After having pulled the topical Jessica Chastain-led thriller “The Savant” on Sept. 23 — just days before its Sept. 26 premiere — Apple TV has confirmed it will release the show in Spring 2027, notably after November’s midterm elections. The company had gotten cold feet about “The Savant” after the Sept. 10 assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk, and released an opaque statement at the time, saying: “After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone ‘The Savant.’ We appreciate your understanding and look forward to releasing the series at a future date.”
The next day, Chastain — who is an executive producer of “The Savant,” as well as its star — released a statement in which she vehemently disagreed with the company’s decision, arguing that while she values her partnership with Apple, “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,” Chastain wrote on Instagram on Sept. 24. “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,” Chastain’s statement continued. “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.”
On “The Savant,” Chastain plays Jodi Goodwin, a veteran, wife and mother whose job is to infiltrate online forums in which white supremacists gather and sometimes plan domestic terror attacks. Creator Melissa James Gibson adapted “The Savant” from a 2019 Cosmopolitan story by Andrea Stanley titled “Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens?”
The day Apple pulled the show, Variety TV critic Aramide Tinubu argued that the company was making a mistake, and wrote the decision was “another chilling example of how business giants are running scared of the Trump administration, and bowing to pressure before it even exists.”
And eight days after Apple postponed “The Savant,” FBI Director Kash Patel announced he was killing the agency the Chastain character worked for, announcing the act on X. He wrote: “James Comey wrote ‘love letters’ to the ADL and embedded FBI agents with them — a group that ran disgraceful ops spying on Americans. That era is OVER. This FBI won’t partner with political fronts masquerading as watchdogs.”