# long, exasperated groan: “Bringing Harry Houdini back from the dead could be a portent for the future of documentaries.”

- Link: https://tacobout.online/2026/10/20/long-exasperated-groan-bringing-harry-houdini-back-from-the-dead-could-be-a-portent-for-the-future-of-documentaries/
- Published: 2026-10-20T11:07:26-05:00
- Author: schwegler

![](https://i0.wp.com/tacobout.online/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/MixCollage-19-Oct-
2026-01-39-PM-300-1.jpg?ssl=1)

> It is a perfect example of AI slop, a phrase we like to use for anything that 
> is AI-heavy. Weird micro dramas. Karma-farming fake videos on social media. “We
> are Charlie Kirk.” Yet usually the AI slop is coming from the fringes. People 
> not already working in the entertainment world and eager to get a piece of the
> profit pie. This is coming from Fox, albeit the right wing news entertainment 
> version of Fox and not _The Simpsons_-and-FX version owned by Disney. Fox Nation
> is a streaming service providing curated content for Fox News super fans. AI slop
> appearing there, a small service with limited content, makes the slop feel even
> more sloppy. Watching the doc, I could practically hear a cigar-chomping executive
> shouting “slop em up, boys.”   Bringing Harry Houdini back from the dead could
> be a portent for the future of documentaries.

Source: _[Can AI slop even have an aesthetic?](https://www.avclub.com/ai-slop-aesthetic-debate-harry-houdini-back-from-the-dead)_