Samantha Bee has lined up her first post “Full Frontal” project: She and former CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien are creating a comedic docuseries about the crisis in women’s healthcare in the U.S., O’Brien confirmed to TheWrap on Monday.
Bee, whose TBS series was cancelled in June after seven seasons, devoted several segments to abortion rights on “Full Frontal.” O’Brien has produced and hosted CNN documentaries such as “Black in America,” which touched on the fact that Black women in America are three times more likely to die due to pregnancy complications than white women.
According to Deadline, which first reported the story, Bee’s Swimsuit Competition and O’Brien’s SOB Productions were already developing the series when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In the far-reaching wake of the historic judicial decision, the two decided to also host. The still untitled series will be a of mix journalism and comedy and will be out to buyers soon.
Bee and O’Brien are “done using their inside voices” as they examine access to abortion rights and birth control and take a skeptical look at the misinformation rampant in the “wellness” industry.
“This show is for anyone who’s ever casually mentioned endometriosis at a brunch, and then needed 12 more hours of mimosas to handle the ensuing show-and-tell of ailments,” Bee told Deadline.
“To put it bluntly, women’s health is a s— show and it’s far past time to shine a light on how 51% of our country is neglected, overlooked and misled when it comes to healthcare. In the wake of Roe being overturned, this show is not just relevant, it is absolutely necessary because women’s lives are on the line,” O’Brien said.
The series will also look at why U.S. women are sicker, more stressed, and die younger compared to women in other high-income countries and also why they have higher rates of chronic illness and are more likely to have issues paying their medical bills.
Writer and producers Sasha Stewart (Netflix’s “Amend: The Fight For America” “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore”) and Keisha Zollar of Hulu’s Mike Tyson series “Mike” and “NBC’s Sketchy Times with Lilly Singh.”
O’Brien also produced the Peacock original “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” about civil rights icon Rosa Parks, which was a spotlight documentary at this year’s Tribeca Film Fest. It will stream later on Peacock.
