You might have heard about a new series on Showtime called “The First Lady” which focuses on several trailblazing first ladies in our history. The ladies in question are:
- Eleanor Roosevelt played by Gillian Anderson
- Betty Ford played by Michelle Pfeiffer
- Michelle Obama played by Viola Davis
And those are just the Ladies. This cast includes some stellar performances played by some stellar performers, not just the three mentioned above.
The concept is interesting, putting each in her own time and place but all three at the same time; at the beginning of her role as First Lady of the United States.
The times might have been different for each woman for a variety of reasons but the underlying theme of all three was ‘hope’.
I had the opportunity to watch the first two episodes via the Showtime Select channel on PlutoTV. This free platform gave me the opportunity to dip my toe, as it were, before I forked over any cash. Note: to watch all episodes in the series, you will have to subscribe to Showtime.
The platform is free, you can use it pretty much anywhere, so if you are inclined, check it out.
All that aside, ‘The First Lady’ brings an interesting perspective on a difficult position in times that were anything but calm and comfortable. Granted, as stated at the beginning of each episode, the writers did take some creative license with the subject matter and time period, but the end result is captivating, amusing, interesting, and occasionally wowing. Things you don’t always find in what could be termed a ‘docudrama’. Some complain about the bouncing from one time frame to another, but I found it interesting. I was able to compare and contrast rather than focus to the exclusion of the other stories.
Enjoy!
