One of the more intriguing new TV series of the summer looked to be USA Network’s Shooter, based on the 2007 Mark Wahlberg film (which itself was based on Stephen Hunter’s Bob Lee Swagger novels, particularly Point of Impact).
Ryan Phillippe is taking over the Swagger role for the TV series, also starring Omar Epps and Cynthia Addai-Robinson. But viewers won’t be seeing Shooter as soon as originally planned. The series was scheduled to debut last Tuesday, July 19. That premiere was pushed back one week in light of the shootings in Dallas on July 7, in which five police officers were killed by a sniper.
But the tumult in the world has hardly settled down since Dallas. In the past week alone, we’ve seen a terrorist attack in Nice, France, a failed military coup in Turkey, and a shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana during which three police officers were killed by a former Marine, presumably in retaliation for the killing of Alton Sterling by police on July 5.
Shooter‘s delayed premiere was set for Tuesday, July 26. But with sensitivities still high, a series about a wrongly accused sniper on the run from police federal agents might feel a bit too close to reality and not what audiences want to see right now. As a result, USA Network has decided to push the series back even further, delaying its debut until the fall.
That delay could be until late in the fall season as well. According to IndieWire’s Michael Schneider, a network source said USA could push Shooter into November, so the show won’t play after the presidential election.
USA Network has made these sorts of decisions before. Last summer, the season one finale of Mr. Robot was delayed because a character shot himself during a live on-camera interview. The episode would have aired shortly after a Virginia TV reporter and cameraman were killed by a gunman live on the air.
But is there a certain point at which the network just has to decide to go forward with broadcasting the series? What if there is another incident of gun violence between now and November? Frankly, with the upheaval seen in the country during the past few weeks not to mention the past few years, the chances of another shooting — be it civilian, police or terror related — occurring during the next four months seems rather high. That’s an utterly depressing possibility, but how can it be ruled out with what we’ve seen recently?
While the visuals of the Swagger character using the sniper rifle and the gun violence that ensues might be upsetting to some viewers, Shooter is still a work of fiction and the audience can seemingly make that distinction. Furthermore, though Swagger is framed as a fugitive in an attempt to assassinate the president, he’s not an unhinged individual who suddenly decides that he needs to begin killing people as some sort of statement or expression of his beliefs. During production, the series has also worked closely with veterans’ groups that portrays soldiers accurately and with sensitivity.
IndieWire’s Schneider also reported that USA Network might consider changing the title of the show, though there is something of a brand identification with the 2007 film. But is Shooter such a familiar title that potential viewers could be lost if they don’t associated the name with the Mark Wahlberg movie? As mentioned, the film itself was adapted from a novel titled Point of Impact, so it seems rather easy to make that the name of the series (if author Stephen Hunter and the book’s publisher are on board with that).
USA Network can’t be criticized for attempting to demonstrate sensitivity, even if it’s ultimately motivated by wanting to avoid backlash against its series or trying to distance itself enough from real-life events that viewers will feel comfortable watching. TV networks and producers try to make their material resonant by echoing what’s going on in the world around us. It’s why a show like Mr. Robot, for example, has made such an impression on viewers. But will something like Shooter be enough of an escape for people wanting to get away from what’s on the news? And if not, is that something USA should have thought about to begin with when developing this series?
Naturally, the network wants to avoid poor ratings if viewers prefer not to watch. And it wants to be seen as compassionate toward the sensitivity of the audience. But does this also not give viewers enough credit for separating reality from fiction? These days, people tend to find quality television when it’s offered and would presumably watch Shooter even if it doesn’t offer the escape that some prefer in their entertainment.
Or is this any sort of indication that USA Network is taking the opportunity to tweak a show that it believes could be better? That is a terribly cynical view, so let’s presume that what’s currently going on has made it an unsuitable place for a series about a sniper. The question then becomes whether or not the world will settle down enough for Shooter to pop up on our TV screens, whether it’s a good TV show or not. That’s something we should certainly hope for.
