HBO’s “The โRehearsal” May Have Influenced Pilotโ Mental Health โคLegislation
Nathan Fielder’s HBO series, The Rehearsal, appears to have had a real-world impact on aviationโ safetyโ discussions. Followingโค theโข show’s conclusion, a bill addressing pilot mental health hasโข gained momentum in Congress, a advancement one expert believes mayโข beโ linkedโข to the series’ exploration of cockpit โinteraction.
Fielder, a fan of the Canadian series Mayday, began taking โflying lessons even before pitching the concept for The rehearsal to HBO. He’d observed a recurring theme in Mayday crash investigations: co-pilots โoften possessing knowledge of an issue โbut hesitating to voice concerns toโฃ the captain or assume control.โ He’d discussed this observation โforโ years before โฃincorporating it into the โshow.
After appearing on the Situation Room โคWith Wolf Blitzer and pamela Brown, Fielderโ publicly criticizedโ the Federal aviation Administration’s (FAA) training standards, arguing they don’t adequately prepare pilots to confidentlyโ communicate concerns within the cockpit. He had hoped toโ present โhis concerns directly to Congressโข to raise awareness.
That hope may have been realized. In June, the U.S. House Committee on Transportationโฃ and Infrastructure approved the โขMental Health in aviation Act.This bipartisan legislation would encourage pilots โฃto โคdisclose mentalโค health conditions without fear of losing their jobs – a currentโ deterrent – and allocate $13.7 โฃmillion annually to recruit mental health professionals,โข including psychiatrists.
Former โNational Transportation โขsafetyโ Board member John Goglia informed โFielder โคthat โthe bill, previouslyโ stalledโค in โขthe House, passed and moved to the Senate after the show aired. According toโ Goglia, young staffers indicated the HBO series played a role in its advancement, stating, “I โthink the show pushed them to โ [do it].”
Speaking atโข a panel hosted by the Writers Guild Foundation’s Sublime Primetimeโฃ event, Fielder โคacknowledged Goglia’s report, stating, “I don’t know ifโข itโ did anything, but โit was nice to hear.” He also noted โhe has yet to recieveโค an invitation to speak before Congress.
The โRehearsal hasโ received multiple Emmy nominations this โyear, including Outstanding writing For A Comedy Series, Outstanding Picture Editing โFor A โฃSingle Camera Comedy Series, and Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series. The series is executive produced by โFielder, Eric Notarnicola, Dave Paige, โฃand Christieโ Smith, โwith Dan McManus, Carrie Kemper, Kris Eber, and Adam Locke-Norton also serving as producers โand co-executive producers.