The Problem with Jon Stewart has been canceled by Apple after just two seasons, reportedly after Apple execs balked at the idea of the show tackling topics like China and artificial intelligence, The New York Times reports.
Some members of the show's staff were notified on Thursday, just a couple of weeks before season three was set to start shooting.
The cancellation is surprising. The show earned five Emmy nominations, including ones for Outstanding Talk Series, Outstanding Hosted Nonfiction Series, and Outstanding Writing For A Nonfiction Program. According to EW, it was the most viewed unscripted series on Apple TV+. Some of the show's segments have made headlines, including Stewart's sit-downs with an Oklahoma lawmaker about guns and Arkansas' AG about banning care for trans youth.
Stewart reportedly butted heads with Apple execs over some of the topics and guests on the show's upcoming third season. A person with knowledge of the situation told the Times that AI and China were among the hot-button topics that caused creative issues. Another source said the upcoming 2024 election was another possible point of contention.
The Hollywood Reporter says Stewart wanted full creative control over the series and essentially walked away when Apple execs declined to do so.
Apple and China have a shaky relationship as it is, but it's an important market for Apple, which sells its devices in the country. Cupertino is also reportedly working on generative AI tools, which will potentially be incorporated into next year's iOS 18. This cancellation, of course, highlights the drawbacks of major tech companies getting into content creation.
For now, the show is still available to stream on Apple TV+. Stewart was an executive producer of the show along with Brinda Adhikari, James Dixon, and Richard Plepler and it was produced by Busboy Productions, which Stewart also runs.
