Showtime's The First Lady: Everything We Know So Far

If there's any topic above all others that I personally don't need to see covered in our entertainment anytime soon, it's recreations of our past and present circumstances during this pandemic. Coming in at a close second would be depictions of the last four or five years of politics in the United States, for very obvious reasons. Thankfully, Showtime's "The First Lady" anthology series looks to be steering well clear of both areas, instead focusing on dramatizing the lives of three First Ladies in years past. We've yet to receive any actual first-look images or footage from this series just yet, but the ambition on display in its descriptions and the sheer wealth of talent involved on the creative side definitely make this project feel like a must-watch. Read on to find out everything we know so far about "The First Lady."

The Showtime production has yet to release a finalized premiere date, but we do know for sure that it will debut on the prestigious cabler in the first quarter of 2022. Deadline originally reported that "The First Lady" first received a straight-to-series order in February of 2020, although that was back when the production was initially referred to by the title of "First Ladies," a name that has since been taken by a CNN original series (which has no relation to the Showtime series, despite both overlapping and covering a few of the same public figures).

"The First Lady" has been described rather boldly as "Showtime's American version of 'The Crown,'" which sure sets the bar pretty high in terms of expectations. Collider reported that, "Described as a revelatory reframing of American leadership, the series examines American history through the lens of the women at the center of the White House." The first season of the series will primarily revolve around three women who have served as the First Lady — Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama. The choice to make this an anthology series is an intriguing one, suggesting the idea that it will weave together the stories of three wildly different women into one consistent through-line. I'm not 100% sure how this will be pulled off, but I'm very interested to see how it's done. Showtime's official description of the show is as follows:

In the East Wing of the White House, many of history's most impactful and world-changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America's charismatic, complex and dynamic First Ladies. This series will peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of three unique, enigmatic women, tracing their journeys to Washington through interweaving storylines with an enlightening intimacy, with season one focusing on Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt.

The main draw for "The First Lady" is first and foremost its trio of leading stars — that would be Gillian Anderson playing Eleanor Roosevelt; Michelle Pfeiffer portraying Betty Ford; and Viola Davis as Michelle Obama. The rest of the cast includes Kiefer Sutherland as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Aaron Eckhart as Gerald Ford, Dakota Fanning as FDR and Eleanor's daughter Susan Elizabeth Ford, Judy Greer as Betty Ford's secretary Nancy Howe, O-T Fagbenle as Barack Obama, Derek Cecil as Donald Rumsfeld, Rhys Wakefield as Dick Cheney, Jayme Lawson as young Michelle Obama, Lexi Underwood as Malia Obama, and more.

"The First Lady" is created and written by Aaron Cooley, with Susanne Bier directing and executive producing.