‘Oprah Talks COVID-19’ Is Apple TV+’s Lo-Fi, Long-Distance Look At Coronavirus

Oprah Winfrey’s latest project with Apple is a social distancing-friendly look at the coronavirus pandemic.

Her new series, Oprah Talks COVID-19, features the longtime TV host in conversation with experts and those affected by the novel coronavirus. But unlike her hallmark talk shows, this one isn’t filmed in a luxe studio packed with guests about to receive free cars. Instead, Winfrey and her guests connect long-distance, via video chat, for lo-fi, frank discussions about the global effects of COVID-19.

“Like millions of people all over the world, I’ve been staying safer at home for over a week now,” Winfrey wrote in an Instagram post about the series. “I know a lot of people are feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and uncertain. Because of that, I wanted to offer some hope and gather thought leaders and people going through it to add some perspective.”

The show’s first episode features actor Idris Elba, who tested positive for the virus last week, and his wife, Sabrina, who reveals the results of her own test onscreen. Its second episode guest stars pastor Wintley Phipps, a friend of Winfrey’s, to “offer words of wisdom, peace, and strength.”

Oprah Talks COVID-19 is part of the multiyear content deal Winfrey signed with Apple in 2018, and is technically an Apple TV+ original. But unlike most of the nascent streamer’s programming, this series can be watched without a $4.99-per-month TV+ subscription.

Viewers in more than 100 countries can tune in for free by downloading the TV+ app or going to apple.co/oprahtalks, the host said on Instagram.

New episodes of Oprah Talks COVID-19 will premiere each week, apparently for the duration of the pandemic.