“The Dukes of Hazzard,” the ’80s-era TV show featuring the Confederate flag emblazoned on the roof of the title characters’ muscle car, could be leaving Amazon’s IMDb TV free streaming service.
Amazon is considering pulling the show’s seven seasons off IMDb TV because of the Confederate flag’s association with the history of racial intolerance and slavery, Variety has confirmed. (An Amazon rep declined to comment.) The e-commerce company’s mulling the removal of “Dukes of Hazzard” was first reported by Vulture.
As protests in the U.S. continue over unjust treatment of Black Americans, the use of Civil War iconography is being reexamined — and expunged. Nascar this week banned the display of the Confederate flag at all of its racing events and properties. HBO Max pulled movie classic “Gone With the Wind” temporarily over “racist depictions” (driving up sales on Amazon and other platforms).
“The Dukes of Hazzard,” produced by Warner Bros., aired on CBS from 1979-85. The show revolves around two Southern cousins — Bo and Luke Duke — who race around rural Georgia in the General Lee, a souped-up 1969 Dodge Charger, eluding the local sheriff and his deputies (whose cars, incidentally, also have Confederate-flag insignia).
It’s not the first time the Duke boys have encountered controversy: In 2015, Warner Bros.’ consumer products division stopped licensing replicas of the General Lee with the Confederate flag. Shortly afterward, TV Land pulled reruns of “Dukes of Hazzard” from its lineup.
IMDb TV, currently available only in the U.S., is Amazon’s free, ad-supported VOD service, competing with other AVOD services like Fox Corp.’s Tubi and the Roku Channel. IMDb first launched the ad-supported VOD service in early 2019 as “Freedive” before rebranding the service IMDb TV.
Earlier this year, IMDb TV’s content team moved over to Amazon Studios, led by Jen Salke, with plans to develop original programming under new IMDb TV co-heads of content Ryan Pirozzi and Lauren Anderson.
