On December 5, 2016, the show was canceled by Adult Swim. It was available to stream on the Adult Swim website until its removal on June 12, 2020.
Premise
Each episode of World Peace was the Adult Swim standard of eleven minutes in length, and starred 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 Sam, Nick and Charls.
The show claimed to be set in a post-apocalyptic nightmare world that satirizes the current political climate.[1] Each episode was made up of multiple sketches, connected by hyper stylized transitional graphics. The end of each episode featured a musical guest (though each guest's performance was incomplete and was used to provide a bed of closing credits music).
History
Production
On May 7, 2015, it was announced that Adult Swim had ordered an untitled pilot by Million Dollar Extreme described as a "sketch show ... set in an almost present-day post-apocalyptic nightmare world".[2] 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.[3] The show additionally benefitted from the Georgia production tax credit.[4]
Controversy
BuzzFeed News writer Joseph Bernstein was active in criticizing the show after a heated interview with creator Sam Hyde. He wrote that a source told him the network's standards departments repeatedly discovered and removed "coded racist messages, including hidden swastikas".[5] In the same article, Adult Swim series creator Brett Gelman claimed that the show is "an instrument of hate." Gelman would later cut ties with the network over Mike Lazzo's comments regarding women in the workplace, while also citing the network's greenlighting of World Peace as playing a significant part in the decision.[6] Gelman's business collaborator, Tim Heidecker, also voiced his support for Gelman's decision to leave the network on Facebook.[7] In addition to claims of coded messages, news sources such as The Atlantic also detailed the controversial actual content of the show, which "seem to exist only to shock and offend", including a sketch in which "Hyde appears in blackface, screaming at a woman in exaggerated vernacular."[8]
Reception
The show premiered to 1,033,000 viewers, with its audience varied week-to-week by a range of 290,000 viewers and average of 896,720 viewers. The finale was its highest-rated episode, with 1,053,000 viewers.
Cancellation
Adult Swim announced on December 5, 2016, that the show would not be renewed for a second season. The network faced internal opposition to its continuation, mainly regarding accusations of Hyde's association with the alt-right.[9] 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.[10] 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,[3] though Heidecker denied this multiple times.[11][12]
Following the cancellation, musicians whose work was featured on the show, including Molly Nilsson, Chastity Belt, Ovlov, and 3Teeth, disavowed the show.[13] All four acts made the common claim 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."[14]
On December 23, 2016 The Washington Post published a story where Tim Heidecker defended his actions, denouncing Hyde and his supporters. The Post reached out to Hyde about the cancellation, Hyde replied that he was a member of the KKK and most of his ad revenue was from the KKK with most of the humor made specifically for the KKK as a clear jab at journalists calling him a member of the alt-right. Columnist David Weigel also called MDE the humor "of Americans who were about to lose the election", Donald Trump would win the 2016 United States presidential election.[15]
Sequel
Hyde announced a sequel to World Peace named World Peace 2, starring all three original MDE members (Sam Hyde, Nick Rochefort, and Charls Carroll), and it will be available to watch on the e-commerce platform Gumroad through the purchase of subscriber tiers. The shooting has been finalized, although a release date has not been provided.[16][17]
^"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.
