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Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace

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Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace
Also known asWorld Peace
Genre
Created byMillion Dollar Extreme
Written by
  • Sam Hyde
  • Nick Rochefort
  • Charls Carroll
  • Andrew Ruse
Directed byAndrew Ruse
Starring
  • Sam Hyde
  • Nick Rochefort
  • Charls Carroll
  • Erick Hayden
ComposerBrian Ellis
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
ProducerCameron Boling
Production locationAtlanta, Georgia
Running time11 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkAdult Swim
ReleaseAugust 5 (2016-08-05) –
September 16, 2016 (2016-09-16)

World Peace is an American comedy television series starring and created by sketch comedy group Million Dollar Extreme that premiered on Adult Swim on August 5, 2016.[1]

On December 5, 2016, the show was canceled by Adult Swim. The show had garnered controversy largely due to creator Sam Hyde's association with the alt-right.[2][3][4][5]

Premise

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Each episode of World Peace is the Adult Swim standard eleven minutes in length, starring Million Dollar Extreme troupe leader Sam Hyde and frequent collaborators Nick Rochefort and Charls Carroll. Erick Hayden, another MDE sketch collaborator, also appeared in four episodes in an "also starring" role. Andrew Ruse, who worked with the troupe in the past, directed the series in addition to serving as writer and executive producer alongside Hyde, Rochefort, and Carroll.

The show was billed as being set in a dystopic near-future parody of the present political climate.[1] Each episode is made up of multiple short sketches, broken up by hyperstylized intertitles. The show satirizes contemporary culture, political correctness, and anti-masculinity, among other things. The production design is often surreal, featuring campy costumes and avant-garde lighting and set design. The intertitles are slightly animated and for the most part contain many short passages of text. The text on the intertitles is often facetious, but sometimes earnest, and includes advice, social commentary, and tirades, some of which have been substantially censored. Each episode ends with a music video that usually plays behind the closing credits.

History

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Production

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On May 7, 2015, Adult Swim announced their order of an untitled pilot by Million Dollar Extreme described as a "sketch show ... set in an almost present-day post-apocalyptic nightmare world".[6] Based on that pilot, it was announced on March 3, 2016, that it would go to series with the group presenting it under the additional subtitle World Peace, and the first season consisting of six episodes under the network's traditional eleven-minute episode structure.[1] The show was produced in-house by Rent Now Productions, Inc., and shot in Atlanta, Georgia.[7] The show additionally benefitted from the Georgia production tax credit.[8]

Controversy

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During the show's initial run, BuzzFeed News writer Joseph Bernstein reported on creator Sam Hyde's alt-right social media activity.[9] Bernstein also reported that a source told him the network's standards departments repeatedly discovered and removed "coded racist messages, including hidden swastikas".[10] In the same article, fellow Adult Swim series creator Brett Gelman condemned the show as "an instrument of hate".[10] Gelman would later cut ties with the network over Mike Lazzo's dismissal of criticism about the lack of female Adult Swim show creators, while also citing the network's greenlighting of World Peace as playing a significant part in the decision.[11][12] Gelman's business collaborator, Tim Heidecker, also voiced his support for Gelman's decision to leave the network on Facebook.[13] Writing for The Atlantic, David Sims also decried the content of the show, assessing that "plenty of sketches in Million Dollar Extreme seem to exist only to shock and offend", such as the sketch in which "Hyde appears in blackface, screaming at a woman in exaggerated vernacular."[3]

Viewers

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The show premiered to 1,033,000 viewers, and averaged 896,720 viewers over its run. The finale was its highest-rated episode, with 1,053,000 viewers.

Cancellation

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Adult Swim announced on December 5, 2016, that the show would not be renewed for a second season. The network had received internal complaints about dog-whistling in the show and alleged harassment from Hyde and his fans.[10] Negative press focused on Hyde's association with the alt-right.[14] According to Hyde, despite Adult Swim executives' apparent interest to pick up the show for a second season, Turner ultimately decided to cancel the show.[15] Hyde also accused Tim Heidecker of being against the series due to his political views, and using his influence with network executives to prevent its renewal for a second season,[7] though Heidecker denied this multiple times.[16][17]

Following the cancellation, musicians whose work was featured on the show, including Molly Nilsson, Chastity Belt, Ovlov, and 3Teeth, disavowed the show.[18] All four acts claimed that they were unaware of Million Dollar Extreme's beliefs or political views prior to meeting them or viewing their work. John Maus remained silent until a year later, when he told Noisey, "I never had, from what I know about it, any indication that anything other than certain instances of a sort of trolling was going on. What did they do that made them Nazis? Maybe I haven't looked into it."[19]

On December 8, 2016 Hyde phoned in to confront Tim Heidecker on his podcast. Heidecker dismissed Hyde's accusation of interfering, and complained about receiving threats and harassment from Hyde's fans, which Hyde countered was instead response to a political song Heidecker had recently released.[12]

