Barack & Michelle Obama bringing ‘Ada Twist, Scientist’ series to Netflix

The Obamas have announced the latest programming in their Netflix deal

Oct 2, 2020

There’s a new heroine heading to the small screen and she is the epitome of #BlackGirlMagic. An animated series based on the beloved book series, “Ada Twist, Scientist,” is in development at Netflix.

Barack and Michelle Obama‘s Higher Ground Productions and Chris Nee will produce the series that follows the adventures of one particularly brainy Black girl.

The series book series was written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts.

Doc McStuffins creator Nee is an executive producer while Kerri Grant will serve as showrunner. The series follows the Twist, an adorable eight-year-old scientist, who will explore helping people through scientific discovery, collaboration, and friendship. The Netflix series will be forty 12-minute episodes set to launch next year.

Here’s the official description:

Ada Twist, Scientist follows the adventures of eight-year-old Ada Twist, a pint-sized scientist with a giant-sized curiosity, who aspires to discover the truth about absolutely everything. With the help of her two best friends, Rosie Revere and Iggy Peck, Ada unravels and solves mysteries for her friends and family. But solving the mystery is only the beginning, because science isn’t just about learning how and why and what… it’s about putting that knowledge into action to make the world a better place.

“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Higher Ground to bring Ada Twist to the screen,” Nee said in a statement. “A fan of the books, I was taken with the diverse characters, striking designs, and vital message that science matters. Plus, Ada fulfills my personal need to populate children’s television with strong girls who aren’t afraid to be the smartest kids in the room. Once Kerri Grant came on board to showrun, I knew we had the dream team to bring this special series to life.”

Grant echoed her sentiments.

“It brings me immense joy to be a part of bringing Ada Twist to the screen. As a young, curious Black girl who grew up loving TV, I simply became accustomed to rarely seeing images that reflected me onscreen — and the ones that did, represented an anti-intellectual stereotype that led me to hide my own light under a bushel,” she added.

“To be a part of bringing a show to kids that features a young, Black girl being unapologetically the smartest kid in the room, in a world as diverse and visually stunning as the one created by the book series’ author and illustrator, fills my heart to capacity. Working with Chris Nee, my old boss and certified preschool TV hit-maker; and Higher Ground and their commitment to representation, dreaming big, and excellence, has been the alignment of so many stars, it’s truly a celestial event.”

Netflix continues its commitment to delivering diverse content through the show and its fruitful collaboration with the Obamas. Their previous joint project, American Factory, won the Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2020.

“Chris, Kerri and their talented team are creating a series that goes well beyond entertaining kids; they are bringing to life stories that reflect the world we live in and inspire us to envision solutions to the challenges we face,” said Melissa Cobb, vice president of Original Animation at Netflix. “Ada is brilliant and funny and we hope she will ignite curiosity for kids around the world.”

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!