'The Problem With Jon Stewart' canceled after two seasons on Apple TV+
"The Problem With Jon Stewart" won't be returning to Apple TV+ for a third season due to alleged disagreements over topics, though details are sparse.
'The Problem With Jon Stewart'
"The Problem With Jon Stewart" had a strong two season run on Apple TV+, taking the crown as the most-viewed unscripted show when it debuted. It even got nominated for four Emmys including Outstanding Talk Series.
According to a report from Variety, Apple TV+ and Jon Stewart have parted amicably due to disagreements over topics being pitched for the third season. Those topics allegedly included artificial intelligence and China, according to an anonymous source.
The show has covered controversial topics including racism, gender, climate change, and more over its two season run. One segment even pointed out Apple's financial position and criticized the company, so it isn't clear why other topics would be unapproachable.
Apple TV+ has had a few shows canceled and projects depart in recent weeks. Check out the full list of canceled shows curated by AppleInsider.
Jon Stewart is known for his time on "The Daily Show" and his advocacy work for veterans and first responders. "The Problem With Jon Stewart" was his return to television and a big win for Apple, and time will tell if this is the last we'll see of Stewart on unscripted shows.
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Comments
I’m sorry it will be leaving Apple TV+, but I hope it will find a new home.
I can’t say this cancellation is unexpected, because the big topics that need rational discussion these days will inevitably cross over into things like Big Tech, China, and so-called AI, which may not always paint certain companies (not just Apple) in a flattering light.
Some other streaming platform will pick it up, maybe Google or amazon?
If you're gonna produce a live talk show, interfering with the content is inappropriate. The only exceptions are promoting lies, hate, disinformation...and of course, those 7 words you can't say on television: S, P, F, C, C, M, and T.
There is nothing more you need to understand or discuss. Apple was terrified of Jon's show discussing China, however honestly and fairly as Jon does, but, critically, a discussion that could possibly upset the government of China and, in turn, adversely affect Apple's business and bottom line. This cancellation is what you call risk mitigation. For a trillion dollar corporation, China is no small potatoes in the big picture of Apple's business.
https://youtu.be/kyBH5oNQOS0?si=rSNq8F05ZbpwRgp4
But they are comedians because they wanted to make a living by making people laugh. That's not what happens in politics. They'd have to give that part of their life up and be serious to work in politics. People also keep forgetting that these shows are productions with a room of comedy writers behind the scenes, it's not one person coming up with the material, much of it is rehearsed and read from a teleprompter. When the writers' strike happened, these shows went off the air.
Most of these kind of shows tend to be very partisan and Jon Stewart has shown that he's not the type to take the opposing side to his base. That lowers the appeal to a broader audience. The show's ratings and reviews were pretty bad, given his history:
https://www.thewrap.com/the-problem-with-jon-stewart-ratings-apple-plus/
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_problem_with_jon_stewart/s01
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_problem_with_jon_stewart/s02
Low ratings and around 60% audience score.
The Daily Show felt polished, confident and comfortable with every episode. It had production values that rivalled, even exceeded, news channels. This show came across as cringeworthy and amateur in comparison and not entertaining. Jon Stewart's fanbase was built on entertainment and talking about serious topics in a light-hearted way.
The topics covered on the show weren't current news, they were single topics that have been talked about many times before and the discussions involved everyday people who weren't interesting to listen to and didn't bring anything new to the conversation. Good talk shows usually involve people who are familiar with speaking to a crowd, not random people.
The set design was poor. Look at the Daily Show, the energy of the cast and reaction of the audience:
This was 9 years ago and that material is still more relevant than what they talked about on the Problem show.
Compare to the Problem show:
The lighting is off, low saturation, low energy, jokes were ok but timing was off and the audience isn't reactive enough.
This type of show is great to have on Apple TV because it can maintain regular viewers but it needs to be current affairs, entertaining, energetic, have better production values and have broader appeal (celebrity guests).
If this show had the ratings, Apple wouldn't have cancelled it, regardless of the topics.
but if the real reason is China then that is yet another example of how China is a huge problem. The worst problems are the ones people are punished for trying to talk about.