After World Peace's cancellation, the Washington Post asked Hyde about a reference to David Duke made in the show, to which Hyde responded: "That was a secret signal to the KKK, which is actually where a lot of my YouTube ad revenue comes from".[12]

Episodes

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No.TitleOriginal release dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
1"Your Vibe Attracts Your Tribe"August 5, 2016 (2016-08-05)1051.033[20]
2"Illegal Broadcast: John Hell Emergency"August 12, 2016 (2016-08-12)1020.843[21]
3"3 Down 47 to Go Countdown to Mass Funeral"August 19, 2016 (2016-08-19)1030.874[22]
4"Mad at Dad? GOMAD for Chad MGTOW"August 26, 2016 (2016-08-26)1040.814[23]
5"Not Everyone Thinks You're a Hero"September 9, 2016 (2016-09-09)1010.763[24]
6"You Hate This Show Because You Hate Yourself"September 16, 2016 (2016-09-16)1061.053[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Lincoln, Ross A. (March 3, 2016). "Million Dollar Extreme Gets Comedy Gets Series Order From Adult Swim". Deadline. Archived from the original on August 11, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  2. ^ Blistein, Jon (December 6, 2016). "Adult Swim Cancels Controversial Show 'Million Dollar Extreme'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Sims, David (November 17, 2016). "The Battle Over Adult Swim's Alt-Right TV Show". The Atlantic. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  4. ^ Strauss, Matthew (October 12, 2017). "John Maus Speaks on Involvement With Canceled Alt-Right Adult Swim Show". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 20, 2024. Its creator, Sam Hyde, is also an outspoken proponent of the alt-right
  5. ^ Peters, Mitchell (October 7, 2023). "Doja Cat Gets Backlash After Wearing Shirt With Photo of Alt-Right Comedian Sam Hyde". Billboard. Retrieved September 20, 2024. wearing a shirt with an image of alt-right comic Sam Hyde, who reportedly has ties to the neo-Nazi movement
  6. ^ Stanhope, Kate (May 7, 2015). "Adult Swim Upfront Slate Includes 12 Pilots, Two From 'Robot Chicken's' Seth Green". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Abramovitch, Seth (December 8, 2016). "Sam Hyde Speaks: Meet the Man Behind Adult Swim's Canceled "Alt-Right" Comedy Show (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  8. ^ "3 Down 47 to Go Countdown to Mass Funeral". Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace. Season One. Episode 103. August 19, 2016. Event occurs at 11:08. Adult Swim.
  9. ^ Bernstein, Joseph (August 25, 2016). "The Alt-Right Has Its Very Own TV Show On Adult Swim". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved March 5, 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ a b c Bernstein, Joseph (November 16, 2016). "Adult Swim Talent Want The Network To Cancel Its Alt-Right Comedy Show". BuzzFeed News. Archived from the original on November 21, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  11. ^ Upadhyaya, Kayla Kumari (November 14, 2016). "Brett Gelman leaves Adult Swim, citing "the misogyny of their policies"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Weigel, David. "The story behind the sudden cancellation of Adult Swim's Trump-loving comedy show". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  13. ^ Heidecker, Tim. "I love and respect my friend Brett Gelman and support his decision fully". Facebook (post). Archived from the original on May 31, 2017. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  14. ^ Lange, Ariane (December 6, 2016). "Adult Swim Cancels Controversial Show 'Million Dollar Extreme". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  15. ^ Malice, Michael (December 12, 2016). "Trump Supporter Sam Hyde on Why Political Correctness Canceled His Adult Swim Show". The New York Observer. Archived from the original on December 15, 2016. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  16. ^ "Sam Hyde argues with Tim heidecker over World Peace Cancellation". YouTube. January 21, 2017.
  17. ^ "Tim Heidecker On Sam Hyde and MDE World Peace Cancellation 2018". YouTube. July 28, 2018.
  18. ^ Minsker, Evan; Phillips, Amy (December 8, 2016). "Bands Featured on Adult Swim's Cancelled "Million Dollar Extreme" Disavow Show". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  19. ^ Joyce, Colin (October 12, 2017). "John Maus at the End of the World". Vice. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  20. ^ Welch, Alex (August 8, 2016). "Friday cable ratings: 'Bring It!' and 'Rap Game' hold steady". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on August 9, 2016. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  21. ^ Welch, Alex (August 15, 2016). "Friday cable ratings: 'Bring It!' ticks up". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  22. ^ Welch, Alex (August 22, 2016). "Friday cable ratings: 'The Eric Andre Show' holds steady". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on August 23, 2016. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  23. ^ Welch, Alex (August 29, 2016). "Friday cable ratings: 'Bring It!' ticks up, while 'The Eric Andre Show' stays steady". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on August 30, 2016. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  24. ^ Welch, Alex (September 12, 2016). "Friday cable ratings: College football wins the night". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  25. ^ Welch, Alex (September 19, 2016). "Friday cable ratings: 'The Eric Andre Show' ticks back up". TV By The Numbers. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2016.

Notes

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  1. ^ episodes 4 and 6 only
  2. ^ a b executive producer for Williams Street
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