Coming to a computer screen near you: President Obama is reportedly in talks with Netflix for his own show, according to the New York Times.
The NYT reports:
Former President Barack Obama is in advanced negotiations with Netflix to produce a series of high-profile shows that will provide him a global platform after his departure from the White House, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Under terms of a proposed deal, which is not yet final, Netflix would pay Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, for exclusive content that would be available only on the streaming service, which has nearly 118 million subscribers around the world. The number of episodes and the formats for the shows have not been decided.
Stranger things, indeed.
Unilad reports that “the new project intends to highlight inspirational stories, rather than take a political stance.”
“Obama is hoping the show will extend his philanthropic reach and give him a direct line of communication with his adoring public, similar to the audiences he already reaches through social media,” the report added.
The exact direction of the new “show” is allegedly still in discussion. However, one idea that’s been reportedly floated is a show on topics Obama focused on back during his presidency, including health care, immigration, climate change and voting rights.
Because apparently, eight years of nonstop propagandizing in the spotlight just wasn’t enough.
Another idea involved a program focused on Michelle Obama’s priorities, like nutrition. Perhaps a cooking show on how to make bland gobs of unappetizing mush that your kids won't eat...?
For what it's worth, Obama has reportedly emphasized that he doesn’t plan to use any show to directly respond to Donald Trump.
If Netflix is that hard pressed to come up with new content, here's an idea: how about a show in which people are forced to choose between listening to the Obamas yammer for hours, or take a lawn dart to the face? Now that could make for some interesting T.V.