- President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama signed a multi-year deal with Netflix through their production company, Higher Ground Productions.
- Here are all of the upcoming Netflix projects to expect from the Obamas.
Get ready to stream a new batch of content on Netflix, courtesy of President Barack Obama and former First Lady, Michelle Obama.
Back in 2018, the couple first signed a groundbreaking multi-year deal with Netflix through their production company, Higher Ground Productions. "We created Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling," President Obama told The Hollywood Reporter. "That’s why we couldn’t be more excited about these projects. Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe each of these productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect and inspire us all."
From the Oscar-nominated documentary American Factory to Michelle Obama's Becoming, the Obamas have already brought multiple projects to Netflix since signing the deal. In February 2021, they announced a whole new slate—including a movie adaptation of the book Exit West.
Here are the movies, TV shows, and documentaries to look forward to from the Obamas' production company.
Upcoming Projects
Waffles and Mochi
Michelle Obama hosts this kid's cooking show—along with two puppets, Waffles and Mochi. "I'm excited for families and children everywhere to join us on our adventures as we discover, cook, and eat delicious food from all over the world," she tweeted while announcing the show, out March 16.
Exit West
An adaptation of Mohsin Hamid's acclaimed novel of the same name, Exit West is set in a world in which people can travel far, far away from their current circumstances by finding magical doors. Part love story, part refugee tale, this will be a movie adaptation to watch (and talk about).
Satellite
Satellite is a science fiction feature film written by Ola Shokunbi. We don't know much else—but we're excited.
Tenzig
This biopic is about Tenzing Norgay, the Nepali-Indian Sherpa mountaineer who, along with Sir Edmund Hillary, became the first person to climb to the top of Mount Everest in 1953.
The Young Wife
The off-kilter movie follows a 29-year-old woman at a party that might be her wedding, or might not be. It's a movie designed to keep you guessing.
The Firekeeper's Daughter
This series is an adaptation of a YA novel by debut author Angeline Boulley. After witnessing a murder, an 18-year-old Native woman is forced to go undercover for an FBI investigation. In doing so, she discovers the havoc a lethal new drug is wreaking on the Ojibwe reservation.
Great National Parks
Through this nature documentary series, travel to some of the most majestic vistas in the United States—no plane ticket required.
Ada Twist, Scientist
An animated series for preschoolers based on Andrea Beatty's children's books, which center on a Black girl with a love for science.
Bloom
If you're eager to learn more about the history of fashion in post-WWII New York City, Bloom is the ideal drama. The film also highlights the barriers faced by women and by people of color in the late 1940s and '50s.
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom
David W. Blight's Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom will be brought to the small screen in this feature film.
Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents
It's no surprise that a series about food and healthy eating would emerge from the Obamas, considering Mrs. Obama's Let's Move! initiative and the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, which funded nutritional lunch programs in school. The 30-minute show will transport young children and their families around the globe while educating them about food.
Overlooked
Based on The New York Times’ ongoing obituary column of the same name, the scripted anthology TV series will celebrate the life and legacy of people whose deaths weren't originally reported by the famed newspaper.
The G Word with Adam Conover
Inspired by Michael Lewis's 2018 page-turning book The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy, this investigative comedy series hosted by Adam Conover looks at the complexity of government (a.k.a "the g word").
Released Projects
Becoming
Missed Michelle Obama's blockbuster memoir tour? Fear not. Becoming captures the constant, buzzing excitement that accompanied the former first lady throughout her multi-city tour.
American Factory
Directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, the film documents a Chinese billionaire who opens a new factory in an abandoned General Motors plant, thus creating economic opportunity for 2,000 blue-collar Americans. The Oscar-nominated doc also explores the dichotomy between the technological advanced nation of China and working-class America.
Crip Camp
This feature-length documentary film follows the real-life challenges that helped to bring about the disability rights movement in the 1970s.
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Michelle is the Culture & News Writer for OprahMag.com, where she writes about celebrities (she considers herself an expert on Beyoncé and Reese Witherspoon), plus the latest in pop-culture news, binge-worthy TV shows, and movies. The transplanted Southerner turned ambitious New Yorker lives her best life by listening to hip-hop and Pod Save America, watching The Office on repeat, quoting Oprah-isms, eating dessert before dinner, and avoiding avocado. Seriously, she doesn’t get the hype.
It should say, “Michelle is the former Culture & News Writer for Oprahmag.com...”
