American anthology drama television series
The First Lady [ 1] anthology drama television series created by Aaron Cooley which premiered onShowtime on April 17, 2022.[ 2] Michelle Pfeiffer ,Viola Davis , andGillian Anderson , among others, and portrays life and family events of threefirst ladies of the United States :Eleanor Roosevelt ,Betty Ford , andMichelle Obama . The series received mixed reviews, with praise for the performances, as well as the costuming, set design, and themes, but criticism for its pacing and plot.[ 3] [ 4] [ 5] American Public Television on October 1, 2024.[ 6]
Cast and characters [ edit ] No. Title Directed by [ 8] Written by Original release date [ 9] U.S. viewers 1 "That White House" Susanne Bier Teleplay by : Aaron Cooley and Ellen Fairey &Jennifer Westfeldt & Hunt Baldwin andAbby Ajayi & Zora BikangagaStory by : Aaron CooleyApril 17, 2022 (2022-04-17 ) 0.263[ 10] 2 "Voices Carry" Susanne Bier Aaron Cooley &Cathy Schulman and Ellen Fairey and Abby Ajayi April 24, 2022 (2022-04-24 ) 0.224[ 11] 3 "Please Allow Me" Susanne Bier Teleplay by : Jennifer Westfeldt & Hunt Baldwin and Aaron Cooley and Yolonda E. LawrenceStory by : Jennifer Westfeldt & Hunt Baldwin and Yolonda E. Lawrence and Zora BikangaganMay 1, 2022 (2022-05-01 ) 0.202[ 12] 4 "Cracked Pot" Susanne Bier Teleplay by : Jennifer Westfeldt & Hunt Baldwin and Ellen Fairey and Cathy Schulman & Aaron CooleyStory by : Cathy Schulman & Aaron Cooley and Zora BikangagaMay 8, 2022 (2022-05-08 ) 0.185[ 13] 5 "See Saw" Susanne Bier Teleplay by : Ellen Fairey and Azia Squire and Zora BikangagaStory by : Azia SquireMay 15, 2022 (2022-05-15 ) 0.226[ 14] 6 "Shout Out" Susanne Bier Nikole Beckwith and Alyson Feltes and Abby AjayiMay 22, 2022 (2022-05-22 ) 0.185[ 15] 7 "Nadir" Susanne Bier Teleplay by : Nicole Jefferson Asher and Ellen Fairey and Zora BikangagaStory by : Nicole Jefferson AsherMay 29, 2022 (2022-05-29 ) 0.202[ 16] 8 "Punch Perfect" Susanne Bier Nikole Beckwith and Ellen Fairey and Abby Ajayi June 5, 2022 (2022-06-05 ) 0.287[ 17] 9 "Rift" Susanne Bier Teleplay by : Jennifer Westfeldt and Aaron Cooley & Cathy Schulman and Abby AjayiStory by : Jennifer Westfeldt and Cathy Schulman & Aaron CooleyJune 12, 2022 (2022-06-12 ) 0.292[ 18] 10 "Victory Dance" Susanne Bier Teleplay by : Nikole Beckwith and Ellen Fairey and Abby AjayiStory by : Aaron CooleyJune 19, 2022 (2022-06-19 ) 0.220[ 19]
On February 5, 2020, it was announced thatShowtime had given the production, then known asFirst Ladies , a series order. Executive producers were expected to includeViola Davis , Julius Tennon,Cathy Schulman ,Jeff Gaspin , Brad Kaplan, and Aaron Cooley, who also created the series and will write. Davis would star asMichelle Obama .[ 20] Michelle Pfeiffer ,Jayme Lawson , andKristine Froseth joined the cast of the series asBetty Ford , young Obama, and young Ford, respectively, withSusanne Bier set to direct and executive produce.[ 1] [ 21] Pamela Adlon andRhys Wakefield joined the cast.[ 22]
On February 16, 2021,Aaron Eckhart joined the cast as PresidentGerald Ford .[ 23] Judy Greer replaced Adlon due to scheduling conflicts.[ 24] Gillian Anderson would portrayEleanor Roosevelt .[ 25] O. T. Fagbenle would portray PresidentBarack Obama .[ 26] Dakota Fanning was announced to have joined the cast asSusan Ford on March 2, 2021.[ 27] Lexi Underwood joined the cast asMalia Obama in a recurring role.[ 28]
