Today, it deals primarily in non-fiction programming, including reality television, true crime, documentaries and miniseries, thus de-emphasizing its full name in the process.

Since 1985, it is no longer a programming block, due to its joint owners spinning it off into a 24-hour channel while Nickelodeon later launched Nick at Nite to fill in the time slot A&E formerly held.

[6] In 1986, the network premiered one of the first classical music videos to be broadcast in the United States and Canada, the Kendall Ross Bean: Chopin Polonaise in A Flat.

"The word 'arts,' in regard to television, has associations such as 'sometimes elitist,' 'sometimes boring,' 'sometimes overly refined' and 'doesn't translate well to TV,'" Whitney Goit, executive vice president for sales and marketing, stated.

The network created two original weekly drama series, Sidney Lumet's 100 Centre Street[16] and Nero Wolfe, both[citation needed] of which lasted from 2001 to 2002.

[21] The docudrama Flight 93, about the hijacking of the plane which crashed in Pennsylvania during the September 11 attacks, was the most watched program on the network; it attracted 5.9 million viewers for its initial telecast on January 30, 2006.

The previous record-holder for the network was a World War II docudrama, Ike: Countdown to D-Day, starring Tom Selleck and broadcast in 2004, with 5.5 million viewers.

[23] The series continued to perform well for A&E, and led the network to regularly rank in the top ten basic U.S. cable channels in prime time ratings.

The show would quickly garner commercial success; in 2018, a survey by Inscape found Live PD to be the most-watched program among non-live (DVR and VOD) and over-the-top viewers in 2018.

[16] In June 2020, Live PD was cancelled by the network in the wake of the 2020 race riots and after reports were confirmed that the show's producers had recorded and then deleted footage of the killing of Javier Ambler under police custody.

While defending the show in a statement, Dan Abrams said, "Contrary to many incorrect reports, neither A&E nor the producers of 'Live PD' were asked for the footage or an interview by investigators from law enforcement or the District Attorney's office.

[41] Most Wanted Treasures was A&E's most-watched new series in 2021, while the premiere of a Biography episode on Stone Cold Steve Austin attracted the franchise's highest viewership in 16 years.

[45] Notable original series seen on A&E have included Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, Breakfast with the Arts,[46] The First 48, Duck Dynasty, Intervention, Live PD, Storage Wars, and Wahlburgers.

This A&E series also include claims by Dr. Mark Saginor's estranged daughter, by Theodore, and by former butler Mitch Rosen that the doctor was not only Hefner's live-in physician, but also his male lover.

I proudly sign this letter in recognition of Hugh Hefner's character amid unfounded allegations in the A&E show.” In response, A&E issued a statement which read: “The stories shared in Secrets of Playboy are the personal experiences of the documentary's participants and deserve to be told despite how difficult they may be for some to hear.

[52][53][54] A&E said in a statement, "We are extremely disappointed to have read Phil Robertson's comments in GQ, which are based on his own personal beliefs and are not reflected in the series Duck Dynasty.

For example, Maury Chaykin reflected on the cancellation of the A&E original series A Nero Wolfe Mystery in a 2008 interview: "I'm a bit jaded and cynical about which shows succeed on television.