Obamas' Netflix slate features period drama, family show about vegetables

LOS ANGELES: Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company on Tuesday unveiled a wide-ranging slate of programming it will supply to Netflix, including a period drama set in the fashion world and a biopic about Frederick Douglass.

The series, documentaries and films will be released on the streaming service over the next several years, according to a statement from Higher Ground Productions, a company established by the former president and first lady last year.

The slate includes a drama called Bloom, a series set in the post-World War II fashion world in New York City, which explores barriers faced by women and people of colour. It will be written and executive produced by Oscar-winning Thelma and Louise screenwriter Callie Khouri.

A series for preschoolers called Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents will “take young children and their families around the globe on an adventure that tells us the story of our food,” the statement said. During her time as the first lady, Michelle Obama advocated for healthy eating habits for children.

Another project is a non-fiction series based on the Michael Lewis book The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy about “the unheralded work done by everyday heroes guiding our government and safeguarding our nation.” The Lewis book was critical of the US administration’s transition from Obama to US President Donald Trump.

The company also is adapting Pulitzer Prize-winning book Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W Blight about the celebrated abolitionist.

“We believe each of these productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect and inspire us all,” Obama said in the statement.