Obamas’ ‘Dreary’ Documentary About Work Bombs on Netflix, After Being Declared ‘Rotten’

A docuseries produced by the Obamas’ Higher Ground Productions was one of Netflix’s biggest bombs in the second half of 2023, according to new data released by the streaming giant. Despite President Obama’s on-camera role as a narrator, interviewer, and producer, “Working: What We Do All Day” sunk fast to the bottom of the charts.After attracting 2.3 million views within the first six weeks of its release on May 17, 2023, a low number for Netflix, the series drew in just 1 million views through the end of 2023. As a point of comparison, the apocalyptic film “Leave the World Behind” — in which the Obamas received an executive producer credit — garnered 121 million views and the live-action realization of the manga series “One Piece” recorded 71.6 million views, both in the same time period.“What we did not do all day was watch this docuseries … either in the second half of the year or in the first six weeks of its release,” writes the Hollywood Reporter.The documentary bombed despite President Obama personally participating. Courtesy NetflixThe Obamas’ production “explores the meaning of work for modern Americans in a time of rapid change,” according to a Netflix description. The series features the former president speaking with Americans working in a variety of sectors.“When we make sure that everyone feels their work is respected … that everyone is getting paid enough to truly take part in the life of our communities, we reinforce the trust between us that makes everything in our lives possible,” Mr. Obama said in April last year, before the series debuted.Reviewers were bored. John Anderson of the Wall Street Journal wrote that, “In some sense, what the former president has taken on with ‘What We Do All Day’ is impossible to accomplish — the dreary work many Americans are required to do is too dreary to watch.” On Rotten Tomatoes, the influential reviews aggregator, the docuseries received a “rotten” rating of 44 percent.The docuseries is part of the Obamas’ lucrative production deal with Netflix, which the couple reached in 2018. While terms of the deal were not disclosed, CNN reported that it was in the “high eight figures.” Netflix reached similar deals around the same time with superproducers Ryan Murphy, estimated at $300 million, and Shonda Rimes, estimated at $100-$150 million. President Trump demanded that the Obama Netflix deal be investigated. X / TwitterUnlike the Obamas, Ms. Rimes delivered a massive hit for Netflix in the form of “Bridgerton.” Mr. Murphy’s run, although producing the hit Jeffrey Dahmer series, was less successful and he is leaving Netflix, probably for Disney, when his five year deal expires.The Obamas’ Netflix deal came under widespread criticism, including a #boycottNetflix trend, in part because Netflix founder Reed Hastings is one of the country’s biggest Democratic donors. President Trump, from the White House, denounced the deal in 2019, suggesting on Twitter that House Democrats investigate “the Obama book deal, or the ridiculous Netflix deal.” His tweets led to “Obama Netflix?” trending on Twitter — the platform has since been renamed as X.The Obamas did a book deal in 2017 with Penguin Random House which was reported to be worth around $65 million to the couple.As for the “Work” documentary, it was inspired by Studs Terkel’s 1974 oral history, “Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do,” the former president told the New York Times last year.In January, Mr. Obama won a Creative Arts Emmy for his job as “outstanding narrator” in “Working.” He also won the same award back in 2022 for his narration of the Netflix documentary “Our Great National Parks.”The Obamas founded Higher Ground — one of the two production companies behind the docuseries — in 2018. The company has released over a dozen films and television series, including an Oscar-winning documentary titled “American Factory.”

Obamas’ ‘Dreary’ Documentary About Work Bombs on Netflix, After Being Declared ‘Rotten’

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