“The First Lady” won’t be getting a second term in office. Showtime’s 10-episode anthology series about three of the most famous presidential wives has been canceled after just one season, TheWrap has confirmed.
“The anthology series THE FIRST LADY will not be moving forward with another season. We would like to applaud the artistry and commitment of our showrunner Cathy Schulman, director Susanne Bier, their fellow executive producers, our amazing cast, led by executive producer Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson, and our studio partner Lionsgate for their dedicated work in telling the unique stories of three remarkable leaders,” the network said in a statement, provided to TheWrap.
The show starred Davis as Michelle Obama, Pfeiffer as Betty Ford and Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt, and it examined their lives before and during their time in the White House. The series also starred O-T Fagbenle as Barack Obama, Kiefer Sutherland as FDR, and Aaron Eckhart as Gerald Ford. It premiered on Showtime in April.
Additionally in its ensemble cast were Dakota Fanning as Susan Elizabeth Ford, Regina Taylor as Michelle Robinson Obama’s mother Marian Shields Robinson, Lily Rabe as Lorena “Hick” Hickok and Jayme Lawson as a young Michelle Obama. Guest stars included Judy Greer as Nancy Howe, Ellen Burstyn as Sara Delano Roosevelt, Jackie Earle Haley as Louis McHenry Howe, Maria Dizzia as Lucy Mercer Rutherfurd and Kate Mulgrew as Susan Sher.