Big thoughts on Savant pulled by Apple TV+, Kimmel's return, and... Gabby's Dollhouse... wait, what?
Something strange happened with yesterday’s Always Be Watching newsletter… I didn’t publish it. My early morning got away from me and I just didn’t have an opportunity to get it out. It’s pretty rare that the newsletter doesn’t get published in some form… I’ve maybe only missed a send about four or five times in the YEARS I have been publishing.
The big news continues to be the Jimmy Kimmel return. I don’t think there’s ratings in yet, but he broke his YouTube viewership record with 12m views within 15 hours.
Like 12m other people, I watched it on YouTube (we don’t get the show in Australia) and I thought the return monologue was smart and well-executed. There was a lot of box ticking (thanking Disney, attacking Brendan Carr & Trump, a few tears for Charlie Kirk, a celebrity cameo, a mention of being a follower of Jesus’ teachings, and a suggestion to sign back up to Disney+ and Hulu). But, the moment that I thought was most interesting was his opening line:
“As I was saying before I was interrupted…”
It’s a line that would have only been relevant to a handful of dorks watching, but it is a throwback to the line former Tonight Show host Jack Paar used when he returned to air in March of 1960 after walking off the show a month earlier. Network censors wanted him to cut a joke about the ‘water closet’ which pissed him off enough to quit on air.
Apple pulls Savant
Media companies are clearly very nervous about finding themselves unexpectedly in the middle of the increasingly weaponised culture war right now.
Apple TV+ has announced plans to pull Savant, a show about domestic terrorists. The reasoning seems to be related to the heightened sensitivities following the Charlie Kirk assassination.
“After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone The Savant,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “We appreciate your understanding and look forward to releasing the series at a future date.”
The show stars Jessica Chastain as an undercover investigator who embeds in online hate groups in an effort to stop extreme acts before they take place.
I’d argue that shows about stopping online hate speech are maybe a good thing in the current climate and there’s not really much about the sort of surface-level racially-motivated extremist groups in the show that is particularly problematic (I’ve only seen the first episode, mind you).
It isn’t clear whether the show has only been delayed in the US, or if it will be available internationally. There’s still no official announcement from the local Apple team and the show was still scheduled for release this week on a note to critics.
Here’s Indiewire’s Ben Travers making a reasonable argument today that Apple’s decision makes sense:
Without stepping on the toes of a review that will run at a later date, “The Savant” is far from incendiary. It largely avoids concrete political associations in favor of implications via familiar archetypes, and it’s not surfacing any issues that haven’t been apparent for years, if not decades. (It’s based on a six-year-old Cosmopolitan story, which honors its subject in the way Chastain said she hopes the series does, too — and which is still available to read online, right now, for free.) I can’t imagine these episodes will change anyone’s points of view on politics, gun violence, or whatever prejudices they already feel. It’s simply not that kind of big, ambitious show, like all the ongoing bluster makes it out to be.
But none of that means it couldn’t turn into a cultural powder keg. We’ve seen infernos start from much less, so why not err on the side of caution? Maybe I’m wrong and Apple is more afraid of Trump’s ire than the public’s reaction. Maybe I’m very wrong and Apple is using tragic current events to drum up awareness for a show no one had heard of a few days ago. (Again, that is not what I believe is happening — did I mention Apple is sensitive to criticism?)
But Jessica Chastain isn’t into the decision. She posted to her Instagram:
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.
The review you have been waiting for: Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie
Until around a week ago, I knew next to nothing about Gabby’s Dollhouse. My daughter, who just turned four during the week, is the exact age to be into the kids show. But until late last week, she had zero investment in the show. I’d tried her with an episode or two a few months back, but it didn’t take. This week saw an ABC Kids morning schedule change, so I plugged in the hole with some episodes of the show and it took.
When it comes to the feature film, it is difficult to pass her off as a longtime fan. But as an ardent fan with maybe 10 days worth of extreme enthusiasm, I can say that the film was an unqualified success.
