Side Note

Barack and Michelle are coming to Netflix

Barack and Michelle

Barack and Michelle

If you’ve been missing the Obamas since they left the White House, today’s your lucky day. Netflix just announced that it is entering an open-ended production deal with the couple to develop scripted and non-scripted programs. “One of the simple joys of our time in public service was getting to meet so many fascinating people from all walks of life, and to help them share their experiences with a wider audience,” the former president said in a statement. “That’s why Michelle and I are so excited to partner with Netflix — we hope to cultivate and curate the talented, inspiring, creative voices who are able to promote greater empathy and understanding between peoples, and help them share their stories with the entire world.”

Barack’s TV tastes have traditionally run in a darker mood. In the past, he’s said that his favorite shows are Breaking Bad, The Wire and The Knick. Meanwhile, Michelle has professed love for shows like black-ish and movies like Inside Out. The former president is a basketball obsessive; the former First Lady made health and wellness one of her biggest priorities in the White House. You could see them going in any direction: comedy, drama, sports, and so on. It’s a relatively progressive move; no other former president has signed a similar deal, because former presidents haven’t emerged from the White House into a climate so desperate for programming attached to big names.

Since leaving the White House, the Obamas have kept a relatively low profile. They’ve focused on philanthropy work with their organization in Chicago; they also reportedly signed a $65 million book deal last year, with Michelle’s memoir set to be released this November. This new deal has yet to pay dividends, but we can probably imagine they’d do a better job of making a Barack biopic than Netflix’s previous attempt.