Netflix’s original series Self Made is based on the life of Sarah Breedlove, who was also known as Madam C.J. Walker, the first American female self-made millionaire. She was an entrepreneur, social activist, and a philanthropist. The show gave the audience one season of Madam C.J. Walker with only four episodes. Unfortunately it means that there won’t be second season.

What was Self Made about?

The series Self Made is based on the A’Lelia Bundles book On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker. Bundles is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Walker. It delves into much more depth of her life andher family’s life. It also says that Walker’s daughter Lelia took on the responsibility of the business after her. There is also a lot of information about her activism and philanthropy which solidified her presence as a respected member of the Black community.

It was the directors Kasi Lemmons, DeMane Davis and writer Nicole Asher which created the show Self Made. They had originally hoped for a longer series, specifically ten episodes, since there was adequate material to be put in ten episodes. But Netflix insisted for lesser episodes and they had to compromise and only put in the more important stuff. Lemmons said in an interview that they focused on her family more because it was the most fundamental aspect of her life.

Will there be a second season?

The creative team had strayed away from some of the plotpoints but not much. They focused more on her personal life and dramatized the drama which surrounded her. The show gives a fresh perspective on how she became the first female millionaire in the USA. There was also a documentary made on Walker’s life in 1987 by Stanley Nelson, Two Dollars and a Dream. Even if there won’t be a second season, Madam C.J. Walker’s legacy ultimately still lives on.