Entertainment
Oprah Just Announced Two New Docuseries About Sexual Harassment & Mental Health
Everyone look under your seats, because *you're* going to need a box of tissues, and *you're* going to need a box of tissues. During the Apple Event on Monday, March 25, Oprah Winfrey announced that she is launching two docuseries on Apple TV+. While details about the films are sparse for now, we do know that they'll cover some pretty heavy subjects. Both timely and relevant, the two docuseries will hopefully serve to educate for the greater good.
In terms of celebrity appearances, Apple really brought out the big guns for their highly-anticipated event this year. Directors Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams both took the stage towards the end of the broadcast, as did actors Reese Witherspoon, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Aniston, and Kumail Nanjiani — all of whom are developing and/or starring in various original series on Apple's new TV Plus service.
Naturally, though, they saved the best-known star for last, and closed the event with a surprise appearance from Winfrey. Of her decision to produce content with Apple, the media mogul explained,
"We have a unique opportunity to rise to our best selves in how we use and choose to use our technology and our humanity ... We need to be open in order to contribute and harness our hopes and dreams to hear our divisions ... I joined [Apple] in order to serve this moment, because the Apple platform allows me to do what I do in a whole new way. Because they are in a billion pockets, y'all, a billion pockets. So I am honored and proud to be a part of this new platform to connect with people around the world to create positive change."
Of the two docuseries Winfrey will launch at the new streaming network, only one has a title at the moment. Toxic Labor will address sexual harassment in the workplace, and the second, yet-to-be titled, multi-part series will focus on mental health.
Winfrey and Apple's "unique, multi-year content partnership," as described by Apple, was first announced back in June 2018. While the original press release noted that they'd be creating "original programs that embrace her incomparable ability to connect with audiences around the world," they didn't reveal what that meant, exactly, until now.
In addition to the documentaries she will be bringing to Apple TV+, Winfrey also announced that she's working on launching a new version of her famed Book Club. The reboot of the club — which was first founded in 1996 — will be "the biggest, most vibrant, the most stimulating book club on the planet," she told the crowd. "I want to literally convene a meeting of the minds, connecting us through books."
It's not clear when any of the Oprah-headed content will be released — Apple TV+ will be launched in more than 100 countries sometime this fall — but it's pretty exciting news nonetheless. Both of the subjects Oprah announced she'd be covering in her documentaries — workplace sexual harassment and mental health — are extremely topical right now, and it'll be interesting to see what kind of unique perspectives she can bring to their coverage.