A second season of the one-hour drama anthology series, The First Lady, will not be picked up by Showtime. Six weeks after the Season 1 finale aired, the network decided not to continue the star-studded series. A Showtime spokeswoman has confirmed that the anthology series will not be returning for a second season, as first reported by Deadline. With an emphasis on America’s colourful and captivating first women, the anthology-style series was set in the East Wing of the White House.
First women Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama were the focus of season one, and viewers got a look at what their lives were like away from the spotlight. For the Roosevelt role, Gillian Anderson was joined by Michelle Pfeiffer and Viola Davis, both of whom had previously appeared in The X-Files and Sex Education. For the series, Davis also acted as an executive producer, In a statement to Deadline, a network spokesman stated:
The anthology series The First Lady will not be returning for a second season, Showtime has confirmed. Cathy Schulman, director Susanne Bier, their fellow executive producers, our incredible cast — led by executive producer Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Gillian Anderson — and our studio partner Lionsgate deserve our highest praise for their dedication to telling the stories of three remarkable leaders in a compelling and compelling way.
Lionsgate TV and Showtime worked together on the co-production of The First Lady, which included numerous other well-known actors in historical roles. O-T Fagbenle portrayed Barack Obama and Aaron Eckhart played Gerald Ford in the film, which also featured Kiefer Sutherland, O-T Fagbenle and Aaron Eckhart as their spouses. Lily Rabe (American Horror Story) as Lorena Hickok, Dakota Fanning (Coraline) as Susan Elizabeth Ford and Regina Taylor (I’ll Fly Away, Dig) as First Lady Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson were also in the cast of the film. Susanna Bier, who was also one of the show’s executive producers, directed the anthology series.
The 10-part series hails from the JuVee Productions of Aaron Cooley, Davis, and Julius Tennon, as well as the Welle Entertainment (Otherhood) of Cathy Schulman and the Gaspin Media of Jeff Gaspin. As an executive producer, Cooley also worked with Davis and Tennon, Schulman, Gaspin, and Brad Kaplan of Link Entertainment, as well as JuVee Productions. Co-production credits go to Showtime and Lionsgate TV on this project. Additional executive producers were Andrew Wang, Pavlina Hatoupis, and Alyson Feltes.
Showtime is the only place to watch the First Lady.