What to Know About The Savant—And Apple TV+’s Decision to Delay the Show

This week, Apple TV+ postponed the release of its upcoming series The Savant, a thriller starring Jessica Chastain as an investigator who goes undercover in extremist communities online to stop acts of domestic terrorism before they happen. “After careful consideration, we have made the decision to postpone The Savant,” Apple TV+ said in a statement to TIME on Wednesday. “We appreciate your understanding and look forward to releasing the series at a future date.” The delay comes about two weeks after the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk, whose killing—and the general rise of political violence—President Donald Trump has blamed on “radical left” groups. (According to research by the Cato Institute, right-wing extremists are responsible for most of the domestic terrorism incidents in the U.S.) It also arrives amid a larger conversation about media suppression, free speech, and First Amendment rights following the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! as Trump and FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr target critics with large platforms. The Savant was set to premiere on Friday with two episodes following how Chastain’s character Jodi monitors white supremacists online and alerts law enforcement when she believes they’re about to commit a violent act. The show doesn’t just dive into a subject matter that feels all too real—it is based on a true story published in Cosmopolitan in 2019 about a former Marine and police officer who worked for the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and earned the nickname “The Savant” because of her knack for figuring out when misogynist white supremacists were about to commit an act of violence. Identified simply as “K” in the article, the woman nicknamed “the Savant” became a police officer because she loved the thrill of chasing criminals. She began, as the Cosmopolitan article notes, “tracking the men who hate women” by immersing herself in the message boards and social media forums where people with far-right political views congregate. Armed with a photographic memory for names and faces, K’s skills were invaluable—she famously helped law enforcement identify 305 of the extremists who were present at the 2017 Unite the Right rally where Heather Heyer was killed by a white nationalist. K said her knack for identifying people who planned to turn their hate into an act of violence was driven by sharp instinct, explaining to Cosmopolitan, “You know that feeling you get when you’re about to get on an elevator, and you get a sense that you shouldn’t because as the doors open, the person standing there gives you a bad vibe? Most people ignore that feeling and get on the elevator anyway. Me? I’ll wait for the next one.” On Wednesday, Chastain, who plays the character inspired by K and is also an executive producer on the show, said on Instagram that she is “not aligned” with Apple TV+’s decision to pause its release and noted several acts of political violence that have occurred in the U.S. over the last five years, including the attempted kidnapping of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the assassination attempts on Trump, the assassinations of Democratic representatives in Minnesota, and the assassination of Kirk. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jessica Chastain (@jessicachastain) “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,” Chastain wrote. “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.” Apple TV+ has not said exactly why it paused the release of The Savant and did not announce a new release date. “While I respect Apple’s decision to pause the release for now, I remain hopeful the show will reach audiences soon,” wrote Chastain.