Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The First Lady’ On Showtime, A Star-Studded Drama That Chronicles the Lives of 3 Iconic Women

In The First Lady, now streaming on Showtime, three women who spent large parts of their lives in the White House finally get their moment in the spotlight. Starring Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, the series jumps between decades to tell the stories of the women who made an impact all their own. 

THE FIRST LADY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A camera flashes.

The Gist: The lives of three different First Ladies are introduced to us as they have their portraits done; Michelle Obama (Viola Davis), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson). We jump between periods of these three women’s lives and begin to get a picture of what it was like for them before their time in the White House. Michelle worries about what it will mean for Barack (O.T. Fagbenle) to become the first Black President of the United States, while Betty is stunned by her sudden shift to Second Lady when Gerald (Aaron Eckhart) is appointed Vice President. Eleanor, meanwhile, is Franklin’s (Kiefer Sutherland) rock following his polio diagnosis and subsequent paralysis as he continues to chase his dream of running for governor.

One thing these women all seem to have in common is a steadfast dedication to their values, despite the opinions of the people around them; Michelle wants to continue on her own career path despite Barack’s campaign, while Betty scandalizes a group of women at the White House when she shares that she’s seen a psychiatrist, and Eleanor wonders if women might be appointed to cabinet positions. There’s a lot of jumping around in time here, so nothing happens in a linear fashion, but we do get an understanding of who these women are and how their husband’s particular reputations play into their lives. By the end of the episode, Gerald is set to become President following the Watergate scandal (much to the mixed feelings of Betty), Michelle is ready to stand by Barack’s side during the intensity of the election (despite all her fears), and Eleanor plans on being much, much more than the “circumstance” that is occupying the position of “First Lady.”

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The First Lady might bring to mind other historical and political dramas like The Crown, The West Wing, Mrs. America, and Women of the Movement.

Our Take: The First Lady is all over the place. Part history lesson, part self-satisfied soap opera, the series is never quite able to hit a stride due to its bizarre narrative structure. Hopping between three different women’s timelines is enough to juggle, but The First Lady also throws in additional flashbacks within each of these storylines, only further complicating matters. The series mainly seems interested in doling out history lessons and cloying emotional interactions intended to tug at the heartstrings rather than cobble together a coherent story. It’s a shame, too, because the performances turned out by the trio of leading ladies – Viola Davis, Gillian Anderson, and Michelle Pfeiffer – are some of the best of each of their respective careers.

In its current form, The First Lady doesn’t make a ton of sense. There’s certainly something to be said for highlighting the struggles of these women from very different time periods alongside one another, but in combining so many stories, we’re unable to get past the surface level on any one of them. Making the series more of an anthology and dedicating each season to one of these women seems like the better choice, rather than delivering something a little convoluted and muddled. There are endlessly engaging stories to tell about these women and their lives and their accomplishments, but we get what feels like a strangely cherry-picked SparkNotes edition of it all. Despite all the issues with the show and its structure, the performances make it worth watching – and it’s easy to breeze right through it all. If only the script was worthy of its players.

Sex and Skin: None.

Parting Shot: “I’m sure it’s difficult,” says Gerald. “Yes it is,” Betty responds solemnly, leaving him in the kitchen.

Sleeper Star: The three leading ladies are excellent, but Michelle Pfeiffer’s turn as Betty Ford feels incredibly lived-in, a memorable, dazzling performance. Whether she’s dancing on her own, bonding with her daughter, laying into Rumsfeld, or giving a gasp-inciting speech about seeing a psychiatrist, there’s something singularly mesmerizing about her performance. (Even when she has to play opposite a very made-up Aaron Eckhart as Gerald Ford).

Most Pilot-y Line: There are more than a few corny, pilot-y lines in The First Lady‘s inaugural episode, including “it’s so much bigger than us at this point”, “I am interested in the real”, and “you’ll figure out what kind of First Lady you want to be.”

Our Call: STREAM IT… if only for its lead performances. The First Lady is a soapy, self-satisfied mess, but the three actresses at its center make it worth the watch.

Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines, hogging the mic at karaoke, and thirst-tweeting. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.