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ViacomCBS Changes ‘Comey Rule’ Release Date to Precede Election After Criticism From Comey and Show’s Director

Comey and the show’s director had criticized Showtime for planning to air the show in late November.

ViacomCBS has moved the release date of The Comey Rule to precede the election, with a new debut date of Sept. 27. The series, a Showtime adaptation of former FBI Director James Comey’s book A Higher Loyalty, dramatizes the repeated clashes between President Donald Trump and Comey that ended in the latter’s May 2017 firing. Series director Billy Ray and Comey himself had criticized the network for planning to debut the show after the 2020 election in late November. “I don’t understand why CBS would sit on a movie about important current events, and I hope the American people get the chance to see it soon,” Comey wrote earlier this week in a statement. Ray said in an email to ViacomCBS executives that he had expected the show to air by the election because his superiors had ordered him to deliver the show by May 15. The show runs four hours and will air in two parts.