''Ring Nation'' is an American syndicated television series that premiered on September 26, 2022. Hosted by comedian

Wanda Sykes Wanda Yvette Sykes (born March 7, 1964) is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. She was first recognized for her work as a writer on ''The Chris Rock Show'', for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1999. In 2004, ''Entertainme ...

, alongside Crystal Cruz and Steve Patterson as correspondents, and produced by

MGM Television Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television, formerly known as MGM/UA Television, is the television studio arm of the American film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), specializing in broadcast syndication and the production and distribution of television sh ...

, the series highlights

viral videos Viral videos are videos that become popular through a viral process of Internet sharing, primarily through video sharing websites such as YouTube as well as social media and email.Lu Jiang, Yajie Miao, Yi Yang, ZhenZhong Lan, Alexander Hauptma ...

recorded via

phones A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...

, home security cameras, and

smart doorbell A smart doorbell is an internet-connected doorbell that notifies the home owner on their device (smartphone or any other gadget) when a visitor arrives at the door. It activates when the visitor presses the button of the doorbell, or alternativel ...

s. The series is co-branded with

Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

, a manufacturer of such products.

Reception

Prior to its premiere, ''Ring Nation'' received a negative reaction from critics and media outlets over its premise, which they felt was "dystopian", and glorified

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

and Amazon's

vertical integration In microeconomics, management and international political economy, vertical integration, also referred to as vertical consolidation, is an arrangement in which the supply chain of a company is integrated and owned by that company. Usually each ...

; Ring, producer Big Fish Entertainment (known for their former A&E series ''

Live PD ''Live PD'' is an American television program that aired on the A&E Network from 2016 to 2020. It follows police officers in the course of their patrols live, broadcasting interactions with the public. The show was hosted by Dan Abrams with a ...

''), and distributor

, are all subsidiaries of Amazon.com Inc. Big Fish Entertainment stated that the show would not be limited to footage from Ring products, and that footage would be cleared by their owner before broadcast. Senator

Ed Markey Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of ...

, who had been investigating Ring's business and privacy practices, described the program as normalizing "over-policing and over-surveillance" for the purposes of entertainment. Multiple advocacy groups, including

MediaJustice MediaJustice is an American national non-profit organization based in Oakland, California, established in 2008. Until 2019, MediaJustice was known as the Center for Media Justice. It was founded by Malkia Cyril and its current executive director ...

and a petition circulated by ''

Daily Kos Daily Kos ( ) is a group blog and internet forum focused on the U.S. Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party and Modern liberalism in the United States, liberal American politics. The site publishes blog posts, polls, election and cam ...

'', called for the show to be cancelled.

References

External links

* 2020s American video clip television series 2022 American television series debuts 2023 American television series endings American English-language television shows First-run syndicated television programs in the United States Mass media about Internet culture Television series about social media Television series by MGM Television {{US-nonfiction-tv-prog-stub