Michelle Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt are the focus of Showtime’s new series The First Lady, which will explore their lives, work, and impact during their time in the White House. These historical figures will be portrayed by a trio of A-list stars: Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson, respectively.
Word of the anthology first broke in 2019, when Davis’ casting as Obama was first announced, sending fans into restless anticipation. As more details and teasers are released, we’re gathering what we know about the series so far.
When does it come out?
The First Lady is set to premiere on Showtime on Sunday, April 17 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Watch the first trailer below.
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What is it about?
The synopsis, shared by Deadline, promises the show will “peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of three unique, enigmatic women, and their families, tracing their journeys to Washington, dipping into their pasts and following them beyond the White House into their greatest moments.” Obama, Ford, and Roosevelt’s storylines will be interwoven so intimately, the description adds, “it’s as if the White House walls are talking.”
The trailer above teases what the show will cover. It shows Davis as Obama posing for her official portrait by Amy Sherald and resisting a passive, domestic role as first lady. “They want to turn me into a Black Martha Stewart?” she asks in disbelief. She adds later, “I will pick my team, choose my causes. Understood?”
Pfeiffer is a glamorous Betty Ford, who was known for her outspoken stance on politics and social issues during her husband Gerald Ford’s presidency from 1974 to 1977. “I’ll be here for you,” she tells her husband in the trailer. “But I am going to be myself.”
The footage also teases Anderson as Roosevelt, the longest-serving first lady, who is also credited with transforming the role when she held it from 1933 to 1945. Politically active since before Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, she tells her spouse in one scene, “You are the husband of a wife who has a mind and a life of her own.” She also hints at his affairs, saying, “Don’t push me off. I am your wife, not one of your girlfriends.”
Jackson Lee Davis/SHOWTIME
Who’s in the cast?
Here’s a look at the full, star-studded cast list, per Deadline:
- Viola Davis as Michelle Obama
- Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford
- Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt
- Kiefer Sutherland as President Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Aaron Eckhart as President Gerald Ford
- Dakota Fanning as Susan Elizabeth Ford
- O-T Fagbenle as President Barack Obama
- Lexi Underwood as Malia Obama
- Saniyya Sidney as Sasha Obama
- Regina Taylor as Michelle Robinson
- Lily Rabe as Lorena “Hick” Hickok
- Jayme Lawson as young Michelle Obama
- Judy Greer as Nancy Howe
- Ellen Burstyn as Sara Delano Roosevelt
- Jackie Earle Haley as Louis McHenry Howe
- Maria Dizzia as Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd
- Kate Mulgrew as Susan Sher
The Undoing‘s Susanne Bier will direct and executive produce The First Lady, which was written by Aaron Cooley is co-produced by Lionsgate TV and Showtime, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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