Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey’s mental health documentary series will premiere on Apple TV+ in May, Winfrey has revealed. Winfrey made the announcement when she appeared on “The Drew Barrymore Show” with psychiatrist Dr. Bruce D. Perry on April 30.
“I want to just say that Dr. Perry and I have been also, for the past two years, along with Prince Harry and Apple, we’ve been working on this mental health series that’s coming out in May on Apple,” Winfrey said.
The series was first announced in April 2019, but faced production delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The title of the six-part series has not been announced. Prince Harry and Winfrey are serving as co-creators and executive producers, but it is unknown if either will appear on camera or as narrators. Academy Award nominee and The Daily Show veteran Kahane Cooperman is serving as showrunner.
The series is of personal importance to Harry, 36, who revealed in February in an interview with James Corden that he stepped down as a senior royal and left the U.K. because the British press was “destroying my mental health.”
“I truly believe that good mental health – mental fitness – is the key to powerful leadership, productive communities and a purpose-driven self,” Harry said in a statement when his docuseries was first announced. “It is a huge responsibility to get this right as we bring you the facts, the science and the awareness of a subject that is so relevant during these times.”
He also spoke about what he hopes to accomplish with the series.
“Our hope is that this series will be positive, enlightening and inclusive – sharing global stories of unparalleled human spirit fighting back from the darkest places, and the opportunity for us to understand ourselves and those around us better. I am incredibly proud to be working alongside Oprah on this vital series which we have been developing together for several months.”
The importance of mental health was highlighted by Harry and his wife Meghan Markle in their bombshell interview with Winfrey in March. Markle revealed that dealing with the press in the U.K. had left her feeling suicidal in January 2019, while she was pregnant with their first child Archie.
“I just didn’t want to be alive anymore. And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought,” she said. “I share this because there are so many people who are afraid to voice that they need help.”
Harry revealed that leaving royal life behind was something he did “for my own mental health, for my wife’s and for Archie’s, as well.”
“You made a decision that saved, certainly saved my life, and saved all of us,” Meghan said.
Now, Harry’s docuseries aims to help others deal with mental health struggles. According to the series’ original announcement, it “will focus on both mental illness and mental wellness, inspiring viewers to have an honest conversation about the challenges each of us faces, and how to equip ourselves with the tools to not simply survive, but to thrive.”