Commentary

Programming To Trump America? What About Viewers, Brand Needs?

by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, March 13, 2025

Is Hollywood really programming more for those who are supporters of the Trump Administration?

Those are the 48.3% of the country -- 77.3 million -- who voted for the eventual Presidential winner versus the 75 million who did not. Does that make sense?

A story in The Wall Street Journal says actor Tim Allen -- a big fan of President Trump -- and his new ABC sitcom “Shifting Gears” is just part of the movement of shows and performers that are part of a new programming shift.

This change includes scripted and unscripted TV show themes and content that looks to cater to that part of America -- perhaps more of the working-class demographic, which includes many people who helped Trump ascend to another Presidential term.

This comes at the same time that the A&E cable network is bringing back its hunting/unscripted reality show “Duck Dynasty,” as per its recent upfront announcement.

Streamers have also jumped on board as part of the new movement.

Netflix ordered a special from Tony Hinchcliffe -- a comedian noted for telling racist jokes, according to critics -- at a Trump campaign rally in October.

At the same time, Amazon Prime Video has signed on to re-air seven seasons of “The Apprentice” -- the famed reality, business-focused show starring Donald Trump.

Still, successful TV viewership and high ratings of TV shows, scripted or otherwise are not dependent on the political leaning of a TV show or its performers in real life. The storyline is.

One might assume that crime procedural dramas such as “NCIS,” “Law & Order” would also do well -- in terms of viewership -- during the Trump Administration. Time will tell.

Currently, even those big TV franchise crime procedurals have failures, even amid storylines that wind their way -- a majority of the time -- to a positive law-and-order conclusion. That would seemingly be a strong consideration for conservative-leaning voters.

And more middle-of-the-country hunting/fishing unscripted TV shows would appeal to those viewers as well.

TV advertising brands have other, larger concerns -- like getting more reach to the right consumers to purchase their services and products. TV networks and streamers are constantly looking for the right formula to find that.

Programmers always adjust to the times and will come up with anything that will play to any crowd.

But targeting people of a specific political affiliation -- even in this polarizing media environment? I’ll wait to see the final story arc.

content, politics, streaming, television

7 comments about "Programming To Trump America? What About Viewers, Brand Needs?".

Check to receive email when comments are posted.

Thomas Siebert from BENEVOLENT PROPAGANDA, March 13, 2025 at 10:07 a.m.
All these shows will either fail or simply limp along for a year or two, because the talent level in Holly Wood is the lowest its ever been. And that's not my claim, but the assertions of multiple people in The Town.

In 1971, THE PERSUADERS! with Roger Moore & Tony Curtis got roughly 7.5 million viewers per week and got cancelled after only 20 of its 24 episodes aired. It was among the 10 lowest viewed shows on TV. Today, it would be #1.

Holly Wood is making garbage nobody wants. Doesn't matter whether they're crazy radical anti-American leftists or so-called "conservatives." They're not talented. They have no worldview of merit, no life experience, no sense of balance or perspective. Nobody wants this garbage, not even the idealogues, or we'd be getting a second season of THE ACOLYTE, CAPT. AMERICA: BRAVE NEW WORLD wouldn't be the second biggest bomb in Disney Marvel history (after THE MARVELS, LOL), and Dylan Mulvaney's sad autobiography would be on the best-seller list instead of heading "straight" to the bargain bin.
Reply

Horst Stipp from ARF, March 13, 2025 at 10:53 a.m.

HUB Research and the ARF did research on this issue. In short, it shows that the viewership of some shows skews Democratic, others Republican. Recommend reviewing that that study because it has a lot of insights about what drives viewing preferenres.

ARF OTT 2024: How Much Do Political Beliefs Impact What We Watch?
As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, we are constantly reminded of our country’s political polarization. But do those divisions extend to how Americans make TV content choices, or are we finding common ground? In this study, we will uncover the degree to which political attitudes and partisanship do (or don’t) influence what we watch for entertainment.
Mark Loughney – Senior Consultant, Hub Entertainment Research

Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, March 13, 2025 at 11:55 a.m.

Horst, some time ago I had a friendly consultant ask me for advice about how a lawyer representing his client in a politically charged case could determine whether prospective juror was a liberal or a conservative--in order to nix those with hard core opposing viewpoints. Obviously you could just ask them, but some were certain to lie.

My solution---based on many investigations of Simmons and MRI studies which included questions about political orientation, plus common sense----was to ask prospective jurors about what TV shows they were especially fond of as well as what magazines and celebrities they favored--without alluding to politics. It was clear that certain TV shows---by their choice of subject matter, stars and execution were more attuned to liberal-minded audiences while others went in the opposite direction.I identified the TV shows that were most likely to be mentioned by those on the left or right.

I was told that this ploy worked better than anything they had tried previously as it transcended demographics. Not completely as young jurors were more likely to be liberal-oriented while older jurors were generally more conservative---but you had to dig deeper.

David Scardino from TV & Film Content Development, March 13, 2025 at 2:45 p.m.

Not to be a wiseguy, Wayne, but I think your percentage of Trump voters was of those voting, since the current population of the United States is 340.1 million, of whom 22.7% voted for Trump--big difference.

Michael Giuseffi from American Media Inc replied, March 13, 2025 at 5:04 p.m.

I'd like to know why someone on the left you would call crazy, radical and anti-American?

Isn't it more likely that someone who is taking a chainsaw to federal agencies and inciting a storming of the capital more crazy radical and anti-American?

Ben B from Retired, March 13, 2025 at 10:14 p.m.

I like TV shows to be entertaining that is it for me if it's good I'll watch no matter what. I don't really watch TV shows if they have a liberal or conservative bent I like Tim Allen I watched Home Improvement didn't watch LMS or his new sitcom Shifting Gears.

Robert Rose from AIM Tell-A-Vision, March 14, 2025 at 9:13 a.m.

They... are... trying... too.. hard.. because.. they.. are.. desperate... and.. failing. Only a little over 20% voted for T-rump. Though dumb people have always watched TV at a higher rate than intellectuals, that's not the case anymore. The truly dumb people are tuned into Facebook and Tik Tok.. hence the gobbling up of insane amounts of Russian disinformation as Putinism and MAGA become one big global political movement hell bent on creating a worldview dominated by dystopian oligarchy dominated by Tech Bros and Kleptocratic Authoritarians. Where the cowards disparage the brave, the ignorant rule the wise and the evil dominate and stamp out all that's been good for the last 80 years. For unrelated reasons, Tim Allen's shows will fail. Not because of politics but because he's old, done, and out of touch.