Amazon has announced it will begin streaming “The Apprentice” — the reality TV show famous for boosting Donald Trump’s profile — on its Prime Video service on Monday.
It’s the first time the show will be available on a streaming service, and the move highlights the close link between Trump’s time as a reality TV personality and his being elected president twice. The show’s executive producer, Mark Burnett, remains one of his closest allies.
Burnett, the British producer behind “The Apprentice,” as well as “Survivor” and “Shark Tank,” was appointed special envoy to the United Kingdom in December.
“‘The Apprentice’ is one of the best shows that I ever produced. The charismatic onscreen presence of President Donald J. Trump made it a bona fide hit!” Burnett said in a press release.
Trump, who was an executive producer on the show alongside Burnett, said in the release: “I look forward to watching this show myself — such great memories, and so much fun. but most importantly, it was a learning experience for all of us!”
“The Apprentice” ran on NBC from 2004 to 2017, attracting an average of 20 million viewers a week and 28 million for the season one finale, Amazon said. NBCUniversal is the parent company of NBC and NBC News.
The show pitted 16 contestants against one another for the chance to win a job working for Trump with a $250,000 salary. Hopefuls were dumped from the show each week with Trump’s catchphrase: “You’re fired.”
Burnett added that “Survivor” found new fans thanks to audiences discovering it on streaming during the pandemic. “On Monday, March 10, this same phenomenon will begin again … with ‘The Apprentice.’”
But none of the stars of Burnett’s other shows have the same retrospective importance as Trump, and both his critics and admirers will now be able to watch, some for the first time, the show that lifted his public profile long before his run for the White House in 2017.
Viewers will see Trump developing his skills in front of a camera, an ability he exploited on the campaign trail and in office to simply and effectively communicate with his audience.
Trump explains in the first episode that he had gone bankrupt and fought his way back — a depiction of the personality that years later would come to dominate the Republican Party and win two terms in office.
The show’s return may also pose questions for Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos, who attended Trump’s inauguration in January alongside other tech billionaires. Bezos attracted criticism for ending the tradition at The Washington Post, which he owns, of endorsing a presidential candidate.
In January, Amazon Prime Video licensed an upcoming documentary about first lady Melania Trump. At the time, Bezos did not respond to a request for comment on whether he was involved in securing the deal. Last month, Bezos’ decision that the opinion section take a new direction and focus only on “personal liberties and free markets, prompted criticism and caused the section’s editor, David Shipley, to step down.
