OLN heads back to the downtown to the mean streets of Vancouver’s eastside with the highly-anticipated return of the original series, “The Beat”

The Beat follows the gritty, high-octane action of the Vancouver Police Department’s elite squad: the Beat Enforcement Team (B.E.T.). In 10, all-new, 30-minute episodes, The Beat delivers in-your-face confrontations as the B.E.T. patrols, serves, and protects the city’s downtown eastside community – a hotbed of drug abuse, prostitution, mental illness, and violent crime. Maintaining order will not be easy, and to do so takes tireless work with a ready supply of courage and compassion. Is the B.E.T up to the challenge?

Led by 20-year veteran Sgt. Toby Hinton and adrenaline junkie Sgt. Mark Steinkampf, The Beat follows the intersecting stories of six police officers who live for the street. The squad includes Const. Hobbs, a third generation police officer who spends his free time volunteering; Const. Addison, an ex-journalist who blogs on the side; and Const. Brown, the longest-serving female officer on the force – up for a promotion any day. The newest member to the team, Const. Smith, is no rookie and has quickly become the go-to guy for large scale drug busts. Followed by cameras 24/7, each episode of The Beat provides an in-depth look at the professional lives of the officers.

You won’t see Dj Qualls getting beat up, but The Beat is still an interesting show.  It’s not staged, or set-up like most reality TV shows. It’s like Vancouver’s version of “COPS”. It airs across Canada, and exposes an underbelly of Vancouver that most people don’t wish to acknowledge. When out-of-town guests visit me, I always take them on an East Hastings tour. Why? Because I’m a terrible friend, that’s why. That, and because I want them to realize that behind all the beauty, Vancouver is a real city. We shouldn’t ignore the fact that East Hastings exists. We should create more awareness, and The Beat does just that.

In the Season 2 premiere episode, “Welcome to the Downtown Eastside,” the officers take time out from their busy street patrol to give a group of teenage hockey players a tour of “skid row” where they encounter the harsh realities of addiction, homelessness and crime. At a nearby rooming house, other B.E.T. members are hot on the heels of a drug bust, but hidden cameras, fortified doors, and escape routes help the dealers stay a step ahead.

The Beat, Premiers Sunday, July 29 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on OLN

Follow Felix on Twitter: @TheFelixKay

Image via: OLN