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Hasan Minhaj’s ‘Patriot Act’ canceled by Netflix, fans upset with loss in POC representation ahead of election

“What a run,” Minhaj wrote, announcing the show's cancellation. “‘Patriot Act’ has come to an end. I got to work with the best writers, producers, researchers, and animators in the game"
PUBLISHED AUG 18, 2020
(Netflix)
(Netflix)

On Tuesday, August 18, comedian Hasan Minhaj announced that his weekly Netflix talk show ‘Patriot Act’ won’t return for its seventh season. “What a run,” Minhaj wrote on Twitter. “‘Patriot Act’ has come to an end. I got to work with the best writers, producers, researchers, and animators in the game. My 2 babies were born and grew up with the show. TY to @netflix and everyone who watched. Now it’s time to return these screens to Best Buy.”



 

‘Patriot Act’ has over the years received critical acclaim for timely and entertaining coverage of political and cultural issues. The talk show aired for 39 episodes across six seasons on Netflix, from October 2018 to June 2020. The show has won an Emmy and a Peabody Award. 

Speaking to Variety about the success of ‘Patriot Act’ recently, Minhaj said, “It allowed me to break out of the cognitive framework of being in the late-night world with multiple Jimmy’s because I was not speaking to the North American audience anymore, I’m speaking to the world,” he said. “When I’m doing a piece about the elections in the Philippines, or censorship in China, or Indian elections, or Saudi Arabia -- there are more people outside of the continental United States that know about that stuff, then people here in the States, know about those issues."

He further said, “If you’re a creative of color, now is the time. If you have a definitive voice or a project or thing that you want to put forward, I would say, just be unapologetic. Go for it.”

But even as Minhaj said a heartfelt goodbye to the fans of ‘Patriot Act’, many seemed unnerved by not just the show’s cancellation, but also its timing. A Twitter user wrote, “Netflix just canceled @hasanminhaj’s vital PATRIOT ACT at a time of global pandemic and racial reckoning, in the middle of the most critical election in modern history, right after the unveiling of a Dem ticket whose VP is Indian American. That is to say: When we needed it most.”



 

Another wrote, “2016: Comedy Central cancels The Nightly Show, one of the only comedy news shows hosted by/focused on people of color, in the middle of an election year. 2020: Netflix cancels Patriot Act, one of the only comedy news shows hosted by/focused on people of color, in the middle of the election year.”



 

A Twitter user noted, “Unfortunate, but not unexpected. Political satire / rubbing people the wrong way / pissing off multiple Governments / talking facts … I can imagine the heat @netflix must have been getting. But @hasanminhaj - you’ve opened the floodgates and @patriotact will live on.”



 

In the same spirit, another person said, “Netflix canceling Patriot Act is not just an indication of the fact that they don’t want to center voices of color, but instead (i think) an indication of the fact that Hasan Minhaj and team took risks and made people uncomfortable—and that was too much for Netflix.”



 

A Twitter user noted, “Patriot Act coming off the air right before the election feels a lot like Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report going off the air right before the first Trump election.”



 

Several people continued to make the same observation however: “Netflix canceling Patriot Act just before the U.S. election is absolute trash.”



 

And of course, people also asked, “Patriot Act got canceled but they can make three Kissing Booth movies?? I hate it here.”



 

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