Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj Canceled by Netflix After Six Seasons

Hasan Minhaj announced on Tuesday that his Netflix weekly talk show, “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj” won’t return for a seventh season.

“I got to work with the best in the game”

Minhaj took to Twitter on Tuesday to make the announcement. “What a run. @patriotact has come to an end,” Minhaj wrote. “I got to work with the best writers, producers, researchers, and animators in the game. My 2 babies were born and grew up with the show. TY to @Netflix and everyone who watched. Now it’s time to return these screens to Best Buy.???? The cancellation was also confirmed by Netflix.

Netflix signed Minhaj for the talk show in March 2018, for which he exited his role as a correspondent for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.” Joining the late-night staple in 2014, he was former host, Jon Stewart’s last hire for the show.

Remembering the groundbreaking show’s fantastic run

“Patriot Act” aired for 39 episodes across six seasons on Netflix across two years. The Peabody-winning comedy show explored the modern cultural and political landscape. With Minhaj using his comedic voice and storytelling skills to investigate the larger trends shaping the world. Hasan also won a Peabody for his Netflix comedy special, Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King. Minhaj also hosted the 2017 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.

The show made international headlines within weeks after its October 2018 premiere when Netflix opted to pull an episode that was critical of Saudi Arabia. Minhaj later criticized the streaming platform over its move. Jim Margolis exited as show-runner the following May and was replaced by Steve Bodow.

Recent episodes covered the coronavirus crisis, George Floyd’s death at the hands of police officers, the upcoming election. And the price of attending college. During its run between October 2018 and June 2020, it was widely praised and loved by audiences worldwide. The final season was postponed due to the pandemic and aired on the streaming service in June. The final episode aired on June 26. Fortunately for fans who want to revisit the episodes, the entire show will continue to be available on the streaming platform. 

The Dream Team

“Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj” was executive produced by co-creators Minhaj and Prashanth Venkataramanujam, who served as show-runner. Art & Industry’s Michelle Caputo and Shannon Hartman, as well as, Haven Entertainment’s Jennie Church-Cooper also executive produced.

“I was not speaking to the North American audience anymore, I’m speaking to the world”

In a recent interview, Minhaj spoke about Netflix’s expansive global reach and how it made it a “no brainer” to work with the streaming giant.

“It allowed me to break out of the cognitive framework of being in the late-night world with multiple Jimmy’s. Because I was not speaking to the North American audience anymore, I’m speaking to the world,” he said. “When I’m doing a piece about the elections in the Philippines, or censorship in China, or Indian elections, or Saudi Arabia. There are more people outside of the continental United States that know about that stuff, then people here in the States, know about those issues.”

Minhaj also emphasized the need for creators of color to have a bigger platform. “If you’re a creative of color, now is the time,” he said. “If you have a definitive voice or a project or thing that you want to put forward, I would say, just be unapologetic. Go for it.”

It’s unclear what Minhaj has planned next or if Netflix will try to greenlight a show of similar structure and variety in the future. However, his loyal fanbase continues to shower the comedian with love and support and are patiently waiting to see what Minhaj will bring next.