The First Lady canceled after 1 season at Showtime
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The First Lady has officially left office.
Showtime is not moving ahead with a second season of the anthology series, EW has confirmed. The drama chronicled the lives of the infamous former first ladies Michelle Obama (played by Viola Davis), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson). Created by Aaron Cooley, the series also featured Kiefer Sutherland, O-T Fagbenle, Aaron Eckhart, Dakota Fanning, and more.
"Showtime can confirm that the anthology series The First Lady will not be moving forward with another season," a spokesperson for the network said in a statement to EW. "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."
Schulman and Bier had previously said during a TCA panel that they were exploring ideas for future seasons that could center on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Hillary Clinton, Melania Trump, Dolly Madison, Edith Wilson, Martha Washington, or Rosalynn Carter. At the time, Anderson said, "I think the hope is that there's going to be future seasons so they'll have the opportunity to have more First Ladies represented. So maybe not just four but maybe 104."
News of the series' cancelation comes after tepid reviews from critics, with EW's own Kristen Baldwin calling the show "a woeful waste of three wonderful actresses." The First Lady wrapped up its 10-episode run in June.
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