Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj's cancelation is troubling, not just because it happened so close to the election

UPROXX

"The loss of the show is, first and foremost, a human one," Jason Tabrys says of Netflix canceling Patriot Act after a 20-month run. "Business is business but those researchers, writers, producers, animators, and everyone else involved in the creation of the show are now going to be without a paycheck at a time where it is quite brutal to be in that state. I don’t mean to be that guy, but that’s on my mind as I think about the loss of the show. On a more global level, the loss of this show and its voice is troubling. Not because there aren’t other shows that live in the same space of creative dissection and exploration of deeper cut stories like the eviction crisis and food/worker safety. There are, but there are more shows that loudly and proudly abdicate the responsibility to shine a light on the myriad things that impact and threaten us on the regular, instead choosing to divide, scare, shock, and reap the rewards of low hanging fruit harvesting. And so when the chorus of good weakens, it’s a sad thing. The Patriot Act was in the chorus of good with a voice that resonated and stood out for its cleverness and inventiveness (and for its host’s flair for storytelling). But mostly, I dug how it hung back to consider things. Check out our interview with Minhaj and his thoughts on that when we discussed Kanye’s entry into politics. Let’s also point out that 'late night' is whiter after this move. Representation matters, influencing the stories we see and the knowledge we gain. Minhaj’s blistering and timely look at racism within the South Asian community following the murder of George Floyd is a primary example of a story that comes from a perspective that is not in abundance in the political comedy zeitgeist right now. So there’s all of that to consider. The proximity of this move to a vital election is another thing to consider. No TV show has the ability to change the world, and most people seem to be dug in with their views and their vote, but The Patriot Act‘s highly visual and fact-driven approach always held with it the promise of being able to activate people around a specific issue that mattered to them. And it’s sad to think that the show won’t have the chance to go all-in on the things that are swirling around this election and this moment."

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• Patriot Act had the breadth of a show that aired for far longer than its nearly two-year Netflix run: "The key factor that’s separated out comedian-led shows like Patriot Act is exploring in which direction information flows," says Steve Greene. "If these segments are just stand-up bits dotted with a few news clippings and some fancy photoshops, viewers can feel the hollowness. What made the best Patriot Act episodes engaging is that it derived its purpose from what it was trying to convey rather than simple aesthetics. The result was a show that managed to do both, providing helpful background introductions to international political malfeasance, corrupt lobbying practices, and the cultural impact of emerging trends both welcome and not." Greene notes that Minhaj's show wasn't the same in quarantine, adding: "There’s no denying that the disappearance of studio audiences hurt Patriot Act more than most other late night or weekly comedy shows. The show’s run of eight episodes during quarantine has maintained that same meticulous attention to detail, but a key piece of the Patriot Act spirit was audience interaction. Minhaj noticeably drew energy from the vocal crowd at the show’s tapings."
• Emmy-, Peabody- and Webby-winning Patriot Act's cancelation is baffling when Netflix spends so much money chasing awards