesdays at 8 and 10pm, for now.

The network released a statement, quoted by OK!, which reads, "In evaluating the circumstances of the last few days, A&E has decided to take Dog the Bounty Hunter off the network's schedule for the foreseeable future. We hope that Mr. Chapman continues the healing process that he has begun."

For the record, A&E is stressing that Dog the Bounty Hunter has not been canceled, just suspended, so this dog may have his day yet.