Life imitates art and art imitates life. Events from the headlines can fuel action movies, Oscar-bait, and countless Law & Order episodes, but sometimes, when a story hits a little close to home, studios ensure portrayals of fictional events aren’t disrespectful to real ones.
When Stranger Things Season 4 premiered on May 27, 2022, it opened with a warning about a scene where multiple children are killed; 19 children had been murdered three days ago in a shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The disclaimer reminded viewers that the series had been filmed a year ago, and expressed sympathy for the victims’ loved ones.
Apple just took far more drastic action with one of its upcoming series, pulling the Jessica Chastain-led thriller The Savant from its release calendar only days before it was set to premiere. The streamer’s logic, however, may be far less justified.
I’ve seen all eight episodes of The Savant for review purposes, and I understand the thought process: the series follows a federal agent (Chastain) who lurks undercover in men’s rights and white supremacy groups to stop domestic terrorists before they act. Essentially, it’s the first thriller where much of the action happens on Discord. In the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination, Apple’s thinking is presumably that a show about extreme beliefs leading to extreme actions may be too on the nose.
But The Savant doesn’t name-drop any conservative commentators. As evident in the trailer, its villains are vague people on the fringes of politics with no specific affiliations. The heinous acts they’re planning are not condoned, obviously. It’s about as controversial as The Night Agent, Hostage, or any other conspiracy and espionage thriller.
Jessica Chastain, who also serves as executive producer, took to social media to express her disappointment, saying, “while I wish this show wasn’t so relevant, unfortunately it is. The Savant is about the heroes who work every day to stop violence before it happens, and honoring their courage feels more urgent than ever.”
But even if The Savant had all but mirrored recent events, that’s no reason to keep it waiting in the wings indefinitely. It was written and filmed long before the Kirk shooting, and the timing will soon be forgotten. If you watch that Stranger Things episode now, the disclaimer no longer appears. Art outlasts the day’s headlines, and shouldn’t be beholden to them.
Some people turn to art to escape reality, but others use art to better grapple with it — just look at the spike in viewership Contagion enjoyed in March 2020. If The Savant really is so relevant to the times, that’s all the more reason to release it and let people consider the effects of extremism. Otherwise, you’re not protecting viewers, just coddling them.
The Savant will premiere on Apple TV+ “at a later date.”
