Bird enthusiast John Oliver has never been afraid to drag Max, his awkwardly-named streaming home. But on the most recent Last Week Tonight he decided to go after the competition. The episode’s main focus was on dollar stores, which — surprise! — are riddled with all kinds of semi-secret foundational problems. But at one point he decided to do a quick but deadly sideswipe on the streamer that’s easiest to forget about: Apple TV.
At one point during the dollar store segment, Oliver dwelled on poor working conditions, highlighting a story about one worker who was ordered to reopen a store soon after it had been robbed, leaving her little time to recoup.
“An armed robbery is a traumatic event people need time to recover from,” Oliver said. “It’s not something you can just ignore like a spam call or a broken light bulb or any show on Apple TV.”
He then dwelled on Apple TV a little longer, digging up a show that hasn’t generated a ton of chatter.
“Did you know Octavia Spencer starred as a true crime podcaster on a show called Truth Be Told for three seasons?” Oliver asked. “Of course you didn’t. It’s Apple TV, where celebrities go to hide.”
Truth Be Told was cancelled earlier this year after three seasons, despite some big names attached. Its first season also starred Aaron Paul and Lizzy Caplan. Others who appeared included Elizabeth Perkins, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, and Gabrielle Union.
Was Oliver’s assessment a little harsh? Maybe. Apple TV does have some major shows, including The Morning Show and especially Ted Lasso. Recently the streamer parted ways with Oliver’s old Daily Show compadre, Jon Stewart, whose current affairs show ran for two seasons and made plenty of news.
You can watch Oliver’s dollar store segment above. The Apple TV business begins around the 14-minute mark.
(Via Deadline)
