CBS New Reality Show “The Activist” To Introduce Political Activists Seeking Online Attention
Yanira D. Kivi
2 min read
Political activism has spread from street protests to corporate boards and has now found a new home: a reality TV series airing weekly on CBS this fall.
“The Activist” will feature six agitators competing in “media stunts,” missions, digital campaigns and other events to spur change in the environment, education or on health issues, according to CBS .
Candidate success will be measured by digital engagement, social media metrics and the scores of celebrity judges Usher, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Julianne Hough.
The show is produced in part by Global Citizen, a political rights group that says it works to end poverty, defend the planet and demand fairness.
“’The Activist’ is a one-of-a-kind competition series that will inspire real change as the series progresses from the US to Rome for the Activists’ final challenge to the G20,†said Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen . A declaration. “The public will see activists’ passion and commitment to their causes put to the test as they call on world leaders to take urgent action to resolve the interconnected crises we face.”
Candidates play for the chance to be crowned “the activist” and meet world leaders in the hope of raising more money and drawing more attention to the causes they represent.
According to the CBS website, the show will demonstrate that people live in a world without borders.
“One thing seems clearer than ever: Planet Earth is a unique village, demanding if not relying on individual engagement,†reads the description on the CBS website. “From the Global Citizen movement comes an awesome look at what can come of it. “
The Global Citizen movement is sponsored by large corporations, many of which have drawn attention to their political positions in recent months.
Global Citizen lists more than a dozen “core partners†on its website, including companies such as Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola and Google who have recently become more vocal or aggressive in partisan politics. Executives at Delta Airlines and Coca-Cola spoke out against Georgia’s new election laws earlier this year, and Google-owned YouTube banned former President Donald Trump from using its platform while ‘he was still in office.
The Global Citizen website also lists media partners including MSNBC, Comcast NBCUniversal and the Thomson Reuters Foundation, among others.
The reality show is set to debut on October 22 at 8 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on Paramount +. It is expected to last five weeks.
