Earlier this month, NBC pulled an episode of The Carmichael Show that was focused on mass shootings, right after members of Congress were shot in Virginia. Its star, Jerrod Carmichael, wasn’t pleased about the episode being axed and explained how he felt during an interview with Chelsea Handler.
“I thought that [the] episode would have an opportunity to talk about these tragedies in a meaningful way ... to really lend itself to conversation,” Carmichael said. “A lot of times when things like this happen and someone wants to talk about it in an outlet that’s not the news, people will say ‘Too soon.’ But when is it not too soon? Unfortunately, these things happen constantly, and it’s a thing that breaks all of our hearts. ...
“I understand a corporation making that decision, but really, to me, what it says is that you don’t think America is smart enough to handle real dialogue and something that reflects real family conversations, and something that feels honest and true and still respects the victims,” he continued. “We handled the episode with as much love and integrity as we possibly could. To pull that is just criminal. It does a disservice to the viewer, it does a disservice to you, it does a disservice to all of us.”
Well, it seems that the show will now air Wednesday night. Titled “Shoot-up-able,” it follows Carmichael’s character after he experiences a mass shooting. Not only was the episode up in the air until Monday, but the fate of the show overall is also in question. The network has not yet said whether it’s going to be renewed, and the actors’ contracts expire Friday.
So far the show has covered controversial topics such as the n-word and Bill Cosby.
The Carmichael Show airs Wednesdays on NBC at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.