The film is also surprisingly good. Keep in mind, this is a show for little kids - it’s for those with interests that extend as far as unicorns, rainbows, and wearing a tutu to daycare at least three times a week. And the show absolutely nails the experience for them.
For parents, the film isn’t a chore. The show delivers a welcome Gloria Estefan playing Gabby’s grandmother in a handful of scenes, along with an exceedingly daffy performance by Kirsten Wiig who is genuinely funny in the movie, delivering a performance that is genuinely laugh out loud in moments.
But the real star of the film is Gabby with series star Laila Lockhart Kraner back in the lead role. As in the show, she’s here starring in the film as the live action titular hero, as well as the animated version.
When she first appears on screen, I was very aware that this isn’t the little girl first introduced in the Netflix show back in 2021 - 11 seasons ago.
It’s only four years, but the difference between most teens is noticeable as they grow from 13 to 17 years old. And at the start of the film, watching a girl on the cusp of adulthood talking to her dollhouse friends is a little bit jarring.
But the film is smart. As we get further into the movie, the theme of the film lets itself be known - this is a movie about a girl who is consciously thinking about how she isn’t quite invested in playing with her toys anymore - that she’s starting to turn her attentions elsewhere. And that’s made all the more difficult when the toys talk and play with her as actual friends.
The film started to lose my four year-old daughter when it shifted a bit too heavily into the more complicated story matter, addressing the theme head-on. It got a bit dark and slightly too adult. But, with some assurances that it’ll be back to being a lot more fun soon, she was on board and dancing in the aisles on the way out of the theatre.
Broadly, the film nails the task of delivering the TV show to the big screen and bringing with it a greater sense of scale. Most importantly, all of the kids in the cinema seemed to be really into it.
For adults, there’s enough here to keep it from feeling at all like a chore. It isn’t Pixar, but frankly I’m bored with Pixar in recent years anyway.
Speaking of movies…. here’s the best one you will see in 2025
Might I strongly recommend taking a trip to the cinemas this weekend to see the new Paul Thomas Anderson film One Battle After Another. I got along to a screening earlier this week and had a great time with it.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays a guy who is in a highly charged relationship with a revolutionary woman. They’re in a Weather Underground-type of group. They have a kid together, but when she gets arrested, Leo and the daughter get some fake identities and go into hiding. 15 years later, a soldier with a personal motivation in finding them ferrets them out.
PTA has made a bunch of my all-time favourite films (Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, Boogie Nights, and more) and this is probably his biggest crowd-pleasing film. The movie is big and propulsive - the movie never stops moving. You’ll have a blast.
News Desk
The Baywatch revival officially has a greenlight for the 2026-27 TV season on Fox. I genuinely think this is a great idea and if they don’t botch the execution (Matt Nix from Burn Notice is the showrunner), I reckon this will be huge. Read: THR
David Ajala from Star Trek: Discovery will join Law & Order mid-season as a replacement for Mehcad Brooks, who left the show between seasons. Read: THR
Episode 8 of Peacemaker reportedly includes a lot of the cast from Superman (2025). Read: PrimeTimer
Peter Bradshaw reviews the debut Woody Allen novel… maybe not one to read on the train or at the local coffee shop. Read: The Guardian
The Pitt has reportedly tripled its global viewing (on the week prior) following its Emmy wins. In the US, Luminate reports 60.2M minuted watched on Monday, September 15 - that’s up 142% from the prior Monday’s 24.9M minutes watched. Read: Deadline
Catfish has been cancelled after 9 seasons at MTV. Don’t be sad… marvel that they squeezed 9 seasons out of that nonsense. Read: THR
Trailer Park
The Hand That Rocks The Cradle debuts on Hulu Oct 22.
IT: Welcome To Derry (which I assume is some sort of IT Crowd spin-off…) debuts Oct 26 on HBO Max.
Season 3 of Loot returns Oct 15 on Apple TV+.
Murder Before Evensong debuts on Acorn TV Sept 29.
The series follows Canon Daniel Clement (Matthew Lewis), the Rector of Champton, as he finds himself unexpectedly entangled in a murder case when a dead body turns up at the back of the church.
That’s the newsletter for today.
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