The First Lady poster

The First Lady

★ 7.3 7K votes 2022–2022 1 season · 10 episodes Canceled Showtime
Female perspectiveWomen's experience as the defining lens.This show: 10/10Real historyReal historical events and figures woven into the story.This show: 9/10Strong female leadA complex woman drives the story.This show: 9/10Character studyInterior life matters more than plot.This show: 8/10Period pieceSet meaningfully in a past era.This show: 8/10Ensemble castMany characters carrying equal weight.This show: 7/10
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Starring
Viola DavisMichelle PfeifferGillian AndersonO-T FagbenleDakota FanningLily Rabe
Written by
Aaron Cooley
Starring
Viola DavisMichelle PfeifferGillian AndersonO-T FagbenleDakota FanningLily Rabe
Written by
Aaron Cooley
Ratings per Episode
246810
Votes per Episode
0125250375500

The First Lady Episode Ratings Heatmap

AvgE1E2E3E4E5E6E7E8E9E10
S17.87.57.77.57.68.07.77.97.98.28.0

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About

"Three iconic women, one thankless political role"

An anthology drama that jumps between three American First Ladies (Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama) across different decades, tracing how each navigated power, marriage, and public scrutiny from just behind the President. The performances are the draw, especially the leads inhabiting real, recognizable women. But the show hops between timelines so often that momentum keeps resetting, and the tone stays reverent and glossy rather than sharply insightful, making it feel more like a prestige acting showcase than a gripping historical drama.

Watch it for

the powerhouse lead performances bringing three very different First Ladies vividly to life.

Maybe skip if

you dislike choppy, time-jumping structures that sacrifice narrative momentum for parallel storytelling.

Written by our AI editor to help you decide, spoiler-free by design.

All Seasons

▼
Season 12022
7.83K109h 12m
Season one focuses on Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford and Michelle Obama.
EpTitleRatingYoursVotesRuntime
▶1That White House7.5
44256 min
▶2Voices Carry7.7
30155 min
▶3Please Allow Me7.5
28358 min
▶4Cracked Pot7.6
25159 min
▶5See Saw8.0
26453 min
▶6Shout Out7.7
23356 min
▶7Nadir7.9
22151 min
▶8Punch Perfect7.9
21454 min
▶9Rift8.2
20954 min
▶10Victory Dance8.0
21656 min

Full Cast & Crew

Cast

Viola Davis Michelle Obama
Michelle Pfeiffer Betty Ford
Gillian Anderson Eleanor Roosevelt
O-T Fagbenle Barack Obama
Dakota Fanning Susan Elizabeth Ford
Lily Rabe Lorena Hickok
Regina Taylor Marian Robinson
Kiefer Sutherland Franklin D. Roosevelt
Aaron Eckhart Gerald Ford
Clea DuVall Tommy

Crew

Aaron Cooley

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