This April, Showtime is unveiling a new anthology series, The First Lady, to explore three of the famous women who’ve run the White House’s East Wing: Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt. The show will chronicle their lives from their husbands’ elections through their First Lady tenures.“Throughout our history, presidents’ spouses have wielded remarkable influence," Jana Winograde, Showtime president of entertainment, said in a statement announcing the series. “Not only on the nation’s leaders but on the country itself.” The 10-episode first season is “a revelatory reframing of American leadership,” according to Showtime, with “interweaving storylines so intimate it’s as if the White House walls are talking.” Roosevelt is being played by Gillian Anderson, fresh off her Emmy win for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher on The Crown. Ford is played by Michelle Pfeiffer, and Oscar and Emmy winner Viola Davis is stepping into Michelle Obama’s role. “With these formidable artists in front of and behind the camera, we couldn’t be more thrilled—especially at this unique moment in time for our nation—about the powerful promise of The First Lady,” says Amy Israel, executive vice president of scripted programming at Showtime. “Wanting to have a version of life while still being someone’s wife and managing to have a huge impact? I fell in love with all three of them,” says First Lady director Susanne Bier (who previously helmed Sandra Bullock’s BirdBox) about her subjects. If you’re ready to likewise fall in love all over again with Obama, Ford and Roosevelt, keep reading to find out all about the Showtime anthology series The First Lady, including who’s in the cast, the first trailer and how to watch.
When is The First Lady release date on Showtime?
The premiere episode of The First Lady is coming to the Showtime network on Sunday, April 17, with future episodes in the 10-episode Season 1 dropping on subsequent Sundays.
What is The First Lady on Showtime about?
If you think because it’s on Showtime, The First Lady will be filled with major drama (not to mention some spilled tea), you’re right. The show “fits perfectly within the Showtime wheelhouse of drama and politics, revealing how much personal relationships impact both domestic and global events,” says Winogarde. From what we know about the lives of these First Wives, we’re likely to get some behind-the-scenes retellings of everything from Obama’s “bare arms” controversy to Ford’s mastectomy and struggles with alcoholism and prescription drug abuse to Roosevelt’s alleged same-sex affairs.
Is there a trailer for The First Lady?
Yes, and it also looks very Showtime. The trailer shows Obama posing for her famous First Lady portrait and worrying about her daughters, Ford arguing with her husband, and Roosevelt putting husband FDR in his place (you go, girl!) along with shots of her dancing with a mysterious woman (who is presumably Lorena Hickok, the woman suspected to have been her lover.) “The First Lady has to be a special kind of woman,” says Pfeiffer as Ford; throughout, all three women stress that they’re going to take on the role of First Lady on their own terms.“They can kick me out, but they can’t make me somebody I’m not,” says Ford in the trailer, while Obama insists, “I will pick my team, choose my causes, understood?”
Is The First Lady a true story?
The series is based on true events, although there’s likely to be some poetic license taken with the story of each woman. Because the First Ladies are so well-known, the public is well aware of many of the scenes that will be depicted, but private conversations are likely to be completely fictionalized where there is no source material.
Who is in The First Lady cast?
Davis as Obama is a “dream come true,” according to Winograde. She was the first to be attached to the series, posting on Twitter when the network ordered the show, “Sooo proud! Honoring and elevating these powerful, worthy Queens with respect.” Davis has found that she’s “very protective” of Obama after playing her, saying in November 2021, “It’s our job as actors not to judge whoever we are portraying, but I ended up thinking she’s just dope.” Pfeiffer “had a very overwhelming part to play” as Betty Ford, says showrunner Cathy Schulman. “Because there were so many times Betty’s life was out of control because of her dependency.” Many people know Ford because of her substance abuse issues, but she was also publicly outspoken on many issues of the day, including the Equal Rights Act. “Michelle is beautiful and brittle and vulnerable and strong, all at the same time… That’s what we needed because that’s what Betty was.” Anderson, stepping again into the shoes of a powerful woman from the past, had a tough job because there is much less video footage of Roosevelt. Still, she manages to imbue Roosevelt with a sense of gravity and grace. “There is a kind of poetic quality to Gillian,” says Bier. Joining them in the cast will be: Kiefer Sutherland as President Franklin D. Roosevelt Aaron Eckhart as President Gerald Ford Dakota Fanning as Susan Elizabeth Ford Ellen Burstyn as Sara Delano Roosevelt Regina Taylor as Michelle Robinson Kate Mulgrew as Susan Sher Lily Rabe as Lorena “Hick” Hickok Jayme Lawson as Young Michelle Obama. O-T Fagbenle as President Barack Obama Judy Greer as Nancy Howe Jackie Earle Haley as Louis McHenry Howe Maria Dizzia as Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd
How does Michelle Obama feel about being in The First Lady?
As the only living First Lady in the film, Obama feels that she’s not a larger-than-life character. But she couldn’t be happier that Davis is playing her. “I feel like I’m not worthy,” she’s said. “I wish I could be better to live up to the character that Viola has to play, but it’s exciting. Anything Viola does, she does it with passion and vigor, and I know she will do no less for this role.”
Who directed The First Lady on Showtime?
Emmy and Oscar winner Bier directed all 10 episodes, in addition to executive producing. “Susanne is a visionary director who commands the screen with fierce honesty and a singular visual style,” says Israel,
Where was The First Lady filmed?
The anthology series was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, transforming city streets to recreate scenes from years past–with a production company even sending out casting calls for minor roles.
How to watch The First Lady
The First Lady will premiere on the Showtime network on April 17 at 9 pm ET/PT. Not a Showtime subscriber? You can get a free trial at Showtime.com. Next, Macbeth and V for Vendetta Had the Same Source Material?! Find Out About That and More in Our Handy Macbeth Summary
