or


[01/21/21 - 01:02 PM]
Oscar Nominee Michelle Pfeiffer Joins Oscar Winner Viola Davis in "The First Lady" (w/t) for Showtime
Emmy and Golden Globe winner Susanne Bier will direct and executive produce the anthology series.

[via press release from Showtime]

OSCAR(R) NOMINEE MICHELLE PFEIFFER JOINS OSCAR WINNER VIOLA DAVIS IN "THE FIRST LADY" (w/t) FOR SHOWTIME(R)

OSCAR WINNER SUSANNE BIER TO DIRECT ALL EPISODES

Anthology Series To Star Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, With Davis Executive Producing via JuVee Productions and Starring as Michelle Obama

Oscar Winner Cathy Schulman To Executive Produce; Created by Aaron Cooley

LOS ANGELES - January 21, 2021 - SHOWTIME has announced that Oscar and Emmy(R) nominee and Golden Globe(R) winner Michelle Pfeiffer (French Exit) will star as Betty Ford and Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe winner Susanne Bier (The Undoing) will direct and executive produce the anthology series THE FIRST LADY (w/t), starring and executive produced by Oscar, Emmy and Tony winner Viola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom), who will play former first lady Michelle Obama. THE FIRST LADY is a revelatory reframing of American leadership, told through the lens of the women at the heart of the White House. Produced by SHOWTIME and Lionsgate Television, the series is executive produced by Oscar winner Cathy Schulman (Crash), Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Andrew Wang, Jeff Gaspin (Rhythm + Flow) and Brad Kaplan (Mr. Church) and created by author Aaron Cooley (Four Seats: A Thriller of the Supreme Court), who will write several of the episodes and executive produce. The announcement was made by Amy Israel, Executive Vice President, Scripted Programming, Showtime Networks Inc.

In the East Wing of the White House, many of history's most impactful and world-changing decisions have been hidden from view, made by America's charismatic, complex and dynamic First Ladies. This series will peel back the curtain on the personal and political lives of three unique, enigmatic women, tracing their journeys to Washington through an enlightening intimacy, with season one focusing on Michelle Obama, Betty Ford and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Ford was the First Lady of the United States from 1974 to 1977. She was active in social policy and set a precedent as a politically active presidential spouse and one of the most candid first ladies in history, commenting on every hot-button issue of the time. She also raised awareness of addiction when she made her long-running battle with alcoholism and substance abuse public.

"Michelle Pfeiffer and Susanne Bier have joined the brilliant and incomparable Viola Davis to bring the remarkable stories of these women into urgent, engrossing and long overdue focus," said Israel. "Michelle brings authenticity, vulnerability and complexity to all her roles, and Susanne is a visionary director who commands the screen with fierce honesty and a singular visual style. With these formidable artists in front of and behind the camera, we couldn't be more thrilled - especially at this unique moment in time for our nation - about the powerful promise of THE FIRST LADY."

Pfeiffer won a Golden Globe Award and earned one of her three Oscar nominations for her performance in The Fabulous Baker Boys. Her Oscar-nominated work in Dangerous Liaisons also proved worthy of a BAFTA(R) Award. She has received seven Golden Globe nominations in all, for roles in films from Married to the Mob to the Oscar-nominated Love Field and The Wizard of Lies, for which she also received an Emmy nomination. Her numerous memorable screen credits also include What Lies Beneath, Tequila Sunrise, Hairspray, Dangerous Minds, White Oleander, The Age of Innocence, Batman Returns, Ladyhawke, Into the Night, Scarface and Grease 2.

Denmark's leading filmmaker, Bier most recently directed the hit limited series The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. She won the Emmy in 2016 for directing the six-part miniseries The Night Manager. In 2018, she directed the thriller Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock, which immediately became the most-watched movie of all time on Netflix. Her film In a Better World won both the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film in 2011, as well as Best Director at the European Film Awards. In 2007, Bier directed her first English-language film, the award-winning Things We Lost in the Fire, starring Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro. Prior credits include the Oscar-nominated After the Wedding, Brothers (which won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival(R) and at the Boston Independent Film Festival) and Open Hearts. She also wrote and directed The One and Only, Love Is All You Need and A Second Chance.

Schulman's company Welle Entertainment is dedicated to making female-facing content. