CBS's 'The Activist' Reality Competition Show

• 8:31CBS created 'The Activist' reality show to find attractive, socially conscious people to participate in a competition while claiming to do serious activism work.
• 9:33The show's premise was that contestants would gain social media followers from competing on television, which would supposedly help them do better activism.
• 10:10Tim explains the show idea had to climb through multiple layers of executive approval, suggesting it was conceived during the George Floyd riots period.
• 11:02The black square social media trend emerged during the riots as a way to signal solidarity, though Tim notes it became performative and politically coercive.
• 12:21During civil unrest, a network executive pitched a show pitting young activists against each other in competition, arguing the moment was culturally important.
• 13:45The show would have required challenges and elimination rounds, following standard competition formats like Survivor and Project Runway.
• 15:12Producers seriously discussed dropping contestants in Ferguson for the anniversary of Michael Brown's death to see what activism they would create, with different teams competing on their approach.
• 16:19An Irish climate activist contacted for the show told the Daily Beast that by the end of discussions, she realized no one involved actually understood what activism meant.
• 16:44Hollywood conflates activism with entertainment and personal branding, treating it like skateboarding or yoga rather than work designed to create actual change.
• 17:16Executives living in million-dollar houses don't understand that activism should have a real effect—they see it only as a strategy to build a brand.

CBSGeorge FloydactivismTamir RiceMichael BrownDavid HoggEmma GonzalezAlicia O'Sullivan