CBS Pulls ‘The Activist’ After Backlash, Competition Show to Be Retooled as Documentary Special

CBS is pulling the competition series “The Activist” after backlash from online activist communities, the network said Wednesday. The show will be reworked as a more straightforward documentary special, removing the competition aspect.The show was set to premiere on Oct. 22, with a five-week run challenging a group of activitsts to “compete in missions, media stunts, digital campaigns and community events” with winners decided based on “online engagement, social metrics and hosts’ input.” Usher, Julianne Hough and Priyanka Chopra-Jonas were announced as hosts last week, drawing attention to the project and sparking the backlash from those who found the show’s competition format at odds with the work of activism.CBS and producers Global Citizen and Live Nation released a joint statement on Wednesday announcing the planned changes to the show’s format and the decision to remove it from the schedule.“‘The Activist’ was designed to show a wide audience the passion,...