Famous Last Words (TV series)


Famous Last Words is an American TV series produced for Netflix. It is based on the Danish series from TV2. It is hosted by Brad Falchuk, who produces it along with Mikkel Bondesen. The show consists of an interview with a notable figure, explicitly only published posthumously, allowing the interviewee to tell their own message after their death.

Premise

The show consists of an interview with subjects regarding their "recent" deaths, with only the two people present to provide an open and intimate atmosphere, and as an allusion to being in the threshold into death. Cameras are operated remotely, and recording personnel can't hear the interview. Only a very small number of people know who has participated before the episode is announced. Each episode lasts an hour, edited from approximately four hours of recorded material. Towards the end of the interview, the host leaves the set and allows the interviewee to close the episode with their final words to the audience. The full records of the interview are stored at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The show was announced in 2024, when Netflix acquired the rights to the format. The first episode was released on October 3, 2025, featuring zoologist Jane Goodall.

Reception

In the first episode, New York Post stated that the interview was uplifting and an opportunity to reflect on a life well-lived, while seeing Falchuk as reverent but a bit dry. Iowa Source described the conversation as candid and friendly, with Falchuk steering with a gentle touch. The Brown Daily Herald praised the interview while also criticizing Falchuk’s presence and insistence on authenticity and drama over substance. This episode was praised by creator and host of the Danish version, Mikael Bertelsen, who described it as "some of the strongest television I had seen in a long time". He thought that her final speech was "incredible and very beautiful".

Similar concepts

The New York Times made a video series called “The Last Word” from 2006 to 2025 with influential people shortly before their presumed death.