Showtime is gearing up to release a new anthology series titled The First Lady. It depicts the lives of three female political figures in US history: Betty Ford, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Michelle Obama. The series is set to air next year, with Michelle Pfieffer starring as Betty. Gillian Anderson is also starring as Eleanor, while Viola Davis stars as Michelle.
According to Entertainment Weekly, The First Lady will focus on all three first ladies’ personal and political lives, including their experiences before entering the White House.
Exclusive photos from the series include an image of Viola Davis standing next to her on-screen husband, O-T Fagbenle, who depicts Barack Obama. Another one shows Davis hovering over Regina Taylor, who represents Michelle’s mother, Marian Robinson. Lexi Underwood and Saniyya Sidney portray the Obama daughters, Malia and Sasha, respectively.
The images of each first lady with their on-screen families give a sneak peek of what’s to come on The First Lady regarding how they handle the public and also their lives with loved ones.
After doing extensive research, Viola Davis reportedly said to EW that she feels very protective of Michelle’s legacy. “It’s our job as actors not to judge whoever we are portraying, but I ended up thinking she’s just dope,” she says. To prepare for the role, she had a very long talk with Mrs. Obama, read her book Becoming, and also watched her 2020 Netflix documentary. Davis did all of this to perfect her representation of the former first lady on screen.
Also worth mentioning is that Davis is the executive producer for The First Lady. The first series will follow all the leading ladies’ “journeys to Washington through an enlightening intimacy.” Entertainment Weekly reports.
The show will debut in Spring 2022.
Written by Amber Alexander
Twitter: Ambernofetari
