By Joe Flint

In a recent episode of the new ABC sitcom "Shifting Gears," Tim Allen bemoans his grandson's school dropping its Minutemen mascot because the vice principal says it isn't "inclusive."

"What's more inclusive than a dude wearing a wig, stockings, little high heels, holding on to a rifle. That could bring this country together, checks every damn box," Allen says to his daughter, who lives in fear of every potentially politically incorrect utterance her father makes.

Such dialogue is the norm for Allen's character, a classic car restoration shop owner who listens to "The Joe Rogan Experience." Since its debut in January, "Shifting Gears" has become a hit on Disney's ABC and Hulu, with episodes drawing an average of 10 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

Call it the Trump effect.

Whether it is a show featuring Tim Allen, who has made no secret of his admiration for the president, Bill Maher interviewing Trump backer Kid Rock on his HBO show "Real Time," or A&E bringing back "Duck Dynasty," Hollywood is serving some red meat to the red states.

The embrace of right-leaning programming is a stark contrast to much of the past few decades in Hollywood. Producers have long used their shows to take aim at Conservative politics. Aaron Sorkin's NBC drama "The West Wing" and HBO's "The Newsroom" often did this. More recently, the legal drama "The Good Fight" often made the first Trump administration a plot point.

Now, the entertainment industry is pulling back on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts on the business side. Television agents and some executives say privately there has also been a chilling effect on any programming that could be perceived as "woke." Furthermore, the president's legal battles with ABC News and CBS's "60 Minutes" also present a threat to the industry.

Maher, who always encouraged a range of voices, has of late made more of an effort to have guests supportive of the president. He says that ignoring Trump supporters or blindly hating them will drive people into their arms.

As for recent guests such as Megyn Kelly and Rep. Byron Donalds (R., Fla), Maher says, "I don't give them a free pass."

In another sign of the shift, the Disney animated show "Win or Lose" removed a transgender story line during the presidential campaign -- it was the second time in the 18 months the company backed away from the subject.

Disney has said the content changes recognize "that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline."

"There is a course correction when it comes to entertainment," said Dan Abrams, host and executive producer of "On Patrol: Live," a show that follows the police in action on Reelz and Peacock.

Abrams' show was a hit on A&E under its previous incarnation "Live PD." But it was canceled in the wake of George Floyd's death, an event that changed the national conversation about police force and race , leading some networks to drop reality shows that were perceived as favorable toward law enforcement.

There is now a resurgence of such programming.

Last year, the Nexstar-owned CW broadcast network launched "Police 24/7" which it promotes as an "adrenaline-packed series" delivering "raw, unfiltered access into the world of sheriffs and police departments." In January, A&E launched "Ozark Law," which follows two police departments in the region.

Greg Henry, co-president of Lucky 8 TV, the company behind "Ozark Law," said "we're telling stories we hope resonate with the folks in Missouri and trying to put a lens to the country and have them see themselves."

"Duck Dynasty," about the Louisiana-based Robertson family that operates a successful duck-hunting business, is similarly getting another chance.

The show was a hit in its first run from 2012 to 2017, often averaging more than ten million people an episode. The show had a strong appeal to conservatives and Christians. Each episode typically ended with the family praying.

Family member Korie Robertson said in an interview that the show "does not have an agenda one way or another" nor any interest in getting into politics on the program. She attributes its popularity to being a fun and family-friendly show at a time "when the world feels a little scary."

Behind the camera, media giants including Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount have said they are scaling back on DEI initiatives. And last month, the Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr asked the agency's enforcement bureau to investigate Comcast and its NBCUniversal unit for promoting DEI "in a manner that does not comply with FCC regulations."

The FCC's Carr also sent a letter to the heads of Google and its YouTubeTV last week saying he wants to determine whether the latter is refusing to carry channels that offer faith-based programming. A spokesman for YouTube said it doesn't have any policies that prohibit religious content.

Eric Schultz -- a former Obama administration official who has consulted on shows including "Succession" and Netflix's new limited series "Zero Day" -- says the election was a shock to Hollywood executives, who are trying to figure out a response to President Trump.

"That is competing with an instinct to keep your head down and stay out of trouble," Schultz said.

Most of the shows launched recently began development during Trump's campaign as his popularity surged. That Hollywood has embraced so much of this programming so quickly is an acknowledgment that there is an underserved audience in what executives often derisively refer to as "flyover country."

"There has been a bit of a wake-up call not just in Trump being elected but in the lead-up as well," Abrams said.

Write to Joe Flint at Joe.Flint@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 10, 2025 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT)

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