Despite viewers wanting more of the one-hour drama anthology series, The First Lady will not be picked up for a second season with Showtime. The decision against moving forward with the star-studded series comes a little over six weeks after its Season 1 finale aired on the network.
A spokesperson for Showtime confirmed they will not be moving forward with Season 2 for the anthology series, which was first reported by Deadline. Set in the East Wing of the White House, the anthology-style series focused on America’s charismatic, complicated and dynamic first ladies. The first season honed in on three of the most memorable first ladies in recent years, Eleanor Roosevelt Betty Ford and Michelle Obama, providing a glimpse into their lives behind the scenes. The all-star cast consisted of Gillian Anderson (Sex Education, The X-Files) as Roosevelt, Michelle Pfeiffer (What Lies Beneath, Ant-Man and the Wasp) as Ford, and Viola Davis (The Help, Fences) as Obama. Davis also served as an executive producer for the series.
In a statement released to Deadline, a spokesperson for the network said:
Showtime can confirm that 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.
Alongside Showtime, Lionsgate TV helped co-produce The First Lady, which featured several other popular actors portraying other roles from American history. Playing their very famous husbands and former heads of state, Kiefer Sutherland (24, The Fugitive) portrayed Franklin D. Roosevelt, O-T Fagbenle (The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Widow) portrayed Barack Obama and Aaron Eckhart as Gerald Ford. The cast also included Dakota Fanning (Coraline, The Alienist) as first daughter Susan Elizabeth Ford, Lily Rabe (American Horror Story, Miss Stevens) as the American journalist and First Lady Roosevelt’s lover Lorena Hickok, and Regina Taylor (I’ll Fly Away, Dig) as First Lady Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson.
The anthology series was directed by Susanna Bier who also served as one of the executive producers. The 10-episode series is hailed from writer Aaron Cooley, Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions; Oscar winner Cathy Schulman’s Welle Entertainment (Otherhood); and Jeff Gaspin’s Gaspin Media. Cooley also executive produced with Davis and Tennon via their JuVee Productions, Schulman via Welle Entertainment, Gaspin via Gaspin Media and Brad Kaplan via Link Entertainment. Showtime and Lionsgate TV co-produced the series. Andrew Wang, Pavlina Hatoupis and Alyson Feltes also served as executive producers for the series.
The First Lady is available exclusively on Showtime. Check out the trailer below: