What is The Savant about? Inside the Apple TV+ drama that's been pulled from the schedule

Apple TV+ announced this week that the release of upcoming thriller The Savant starring Jessica Chastain has been postponed - just days before it was due to premiere.

The streaming service said in a statement: “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.”

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While the platform has not shared specific reasons for pulling The Savant from its release schedule, the decision arrived soon after the assassination of right-wing political commentator Charlie Kirk.

But what exactly is The Savant about? Let’s take a look at this hot button drama after Apple’s controversial decision.

What is The Savant about?

The Savant is led by Hollywood star Jessica Chastain playing a woman named Jodi Goodwin, who infiltrates online hate groups in an attempt to stop political violence.

A trailer for the drama reveals Jodi as a seemingly inconspicuous suburban mother who is raising two children with husband Charlie Goodwin (played by Nnamdi Asomugha).

However, by night Jodi scours the internet for evidence of extremist attacks she can stop before they take place.

A synopsis for the drama reveals: “The tense and high-stakes thriller follows an undercover investigator known as The Savant as she infiltrates online hate groups in an effort to stop domestic extremists before they act.”

The trailer reveals Jodi and others like her have managed to protect the US from “countless” acts of terrorism by extremists, but one group she has been watching for “a year and a half” could pose the greatest threat she’s ever seen.

As well as Chastain and Asomugha, the series also stars James Badge Dale, Dagmara Domińczyk, Cole Doman, Jordana Spiro, Trinity Lee Shirley, Toussaint Francois Battiste, and guest star Pablo Schreiber.

Is The Savant based on a true story?

Yes, The Savant is loosely inspired by real events, though the narrative depicted within the show itself is fictional.

The series is based on a 2019 article Is It Possible to Stop a Mass Shooting Before It Happens?, which was published in Cosmopolitan.

Written by Melissa James Gibson, The Savant adapts the experiences of the woman described in the article, though it conceals her real identity.

Like the series’ protagonist, the real Jodi, simply named ‘K’ in the article, is a veteran of the Marine Corps. The Cosmo piece recalls the sexual harassment she experienced as a woman in the marines, aged just 19.

She then went on to enrol in night school, receiving a degree in justice and public safety before becoming an undercover police officer. From there, K went on to investigate capital-murder cases with a state-run agency, requiring her to interview inmates on death row.

It’s currently unknown how much this experience will feature in the series, although shots of Chastain in military gear seem to suggest Jodi’s career history will align fairly closely with those of K.

Should Apple TV+ have postponed the series?

Some media journalists have criticised Apple’s decision to pull the series from its schedule, speculating fears of a backlash from far-right groups.

Variety called it a “huge mistake”, with Aramide Tinubu describing the series as “precisely the type of show America needs right now.

“It looks at a sector of mostly white male individuals who believe that America belongs to them [and are] fueled by hate, bigotry, xenophobia and misogyny.”

However, they also remark that Republican president Donald Trump is not mentioned, adding the series is simply “straightforward, non-controversial character study — and a well-paced thriller — about one woman trying to stop domestic terrorism.”

Lead actress Chastain has said of the series to Radio Times: “I hate that this show is relevant.

“I hate it. I hate that there are mass acts of violence. But maybe through this conversation and through unearthing this darkness in society, then we’re gonna work together to fix it.”

The Savant does not currently have a release date.