“Swarm” co-creator of the Malia Obama episode

In a simpler time, before the “Nepo Baby” discourse began, Donald Glover and Janine Nabers made headlines in 2022 when they hired former First Daughter Malia Obama to write their FX series Swarm. It seemed like a natural fit considering the show delved into the experiences of people finding fame at a young age, something Obama needed to become familiar with whether she liked it or not. It’s been a fascinating engagement from the moment it was announced, and now we’re starting to see the results.

Television is an inherently collaborative medium, and it’s always difficult to gauge the impact a single staff writer can have on a show. But it sounds like the experiment is working quite well so far. In a new interview with Entertainment Tonight, Nabers said the writing team is thrilled with the impact Obama has made so far.

“Some of their pitches were wild as hell, and they were just so good and so fun,” Nabers said of Obama. “She’s an incredible writer. She brought a lot to the table. She’s really, really dedicated to her craft.”

Nabers added that Obama is credited with writing the episode “Girl, Bye,” which could end up being one of the most unique episodes of season one.

“[‘Girl, Bye’] is probably one of the wildest episodes,” said Nabers. “I think it will surprise a lot of people. It’s pretty stupid. I’m really proud of that.”

Since “Swarm” premiered at SXSW, critics have hailed it as a unique exploration of the increasingly toxic nature of online fandom in 2023.

“Created by ‘Atlanta’ veterans Donald Glover and Janine Nabers, the horror-satire focuses on Dre (Dominque Fishback), a fan obsessed with global pop superstar Ni’Jah. Dre spends her days “defending” the artist on social media and her nights listening to Ni’Jah’s music, dancing to Ni’Jah’s music, or otherwise freeing herself from the hardships of life through Ni’Jah’s music to permit. Dre’s fandom defines her because she wants it to define her; She’s not interested in healthy debate or exploring other avenues. Much like religious acolytes or anyone who’s gone to Harvard, Dre’s confidence is entirely defined by one thing,” wrote IndieWire’s Ben Travers in his review of the show. “The Glover and Nabers series never excuses Dre’s actions, but it refuses to put them in a neat little box. Dre never becomes the kind of serial killer so detached from reality that it can easily be dismissed as pure fiction, even as the show backs down to using simple “sob stories” to explain how people become “monsters.” become. (There is no trauma porn here!)”

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