In an increasingly political Hollywood, several recent productions stand out as major successes—without using political agendas.
Key Details
- Falling somewhat outside the norm, movies like Top Gun: Maverick, TV shows like Yellowstone, and limited series like The Terminal List are successful media productions that don’t attempt to sway the viewer with political pandering.
- The limited series The Terminal List was initially subject to intense scrutiny from critics—some calling it an “unhinged right-wing revenge fantasy,” the Daily Wire reports.
- Despite criticism, the show appears to be a success—reaching the number-one spot on Amazon during its first week and number three on the Nielsen streaming chart in the first month. In all, the show had 1.1 billion minutes viewed over eight episodes.
Why it’s news
Actor and director Chris Pratt’s new show is just one example that may reveal that audiences are tired of political messages in their entertainment.
The success of productions suchy as The Terminal List stands in sharp contrast with “woke” productions put out by other producers. The success of more neutral entertainment may be a sign to Hollywood and other producers that audiences just want to be entertained, not scolded.
After producing increasingly political content, Netflix made a sudden shift earlier this year, telling employees that they would not be allowed to censor programming because of personal views.
Earlier this year, Disney faced backlash from customers over overtly political stances and comments from employees. Following the backlash, Disney+ subscriptions slowed, suggesting viewers didn’t appreciate politics mixed with their entertainment, reports Daily Wire.