Former United States President Barack Obama has been an executive producer on several films and television series. His first E.P. credit was on the 2020 Netflix documentary Crip Camp, which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Since then, Obama has been involved in other Netflix titles, such as the Emmy-nominated docuseries Becoming (2020), the 2023 Oscar contender Rustin starring Colman Domingo, and Waffles + Mochi (2021), a kid-friendly food series starring Michelle Obama. Barack and Michelle Obama founded their production company Higher Ground in 2018, which is part of a multi-year deal with Netflix.

Obama was recently an executive producer on the cautionary dystopian film Leave the World Behind, which starred Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Ethan Hawke. Obama’s involvement in the unsettling near-future thriller raised some eyebrows, considering the film’s plot is about the collapse of American society. Obama’s role in Leave the World Behind included acting as a consultant for writer/director Sam Esmail on the screenplay, providing comprehensive notes throughout the production process. Through their production company Higher Ground, Michelle and Barack Obama continue to churn out award-winning content and recently produced their first Netflix original drama series.

Bodkin Is Another Netflix Thriller Produced By Barack & Michelle Obama After Leave The World Behind

Bodkin and Leave the World Behind are worlds apart

Leave the World Behind was a unique doomsday scenario developed by Esmail, the acclaimed creator of Mr. Robot. The tone of Leave the World Behind was frantic and intentional with a plot that took everyday life in the United States and completely flipped it on its head. Leave the World Behind was full of interesting theories and hypothetical situations that often felt much too close to home, which was part of the reason why it became one of the most talked about Netflix movies of 2023. Although Leave the World Behind left many unanswered questions before its end credits rolled, it provided some unforgettable images.

Bodkin, the new Netflix series and most recent production by Higher Ground and the Obamas, has a completely different tone from Leave the World Behind. The 7-part series, which was released in its entirety on May 9, 2024, takes on several forms over the course of its nearly 6-hour runtime, switching from a lighthearted Ted Lasso-esque comedy to a True Detective-level dark murder mystery. Bodkin takes place in a small fictional town on the southern coast of Ireland, and does not offer much commentary on technology, government, or the state of the world outside its setting, like Leave the World Behind does.

How Barack Obama’s Role With Bodkin Compares To Leave The World Behind

Obama played a crucial role in developing Leave the World Behind’s story

Obama was a very involved producer on Leave the World Behind, giving notes on Esmail’s script and its depiction of the disaster that unfolds in real-time onscreen. If there is one clear thematic link between Leave the World Behind and Bodkin, it’s the socially conscious message in each of their stories. While these themes are quite obvious and far-reaching in Leave the World Behind, Bodkin’s overarching point comments on the nature of true crime podcasts and the negative aspects of those forms of entertainment. As Will Forte’s Gilbert digs deeper into a decades-old murder mystery, he discovers the damage he’s done to everyday people in the process.

While it’s unclear whether Obama was as hands-on with the script of Bodkin as he has been for Leave the World Behind, showrunner Alex Metcalf publicly commented on both his and Michelle’s support of the project. “The first thing he [Barack Obama] said when I met him was ‘You know I’m Irish right?’ So he had that investment in the show as well. [He and Michelle] were absolutely supportive of the show. They kind of helped shepherd in Netflix” (via Hot Press). Reviews for the Obamas’ first scripted drama series have been mostly positive, earning a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes.

What Other Movies & TV Shows The Obamas Are Working On After Bodkin

Higher Ground currently has multiple series in development

Following the release of Bodkin, Higher Ground and the Obamas are also set to be the executive producers of the upcoming sci-fi drama Exit West starring Riz Ahmed (The Night Of, Nightcrawler) and directed by Yann Demange (Top Boy, Lovecraft Country). Exit West is currently in production along with an untitled History Channel Podcast project that aims to examine the social and political impact of the post-Civil War Reconstruction period. They also have two additional projects in development as of May 2024, a series titled Blackout and another series titled The Fifth Risk. Bodkin appears to be only the first of many scripted series by the Obamas.

Source: Hot Press