‘Paw Patrol’ Under Fire for Depiction of Police: Is ‘Paw Patrol’ Being Canceled?

Have the anti-racism protests come for Paw Patrol? According to Amanda Hess of the New York Times Paw Patrol fans have (albeit jokingly) called for the popular Nickelodeon show to be canceled as protests against police brutality continue to sweep the globe and shows like Cops and Live PD are cancelled by networks. While the Paw Patrol protests may not be totally real, Eric Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz seem to think fans are serious: both tweeted that the protests for Paw Patrol are “truly insane,” and they blasted the left for “targeting” cartoons.

As a result of the back and forth — is the Paw Patrol protest real, or do Eric Trump and Ted Cruz just not understand humor? — many viewers have questions about the beloved children’s show. Is Paw Patrol being cancelled? What’s up with the Paw Patrol protests? Here’s everything you need to know!

WHAT STARTED THE PROTESTS AGAINST PAW PATROL?

The complicated brouhaha started last week, when the official Paw Patrol account tweeted a message in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. “In solidarity of #AmplifyMelanatedVoices we will be muting our content until June 7th to give access for Black voices to be heard so we can continue to listen and further our learning,” the account wrote.

Almost immediately, Twitter users began replying with jokey posts about Chase, the show’s German Shepherd police officer. “Chase is not only a class traitor but a species traitor as well,” wrote one user as part of a graphic that claims “police shoot an average of 25 pet dogs a day.” Others urged Paw Patrol to “get rid of the cop” and “defund Chase,” while others said that the show should be canceled altogether.

Again, this is all a joke.

HOW DOES THE NYT PAW PATROL ARTICLE, “THE PROTESTS COME FOR PAW PATROL,” FIGURE INTO THIS?

This is where things get dicey. On Wednesday, The New York Times‘ Amanda Hess called out the show’s depiction of canine crime helpers and acknowledged that the Paw Patrol protests, while a joke, come from the right place. “The effort to publicize police brutality also means banishing the good-cop archetype, which reigns on both television and in viral videos of the protests themselves,” writes Hess. “Paw Patrol seems harmless enough, and that’s the point: The movement rests on understanding that cops do plenty of harm.”

TED CRUZ AND ERIC TRUMP TWEETED ABOUT THE BAN PAW PATROL MOVEMENT, BUT IS IT LEGIT?

Hess’ piece does not linger long on Paw Patrol; instead, it hinges on the far-ranging consequences of a variety of different cop shows, from Brooklyn Nine-Nine to Law & Order. But the initial focus on Paw Patrol seemed to be enough for prominent Republicans, who eagerly tweeted out the article on Wednesday night.

“Now the left wants to cancel Paw Patrol,” Eric Trump tweeted alongside the NYT Paw Patrol article on Wednesday night. “These people are truly insane…” Sen. Ted Cruise followed suit shortly after, writing, “The absurdity knows no end. #CancelCultureTargetsCartoons.”

Trump and Cruz’s tweets have people very confused. Is Paw Patrol really getting canceled?

IS PAW PATROL BEING CANCELLED? LET’S FACT CHECK PAW PATROL RUMORS

This is a long story with a short answer: as of now, Paw Patrol is not being cancelled despite the fake “protests” against it. In fact, Nickelodeon just renewed the series for an eighth season in February, and a theatrical film Paw Patrol: The Movie is currently scheduled for an August 2021 release.

Decider has reached out to Nickelodeon to confirm that Paw Patrol will continue to air as scheduled, but did not hear back by the time of publication.

Where to stream Paw Patrol