The Savant Made A Dumb Decision: The Sammy Suggestion for #SetTheVCR for Friday, September 26 was gonna be Apple TV’s The Savant.
Notice I used past tense? It was gonna be this…
Following the heinous 9/11 attacks reports surfaced of airplane student pilots at flight schools who were not interested in taking off and landing. That should have set off an investigative Spidey-Sense.
Similarly, Apple’s The Savant is inspired by a true-life story entitled Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens? featured in Cosmopolitan in August 2019. (I ain’t gonna link to Cosmo…)
This is Minority Report but in real life? The Cosmo article (is this even real news?!) profiled a woman known as “the Savant” who infiltrates online hate-groups in order to prevent large-scale public attacks. Which is such a fascinating quandary.
Enrolling in flight school is not a crime. But what do you when students don’t care about taking off and landing? At what point do they become dangerous? When do you take them down? How much crime can you get them on before they hurt others and damage property and alter the entire destinies of families?
I’m not The Savant or even a Savant so like everyone else I’ll push play on this and see where it all goes. Programming Note: The eight-episode thriller will make its debut on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on Friday, September 26, 2025, followed by one new episode every Friday through November 7, 2025.
All good.
However, three days before the premiere date, the release date was abruptly postponed without a new date or a clear explanation. Did this have anything to do with Charlie Kirk’s heinous murder on September 10, 2025? That seemed strange since it was almost 2 weeks prior.
Jessica Chastain released the following statement:
“I want to say how much I value my partnership with Apple. They’ve been incredible collaborators and I deeply respect their team. That said, I wanted to reach out and let you know that we’re not aligned on the decision to pause the release of The Savant.
In the last five years since we’ve been making the show, we’ve seen an unfortunate amount of violence in the United States: the kidnapping attempt on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer; the January 6th attack on the Capitol; the assassination attempts on President Trump; the political assassinations of Democratic representatives in Minnesota; the attack on Speaker Pelosi’s husband; the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk; the recent shooting at an ABC affiliate station in California; and over 300 school shootings across this country.
These incidents, though far from encompassing the full range of violence witnessed in the United States, illustrate a broader mindset that crosses the political spectrum and must be confronted. I’ve never shied away from difficult subjects, and 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. While I respect Apple’s decision to pause the release for now,
I remain hopeful the show will reach audiences soon. Until then, I’m wishing safety and strength for everyone, and I’ll let you know if and when The Savant is released.”
Apple cowardly postponing The Savant due to the “the political climate” (whatever that raw junk means) is an odious Hollywood tradition.
Culturally, Hollywood got cold feet after 9/11 with violent and action movies.
There was the utter nonsense of “copaganda” (whatever the hell that is!) in reaction to outlaw violence from rogue police officers.
And last year there was dumb-panic releasing The Oder. With Variety explaining: “Jude Law Thriller The Order Scared Distributors but Will Not Suffer Trumpian Zeitgeist in U.S. Release, Producer Stuart Ford Says.”
Feet of clay, these studios…like what is even a “Trumpian Zeitgeist?!” Sounds like a lousy punk band name.
That entire reaction is brutally stupid. Honestly, I wish I could be more harsh because it’s just that dumb.
Often when you see these movies or a TV show like Savant you’re like…that’s it?! Why was that a Boogeyman? It wasn’t “scary” at all.
And The Order—while a solid movie worth checking out—isn’t an Avengers movie. Truthfully, most won’t see it. Or even hear about it. Some won’t even get it.
Since Fredric Wertham’s gutless Seduction of the Innocent we continue to overestimate the value and impact of pop culture.
It’s all okay.
Be A Man.
Put on your big boy pants and release the series. Or the movie. Or the book.
Whatever you think will happen…
Whatever you believe will happen…
Whatever you are certain will happen…
Never Does.
Sammy Verdict: There’s No Need To Read The Room If The Room Isn’t Well-Read.
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Sammy Younan is the affable host of My Summer Lair podcast: think NPR’s Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.
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