- "Melania, the Series" premieres Nov. 20 on Prime Video, revisiting the president's second inauguration and the family's first days back in the White House.
- Brett Ratner, who faced sexual misconduct allegations, returns to direct both episodes.
- Critics called the original documentary "unrevealing"; this series promises more one-on-one access with the first lady.
- Amazon paid about $40 million for rights; lawmakers probed the deal amid concerns about influence and company ties to the administration.
The first lady’s big-screen turn is getting a small-screen sequel, thanks to Amazon. Less than a year after Melania Trump's documentary hit theaters, the two-part follow-up, Melania, the Series, is set to premiere Nov. 20 on Prime Video.
There’s a familiar name behind the camera, too. Brett Ratner is back for both of these new episodes after directing the original, which was his first major project since six women, including Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge, accused him of sexual harassment or misconduct in a 2017 investigation by The Los Angeles Times. (Ratner denied the allegations, and Warner Bros. cut ties with him after the report.)
The Melania documentary, which was released in January 2026, garnered a pretty consistent complaint: For all the access filmmakers got to the first lady, critics say they came away knowing little more about her. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman wrote that the movie “barely rises to the level of a shameless infomercial,” while The Guardian’s Xan Brooks called it “spectacularly unrevealing.”
Given those less-than-flattering reviews, you might be wondering why there’s more Melania on the way, so we took a closer look at what’s in the new series and the Amazon deal behind it.
What’s the new series about?
The original documentary chronicled the 20 days leading up to President Trump’s second inauguration, as Melania helped plan the ceremony and prepared to move back to Washington with her family. The new series, which she also executive produced, revisits that stretch before picking up with her first days back in the White House. Prime Video says it will take audiences "beyond what they have already seen.”
The first episode, “Family & Trust,” follows Melania as she prepares to become first lady again. Amazon’s press release hints at some tension inside the White House, saying that “trust is tested.” It leaves the details vague, adding that Trump “must protect those closest to her while navigating the demands of power.”
The second episode, “Pride & Honor,” picks up just after Trump is sworn in. According to Amazon, it follows the first lady as she starts putting her second-term plans into action.
Melania says viewers will hear more from her directly this time around. In September, she told Fox & Friends that Ratner asked her questions while she was traveling and filming. “It’s more [like a] conversation one on one with me,” she told the network.
And the trailer gives us a preview: Over footage of her with her 20-year-old son, Barron, she says, “He’s my priority. He will always be my priority.”
Why did Amazon’s deal with Melania Trump draw scrutiny?
The series was already part of the original licensing deal in which Amazon MGM Studios reportedly paid $40 million for the rights to both this show and the feature-length documentary, an Amazon spokesperson told The Washington Post.
Despite largely negative reviews, the film grossed about $16.6 million worldwide, according to Variety — a strong showing for a documentary, but less than half its reported $35 million marketing budget. (For a sense of what a rare documentary blockbuster looks like, take You Can See Everything, the new film about Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. It has already grossed about $80 million in North America alone, making it the second-highest-grossing non-music documentary ever in that market.)
Amazon’s spending also drew scrutiny in Washington. In March, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Hank Johnson led a group of Democrats in investigating whether the company used the Melania deal to gain influence with the Trump administration. They pointed to what Amazon had at stake, including federal contracts, possible tariff exemptions, and an ongoing antitrust suit (in which the FTC and several states allege that the company penalized sellers who offered lower prices elsewhere).
Lawmakers asked whether Amazon had discussed its bid directly with the first lady or anyone in the administration. Some employees in its entertainment division were told that the order to release Melania came from company leadership, according to The New York Times. Amazon told lawmakers it had followed a competitive bidding process but didn’t say who it had discussed the bid with. Founder Jeff Bezos, meanwhile, defended the deal as a business decision, while also distancing himself from the project.
With the follow-up going straight to streaming — and therefore no box office numbers to examine — it’ll be harder to tell from the outside whether Amazon’s bet paid off.
