Apple Wants to Produce Comedies and Dramas That Are Viewer Friendly Enough for Apple Stores

[MacRumors]

Apple's reported $1 billion push into original content will include comedies and emotional dramas with broad appeal, according to Bloomberg.

The report claims Apple wants every show it produces to be suitable enough for an Apple Store, as opposed to content with nudity, raw language, and violence. Hollywood producers that have pitched edgier content, such as an eight-part series produced by filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, have allegedly been turned away.

Apple wants to have a small slate of shows ready for release in 2019, a timeframe previously reported. Unlike Planet of the Apps and Carpool Karaoke: The Series, however, its new shows will supposedly no longer be placed on Apple Music, which in turn will be limited to music-related videos and documentaries.

Carpool Karaoke itself was supposed to launch in April, but its debut was delayed until August due to some coarse content.

Days before Apple Inc. planned to celebrate the release of its first TV show last spring at a Hollywood hotel, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook told his deputies the fun had to wait. Foul language and references to vaginal hygiene had to be cut from some episodes of Carpool Karaoke, a show featuring celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Blake Shelton, and Chelsea Handler cracking jokes while driving around Los Angeles.

While the delay of Carpool Karaoke was widely reported last April, the reasons never were. Edits were made, additional episodes were shot, and Apple shifted resources to another show. When Carpool Karaoke was released in August, it didn't make much of a splash.

Apple has aggressively hired as it pushes into the content arena. In June, the company hired Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, two Sony Pictures Television executives, to lead its video programming efforts. Apple has also hired Matt Cherniss, Morgan Wandell, Jay Hunt, and several other industry executives.

Article Link: Apple Wants to Produce Comedies and Dramas That Are Viewer Friendly Enough for Apple Stores

 

[Appleaker]

Maybe at first but they should broaden their range later on if they want to compete.

 

[Crosscreek]

Apple Disney

 

[camnchar]

Oh good! More Clive Davis documentaries forthcoming ...

 

[Ulisescm]

Alfonso Cuaronto?

 

[ouimetnick]

Basically the movies have to be suitable for people using the Apple Store as their safe space?

 

[nutriousmitten]

Coarse content on the carpool show that delayed it months? Saying "****" couldn't be edited out?

Apple is pretty cognizant of trying to be the most sensitive and PC company in the world, so it doesn't suprise me that any shows they produce will be sanitized down to ridiculous levels, making sure no one may be offended in the slightest by any of the content.

So why bother producing stuff like Disney and any number of outlets do? Money sure, but really, ego, that's why. Cue and other Apple higher ups have unlimited cash and want to rub shoulders with Hollywood actors and execs at parties, and this is the way in.

 

[nwcs]

Well, I’m glad they realize all “original content” doesn’t have to be explicit TV-MA all the time. Besides, family friendly always outsells the rest when done well.

 

[DTphonehome]

Oh good, everyone loves bland, inoffensive shows.

 

[cale508]

What? The emoji movie wasn't from them? LOL.

 

[goobot]

This will make Apple the dominate force in the 5-10 year old demographic for sure. Genius move.

 

[addicted44]

Coarse content on the carpool show that delayed it months? Saying "****" couldn't be edited out?

Apple is pretty cognizant of trying to be the most sensitive and PC company in the world, so it doesn't suprise me that any shows they produce will be sanitized down to ridiculous levels, making sure no one may be offended in the slightest by any of the content.

So why bother producing stuff like Disney and any number of outlets do? Money sure, but really, ego, that's why. Cue and other Apple higher ups have unlimited cash and want to rub shoulders with Hollywood actors and execs at parties, and this is the way in.

Nailed it. It's clear the whole music and tv push was about getting opportunities to hang out with celebrities, and little more.

It's kind of sad, to be honest.

 

[chiefsilverback]

This will be a challenge if you're trying to create content that matches your corporate image rather than what people want. I wonder what shows would make the 'acceptable' list? Would something like Modern Family or Friends be ok?