On March 10, 2021, nine more joined the cast, includingDerek Cecil asDonald Rumsfeld ,Aya Cash as Esther Liebowitz,Jake Picking as Gerald Ford (young),Cayden Boyd as Michael Ford, Marc Hills as Jack Ford,Ben Cook asSteven Ford ,Leslie Kritzer asMartha Graham , Thomas E. Sullivan as Bill Warren, and Patrice Johnson Chevannes as Clara Powell.[ 29] [ 30]
On April 13, 2021,Regina Taylor joined the cast in a series regular role asMarian Shields Robinson , whileSaniyya Sidney , Julian De Niro andEvan Parke joined the cast in recurring roles asSasha Obama , young Barack Obama and SS Allen Taylor, respectively.[ 31] Gloria Reuben andKate Mulgrew joined the cast asValerie June Jarrett and Susan Sher, whileRosalind Chao ,Michael Potts ,Kathleen Garrett andDonna Lynne Champlin joined in recurring capacities.[ 32] [ 33] [ 34]
In July 2021,Kiefer Sutherland andLily Rabe joined the main cast asFranklin D. Roosevelt andLorena Hickok , respectively, whileEllen Burstyn ,Eliza Scanlen ,Cailee Spaeny ,Clea DuVall andCharlie Plummer joined the cast in recurring roles.[ 35] [ 36] [ 37] [ 38] Jackie Earle Haley ,Maria Dizzia , andJeremy Bobb were cast in recurring capacities.[ 39] Paramount+ Internationally in 2022.[ 2] [ 40] [ 5]
On February 25, 2021, it was announced that filming had begun inCovington ,Georgia .[ 41]
Thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reported a 41% approval rating with an average rating of 6.00/10, based on 44 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Despite formidable stars and a rich history to draw from, a lack of focus and shallow characterization makeThe First Lady second-rate television."[ 42] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 50 out of 100 based on 22 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[ 43]
Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. 2022 Black Reel Television Awards Outstanding Actress, TV Movie or Limited Series Viola Davis Nominated [ 44] Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards Best Actress in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited or Anthology Series Michelle Pfeiffer Nominated [ 45] Best Writing in a Broadcast Network or Cable Limited or Anthology Series Aaron Cooley,Cathy Schulman , Ellen Fairey, and Abby Ajayi(for "Voices Carry") Nominated Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Period Costumes Signe Sejlund, Felicia Jarvis, Matthew Hemesath, Paula Truman, Stephen Oh, and Jessica Trejos(for "Cracked Pot") Nominated [ 46] Outstanding Period and/or Character Hairstyling Colleen LaBaff , Louisa Anthony, Lawrence Davis, Julie Kendrick, Robert Wilson,Jamika Wilson , Evelyn Roach, and Jaime Leigh McIntosh(for "See Saw") Nominated Outstanding Period and/or Character Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) Carol Rasheed,Sergio López-Rivera , Valli O'Reilly, Chauntelle Langston, and Milene Melendez(for "Cracked Pot") Nominated 2023 Critics' Choice Awards Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Michelle Pfeiffer Nominated [ 47] NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special Viola Davis Nominated [ 48]
Viewership and ratings per episode ofThe First Lady No. Title Air date Rating (18–49) Viewers 1 "That White House " April 17, 2022 0.01 0.263[ 10] 2 "Voices Carry " April 24, 2022 0.02 0.224[ 11] 3 "Please Allow Me " May 1, 2022 0.03 0.202[ 12] 4 "Cracked Pot " May 8, 2022 0.02 0.185[ 13] 5 "See Saw " May 15, 2022 0.04 0.226[ 14] 6 "Shout Out " May 22, 2022 0.02 0.185[ 15] 7 "Nadir " May 29, 2022 0.01 0.202[ 16] 8 "Punch Perfect " June 5, 2022 0.04 0.287[ 17] 9 "Rift " June 12, 2022 0.03 0.292[ 18] 10 "Victory Dance " June 19, 2022 0.01 0.220[ 19]
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