Did Apple Do the Right Thing?

"In the week before it was originally due to premiere, which was supposed to be tomorrow, Apple scrubbed or changed most of the show's promotional materials on social media without notice and later released a clipped statement on the matter only after the removal was first reported by a tech blog. A day later, star and producer Chastain released a carefully worded statement disagreeing with the decision and advocating for the show's relevance in 2025."

"The timing raised questions. To be fair, there is a decades-long history of TV and movies being rescheduled in light of harrowing news events - especially mass shootings - so is the political climate just too hot for The Savant, which depicts explosive violence? Did Apple conclude that, in the wake of the intense reactions to the assassination of right-wing activist and MAGA martyr Charlie Kirk, it wasn't the right moment for a show about tracking down violent radicals in online forums?"

Apple TV+ postponed the premiere of The Savant and scrubbed or altered most promotional materials on social media a week before the scheduled release. The company issued a brief statement only after the removals were first reported by a tech blog. A day later, star and producer Jessica Chastain released a carefully worded statement disagreeing with the decision and advocating for the show's relevance in 2025. Observers proposed reasons: sensitivity to recent violent events; reactions to an assassination of a right-wing activist; preemptive deference to a media-critical administration; a marketing play to generate a Streisand effect; or low scheduling priority. Apple and producers have not offered further explanation.

Read at Vulture