More 'Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj' Could Be Coming To Netflix In 2020

In the current political climate, millennials want an informative, accessible news source, which is why fans are wondering if Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj is returning for Season 6 on Netflix. On Patriot Act, Minhaj tackles global political and cultural topics in his signature comedic style, covering everything from how fast fashion damages the environment to the importance of protecting asylum seekers in the United States.

Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj premiered in October of 2018, as per The Hollywood Reporter, and, unlike other late-night talk shows, opted not to have a desk-format or traditional sit-down interviews. Instead, Minhaj approaches the show like a stand-up special, and he describes the series as a "visual podcast" meets "one-man show," as per THR. The format appears to be successful, as in November, Season 5 of Patriot Act premiered on Netflix, making the series the streaming platforms longest running talk show, as per Slate.

It's unclear if Netflix will renew the series for a sixth season, and the streaming platform has yet to make a formal announcement about the future of the show. In the past, the platform has struggled to find success with talk shows. In 2017, Netflix canceled Chelsea Handler's Chelsea, the first weekly talk show on the streamer. In August of 2018, Netflix also axed Michelle Wolf's The Break and Joel McHale's The Joel McHale Show after just one season, according to the Verge. Fans of the series shouldn't worry, however, as Patriot Act seems to have found an audience both on Netflix and YouTube.

Patriot Act's popular YouTube channel may be the key to maintaining a Netflix viewership, according to Slate. The show posts full episodes on YouTube, but also additional, exclusive digital content such as Q&A's with Minhaj and videos with other Netflix stars, such as Queer Eye's Tan France and Tidying Up's Marie Kondo. Many of Patriot Act's YouTube videos have over a million views, and by engaging an audience across the two platforms, the show seems to have found and sustained a Netflix audience.

Back in February, Patriot Act co-creator Prashanth Venkataramanujam discussed the show's online presence, noting that the team wanted the content to be available to as broad an audience as possible, in an interview with Slate. "We wanted to just make the show as accessible as possible," Venkataramanujam said. "Early on, I think there was maybe some confusion about how the rollout would go, or maybe some hesitancy, but since, Netflix has been super supportive and they’ve been super happy about having taken this approach."

Prior to hosting Patriot Act, Minhaj worked as a correspondent on The Daily Show, and rose to national recognition after hosting the White House Correspondents' Dinner in April of 2017, as per THR. Patriot Act takes a more global approach to political, cultural, and social issues, which has resonated with viewers, and combined with the show's growing presence on YouTube, it seems unlikely the streaming platform will cancel the show before Season 6.