Showtime Just Nixed a Planned Louis C.K. Documentary

May 15, 2023

What does it mean when a documentary dealing with "cancel culture" is itself canceled before it's ever appeared? No, this isn't a thought experiment or a high-minded look at perception and reality, a kind of Schrödinger's cancellation. Instead, it has to do with a planned documentary on Louis C.K. that was supposed to air on Showtime — and now, isn't.The documentary was announced in 2022, and was set to be directed by Caroline Suh, whose projects have included everything from the Netflix adaptation of Salt Fat Acid Heat to a documentary on the group Blackpink. The initial announcement was greeted with relative skepticism, with then-Showtime CEO David Nevins saying at the time, "There's a bit of backlash against #MeToo, who has to go away and who's allowed to come back."Since that announcement, Nevins has left Showtime — and now, so has this project. Variety reports that Showtime will not move forward with the documentary, which was also set to involve the New York Times reporters behind the newspaper's blockbuster story on the comedian's repeated sexual misconduct.It's unclear as of now if the film will find another home; neither its producer nor its director responded to Variety‘s requests for comment.

The Will Smith slap caused an uproar, but no one has said a word about an admitted sex offender winning a Grammy

Curiously, this isn't the only high-profile documentary project to be dropped by Showtime this week. An episode of the series Vice which was slated to cover Florida governor Ron DeSantis was removed from the lineup in lieu of airing on May 28, as was originally planned. Deadline reported that piece of news, with Showtime saying only that they "don't comment on scheduling decisions."

Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.

Suggested for you