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Oprah's Book Club (TV series)

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Oprah's Book Club
GenreTalk show
Based onOprah's Book Club
segment on The Oprah Winfrey Show
Presented byOprah Winfrey
Opening theme"Good As Hell" by Lizzo
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerTara Montgomery
ProducerLindsay Flader
EditorJay Eckensberger
Running time8–66 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkApple TV+
ReleaseNovember 1, 2019 (2019-11-01) –
October 22, 2021 (2021-10-22)[1]
Related
Oprah's Book Club
segment on The Oprah Winfrey Show

Oprah's Book Club is a television talk show produced for Apple TV+ and hosted by Oprah Winfrey.

Development and announcement

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On June 15, 2018, Apple announced a multiyear partnership with Winfrey, saying she would work on projects to be "released as part of a lineup of original content from Apple.".[2][3]

On March 25, 2019 Apple hosted keynote event at its California campus to announce the new Apple TV+ subscription service.[4] Winfrey appeared onstage to conclude the event, announcing that she would be producing two documentary series, as well launching a "book club" in partnership with Apple. During her announcement, Winfrey indicated the book club project may include a simulcast element at Apple's retail locations "where Apple Stores stream a conversation with the author and me live across all devices, across all borders".[5]

On September 23, 2019 in a press release, Apple announced the series would be titled Oprah's Book Club, would stream exclusively on Apple TV+, and would premiere with the streaming service's launch on November 1, 2019.[6]

Premise

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The series is a standalone spinoff of the popular Oprah's Book Club segment of The Oprah Winfrey Show, begun in 1996 and marks its first return to the television medium since the 2011 conclusion of Winfrey's television show. It is also a successor to Oprah's Book Club 2.0, a non-televised and irregularly-released online iteration of the reading series launched in 2012.[7]

Episodes are released every two months, with each episode focused on a single book and featuring an interview between Winfrey and the book's author. Episodes are filmed at various locations.[6] Each episode's book pick is announced at the end of the previous episode, as well as a dedicated section[permanent dead link‍] on Apple Books and on Oprah's website.[8] Episodes are typically filmed in front of a live audience and feature an interview between Winfrey and the selected book's author.

Merchandising and tie-ins

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Along with the announcement of the show, Apple announced that Oprah's Book Club would integrate with Apple Books by allowing users of the e-reading application to be alerted of new picks, and that Apple would make an unspecified contribution to the American Library Association for each Oprah Book Club selection sold via Apple Books.[6]

As with the two previous iterations of the Club, the selection of a book by Winfrey typically results in the publication of an "Oprah edition", often with a branded "Oprah's Book Club" seal on the book's cover.[9]

Winfrey's September 2019 pick of The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates marked the first time in the Oprah Book Club's three iterations a book had been selected as a pick prior to its publication (in this case, one day prior).[citation needed] Thus, all published editions of The Water Dancer currently in circulation feature an "Oprah's Book Club 2019" seal.

Episodes

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No. in
season		Book [10]AuthorOriginal release date [10]
1The Water DancerTa-Nehisi CoatesNovember 1, 2019 (2019-11-01)
2Olive, AgainElizabeth StroutJanuary 17, 2020 (2020-01-17)
3American Dirt Part 1Jeanine CumminsMarch 6, 2020 (2020-03-06)
4American Dirt Part 2Jeanine CumminsMarch 6, 2020 (2020-03-06)
5Hidden Valley RoadRobert KolkerJune 12, 2020 (2020-06-12)
6Deacon King KongJames McBrideJuly 31, 2020 (2020-07-31)
7Caste: The Origins of Our DiscontentsIsabel WilkersonOctober 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
8GileadMarilynne RobinsonApril 23, 2021 (2021-04-23)
9HomeMarilynne RobinsonApril 30, 2021 (2021-04-30)
10LilaMarilynne RobinsonMay 7, 2021 (2021-05-07)
11JackMarilynne RobinsonMay 14, 2021 (2021-05-14)
12The Sweetness of WaterNathan HarrisJuly 23, 2021 (2021-07-23)
13The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisHonorée Fanonne JeffersSeptember 23, 2021 (2021-09-23)
14BewildermentRichard PowersOctober 22, 2021 (2021-10-22)

References

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  1. ^ Italie, Hillel (February 8, 2022). "Winfrey's new book club pick is by lifestyle coach Beck". AP News. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  2. ^ "Apple announces multi-year partnership with Oprah Winfrey". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  3. ^ Deb, Sopan (2018-06-15). "Apple and Oprah Winfrey Sign a Content Deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  4. ^ "Highlights from Apple's keynote event". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
  5. ^ Apple Special Event: March 25, 2019 (Live recording). Apple, Inc. 104 minutes in.
  6. ^ a b c "Oprah's Book Club starts a new chapter with Apple". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
  7. ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (2019-09-23). "Oprah's Book Club is coming to Apple TV+, kicking off with Ta-Nehisi Coates's 'The Water Dancer'". Fast Company. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
  8. ^ Spangler, Todd (2019-09-23). "Oprah Sets First Book-Club Pick for New Apple TV Plus Series". Variety. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
  9. ^ "Oprah's logo is a no go for novelist". the Guardian. 2001-10-28. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  10. ^ a b "Oprah's Book Club - Episode Info". Apple TV+ Press. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
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