History Creator / AAndE

A&E (a former initialism for '''A'''rts '''&''' '''E'''ntertainment) launched in 1984 and is the flagship property of A+E Networks, a joint venture between Creator/{{Disney}} and Hearst Communications.[[note]]in previous years, Creator/{{NBCUniversal}} owned a stake as well before leaving the partnership in 2012.[[/note]] The network launched in February 1984 as a merger of ARTS (the [[FunWithAcronyms Alpha Repertory Television Service]], owned by [[Creator/{{AmericanBroadcastingCompany}} ABC]] and Hearst) and The Entertainment Channel (owned by RCA and Rockefeller Center). It used to timeshare with Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} (a holdover from ARTS) until 1985 when they launched a 24-hour service [[note]]Nick would then launch Creator/NickAtNite to fill the void[[/note]].

A&E (a former initialism for '''A'''rts '''&''' '''E'''ntertainment) launched in 1984 and is the flagship property of A+E Networks, a joint venture between Creator/{{Disney}} and Hearst Communications.[[note]]in previous years, Creator/{{NBC}} Creator/{{Universal}} owned a stake as well before leaving the partnership in 2012.[[/note]] The network launched in February 1984 as a merger of ARTS (the [[FunWithAcronyms Alpha Repertory Television Service]], owned by ABC and Hearst) and The Entertainment Channel (owned by NBC). It used to timeshare with Creator/{{Nickelodeon}} (a holdover from ARTS) until 1985 when they launched a 24-hour service [[note]]Nick would then launch Creator/NickAtNite to fill the void[[/note]].

* ''Series/ISurvived''

The success of ''Nightwatch'' in 2015 would lead A&E to shift its programming back towards more [[DarkerAndEdgier darker, grittier fare]], with shows like ''60 Days In'' and ''Series/LivePD''. ''Live PD'' in particular would usurp ''Storage Wars'' as the network's flagship show and spawn numerous spin-offs before it was abruptly cancelled in the summer of 2020 [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents in response to the nationwide protests against police brutality]].

During ''Biography'''s decline, ''Series/StorageWars'' would become the network's flagship show in its earlier seasons. The show's SeasonalRot came during a DorkAge where A&E's original programming deteriorated into [[FollowTheLeader similarly]] [[LighterAndSofter light-hearted programming]], at the cost of the brief cancellation of long-running docuseries (such as ''Series/{{Intervention}}''). A&E also made further attempts to expand into original scripted dramas around this time. ''Series/{{Longmire}}'' and ''Series/BatesMotel'' were the network's most successful dramas, but they were both cancelled for good despite high ratings due to production costs and the fact that the shows skewed an older audience.[[note]]Creator/{{Netflix}} would pick up ''Longmire'' for three more seasons.[[/note]]

* ''Series/{{Nightwatch}}''

The success of ''Nightwatch'' in 2015 would lead A&E to shift its programming back towards more [[DarkerAndEdgier darker, grittier fare]], with shows like ''60 Days In'' and ''Series/LivePD''. ''Live PD'' in particular would usurp ''Storage Wars'' as the network's flagship show and spawn numerous spin-offs before it was canceled in the summer of 2020 [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents in response to the nationwide protests against police brutality]].

The success of ''Nightwatch'' in 2015 would lead A&E to shift its programming back towards more [[DarkerAndEdgier darker, grittier fare]], with shows like ''60 Days In'' and ''Series/LivePD''. ''Live PD'' in particular would usurp ''Storage Wars'' as the network's flagship show and spawn numerous spin-offs before it was cancelled in the summer of 2020 [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents in response to the nationwide protests against police brutality]].

The success of ''Nightwatch'' in 2015 would lead A&E to shift its programming back towards more [[DarkerAndEdgier darker, gritter fare]], with shows like ''60 Days In'' and ''Series/LivePD''. ''Live PD'' in particular would usurp ''Storage Wars'' as the network's flagship show and spawn numerous spin-offs before it was cancelled in the summer of 2020 [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents in response to the nationwide protests against police brutality]].

The success of ''Nightwatch'' would lead A&E to shift its programming back towards more [[DarkerAndEdgier darker, gritter fare]], with shows like ''60 Days In'' and ''Series/LivePD''. ''Live PD'' in particular would usurp ''Storage Wars'' as the network's flagship show and spawn numerous spin-offs before it was cancelled in the summer of 2020 [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents in response to the nationwide protests against police brutality]].

A&E was originally dedicated to fine-arts programming and was seen as a commercial equivalent to Creator/{{PBS}}. It's signature program during this time was ''Biography'', which documents the life of notable figures in entertainment and human history. Though originally cancelled in 2012, the series was popular enough to be spun-off and expanded into its own franchise outside the network; the series proper would be revived in 2017.

During ''Biography'''s decline, ''Series/StorageWars'' would become the network's flagship show in its earlier seasons. The show's SeasonalRot came during a DorkAge where A&E's original programming deteriorated into [[FollowTheLeader similarly]] [[LighterAndSofter light-hearted programming]], at the cost of the brief cancellation of long-running docuseries (such as ''Series/{{Intervention}}''). A&E also made further attempts to expand into original scripted dramas around this time. ''Series/{{Longmire}}'' and ''Series/BatesMotel'' were the network's most successful dramas, but the former was nearly cancelled for good despite high ratings due to production costs and the fact that the show skewed an older audience.[[note]]Creator/{{Netflix}} would pick up ''Longmire'' for three more seasons.[[/note]]

The success of ''Nightwatch'' would lead A&E to shift its programming back towards more [[DarkerAndEdgier darker, gritter fare]], with shows like ''60 Days In'' and ''Series/LivePD''. ''Live PD'' in particular would usurp ''Storage Wars'' as the network's flagship show and spawn numerous spin-offs.