The Alaska State Troopers are returning to television with a new show set to air in January. The self-titled documentary series follows troopers responding to calls across the state, including cities in the interior and villages in rural Alaska.
Spokesperson for the troopers, Austin McDaniel, said the State of Alaska won’t be compensated for participating in the show, and instead views it as a recruiting tool. He said bringing the show back was also in response to requests to station more troopers in underserved communities.
“Many communities, especially in rural Alaska are asking us to hire more state troopers,” McDaniel said. “To hire more state troopers we have to show people what state troopers do.”
McDaniel said the old series that began airing in 2009 drummed up thousands of job applications for the state-run police force each year. He said that number has dwindled since the show ended in 2015.
“Today, we receive hundreds [of applications]. Around 1% are successful in making it to become a state trooper,” McDaniel said. “We're hoping to increase the number of qualified applicants that are interested in becoming state troopers.”
KNOM reported in September that at least one trooper was spotted filming during a flight between Unalakleet and Nome.
McDaniel said troopers were given a choice to participate in the show. He also said the production company behind the show, Anusia Films, followed an “in-depth process” to get consent from Alaskans featured in the series.
According to a press release from the network airing the show, A&E, the series will include “multi-agency criminal takedowns” and “life-saving search and rescue missions”. McDaniel said the hope is to give Alaskans a better understanding of how troopers spend their days.
“We hope Alaskans will see that and it will be a point of pride for the work that their law enforcement officers do to keep them safe every day,” McDaniel said.
The new season of “Alaska State Troopers” begins airing on A&E on January 7, 2026. Older seasons of the show will also be available on-demand through the A&E app.
