by Thinus Ferreira
A new American drama series, Lessons in Chemistry, has just made its debut on Apple TV+ with Brie Larson.
Produced by Apple Studios, there's not been anything in terms of publicity from Apple besides the basic press releases, the bulk of which was never actually shared with South African media.
When it comes to global streaming services available in South Africa, Apple TV+, in terms of publicity and interaction with the local press, sadly ranks right at the bottom of the pile when it's compared to what Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ and others do in this territory to promote upcoming content and involving the media.
I wish it was better since Apple TV+ has some worthwhile programming like The Morning Show and Foundation but South Africa's media and journalists covering television remain firmly locked out when it comes to relevant communication, media opportunities, interviews and roundtables to engage and interact with shows, their producers, directors and casts.
It looks like Apple TV+'s overseas-based publicity division has either no interest in really promoting its content properly in South Africa, or doesn't understand and know the media and journalists, their needs, what they actually do and why it matters to involve them - or both.
For the second season of Foundation, earlier this year I really tried to do some original reporting and interviews about this show, for instance with showrunner David S. Goyer.
I asked long before Apple TV+ then had a press event in London and a red carpet, but sadly Apple TV+ publicity couldn't bother with South Africa or to include media from South Africa in any of it.
After asking several times whether it would be possible to interview David S. Goyer, Susana Voets, Apple TV+ publicist told me that "unfortunately neither David nor the cast is available".
That was a blanket "unavailable" without any dates or times even ever being discussed.
Yet funny enough, David kept doing interviews with other media besides South Africa, and had literally hours available to do interviews with for instance YouTubers and other journalists - after unfortunately being unavailable for South Africa.
With the actors' strike in America still ongoing it is of course not possible to do any interviews with actors, but services like Amazon Prime Video and broadcasters like the BBC have for instance pivoted to making producers and stunt crew and production designers available to South Africa's media who are allowed to talk about projects.
Apple TV+ has never bothered and still doesn't bother to do anything like that.
With all of that said, and because of that, there's not a lot about Lessons in Chemistry that can really be done in terms of original reporting about this Apple TV+ show either by me or any other South African media and who wants to just republish press releases?
Lessons in Chemistry is set in the early 1950 and follows Elizabeth Zott (portrayed by Brie Larson) whose dream of being a scientist is put on hold due to her being a woman in an era where women don't have as much of a voice or agency.
According to Apple TV+, "When she finds herself fired from her lab, she accepts a job as a host on a TV cooking show and sets out to teach a nation of overlooked housewives - and the men who are suddenly listening - a lot more than recipes".
The show is based on the book by Bonnie Garmus and also stars Lewis Pullman, Aja Naomi King and Stephanie Koenig, Kevin Sussman and Thomas Mann.
New episodes of Lessons in Chemistry debut weekly on Apple TV+ until 24 November.