It's interesting how through the acquisition of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm, Disney is able to 'branch' out without compromising the core Disney brand, and maybe that's the future for Apple? Also it's a marked departure from Amazon's approach to original content which is to make stuff people want to watch.

 

[Solomani]

I guess an Eddie Murphy biopic is out of the question.

 

[JRobinsonJr]

Well, I’m glad they realize all “original content” doesn’t have to be explicit TV-MA all the time. Besides, family friendly always outsells the rest when done well.

Agreed!

While I understand both sides of this debate, the world has many production companies making content that is not kid/family friendly. Not sure I agree with the "we're ONLY going to produce..." mindset, but am fully supportive of the "we're also going to produce..." approach. The world needs less violence, bad language, nudity, etc. and more stories of character, morals and family values.

 

[sevvere]

Oh good, everyone loves bland, inoffensive shows.

The most controversial thing Apple could produce is a Tim Allen type conservative based show.

I doubt they have the........ Courage.

 

[JRobinsonJr]

This will be a challenge if you're trying to create content that matches your corporate image rather than what people want. I wonder what shows would make the 'acceptable' list? Would something like Modern Family or Friends be ok?

I don't know what would be OK with Apple *and* work in the market, but from my perspective we need modern-day equivalents of shows like "Little House on the Prairie", "The Waltons", etc. that are clean AND entertaining!

 

[jdillings]

This is why it will be a flop. People want stuff like Game of Thrones.

 

[inSpumoni]

The only positive thing about this is that they will keep their crappy movies out of Apple Music.

 

[jettredmont]

Ugh. Hopefully this is only a "let's make sure the introduction of Apple TV Studios is not a T&A show" and after they make their introduction they branch out into more interesting content.

IMHO, Netflix does a great job with this. Yes, it includes shows with nudity, with coarse language, with violence. But generally all of those go towards advancing the plot (not that gratuitous all-of-the-above hurt Game of Thrones at all for HBO). And there are a LOT of Netflix shows which I would absolutely feel comfortable with our pre-teens watching and are yet entertaining for the young adults as well as us old-fogie parents.

Apple needs to decide if the TV studio is there to reflect their "brand", or if it is there to make good content. By and large, good content has to have conflict, and like it or not when there is conflict happening people tend to, for example, curse. As a result, I don't think Apple can be successful at both, so it need to decide which it wants. I for one am far less interested in a vanity-project TV studio.

 

[R3k]

Apple Disney

Perhaps "Apple Family"

 

[Westside guy]

Why not produce a range of content and let the market decide?

 

[mwd25]

So why bother producing stuff like Disney and any number of outlets do? Money sure, but really, ego, that's why. Cue and other Apple higher ups have unlimited cash and want to rub shoulders with Hollywood actors and execs at parties, and this is the way in.

Well, I'm not sure that would work out to well when as the article stated, their highly anticipated. long awaited show, "didnt make much of a splash" I.E. it sucked. They would be more than likely embarrassed to show up at any parties putting out sanitized unwatchable content like that. If quality and making the absolute best tv product you can isnt your number one priority, then dont get into the tv business. Its that simple. Put something else on in the stores. The notion that your whole tv creative team will be hampered by some ridiculous rule of, "has to be safe for store" is asinine.
I cant imagine Amazon saying, "This Man in the High Castle show sounds great, just take out any violence, swearing and sex" Same with HBO and Westworld. I guess thats the kind of quality shows we WONT get from Apple. Game of Thrones, The Wire, The Sopranos, Penny Dreadful, all shows that are too offensive for Apple. Thats just not how you encourage the creative process and not how you create a quality product.

 

[Westside guy]

It's kind of sad, to be honest.

Almost as sad as using a five-year-old laptop!

 

[redking31591]

Doesn't bug me. Too many shows have started using violence, sex, and nudity purely because they can. Think of how many episodes of Game of Thrones have characters delivering exposition with sex in the back ground or while having sex, purely because they could. It adds almost nothing to the actual show aside from saying it's there.

Having to work around nudity, sex, and gore has resulted in loads of endlessly creative solutions that have for now been abandoned on TV just because they can.