Apple Is Making a Huge Mistake Postponing ‘The Savant’ in Wake of Charlie Kirk Killing

In a shocking decision, Apple TV+ has postponed the premiere of the Jessica Chastain drama series “The Savant,” offering another chilling example of how business giants are running scared of the Trump administration, and bowing to pressure before it even exists. The series had been scheduled to premiere Sept. 26.

“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone ‘The Savant,’” an Apple TV+ spokesperson said in a statement to Variety. “We appreciate your understanding and look forward to releasing the series at a future date.”

Based on Cosmopolitan’s 2019 article “Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens?,” “The Savant” follows Jodi Goodwin (Chastain), a top-secret investigator (and a veteran) who, as an employee of the fictional Anti-Hate Alliance, infiltrates online hate groups in an effort to stop large-scale attacks of domestic terrorism. The series, adapted by Melissa James Gibson, is based on the real woman profiled in the Cosmo story, but carefully conceals her identity. On the show, Jodi lives in a Cincinnati suburb, and her husband, Charlie (Nnamdi Asomugha), who is Black, is deployed overseas.

Having watched the eight-episode series for review — which was set to be under embargo until Sept. 25 — it’s clear that “The Savant” is precisely the type of show America needs right now. It looks at a sector of mostly white male individuals who believe that America belongs to them. Fueled by hate, bigotry, xenophobia and misogyny, they talk cruelly and candidly online about enacting harm and violence toward individuals or “others” who they feel are unworthy of being in “their” country. Nowhere in the show does it mention Donald Trump’s name, and other than depicting white nationalists in a negative light, “The Savant” is a straightforward, non-controversial character study — and a well-paced thriller — about one woman trying to stop domestic terrorism.

It seems absolutely maddening that Apple TV+ would pull such a move, especially following the disaster that ABC and its parent company Disney faced after yanking “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air on Sept. 17, following his frank but fair comments after the death of Charlie Kirk. Like Disney/ABC, it seems that Apple TV+ is cowering to a presidential administration that appears to be more concerned with its own dialogue and viewpoints. As “The Savant” suggests, if we continue to exist in vacuums, unwilling to hear and listen to others while using logic and sound facts, then we are part of the problem.

“The Savant” succeeds because it holds a mirror up to present-day American society, reflecting back to us who and where we are currently. The medium of television is so beautiful, because, through its storytelling capabilities, it’s able to reach people across all walks of life, and connect with varied perspectives, allowing us to continue hearing one another. Even if we struggle to find common ground. Snatching relevant TV shows off of networks and streamers out of fear and cowardice is the antithesis of what companies should be doing during this terrifying period, when American life and even the Constitution are under attack.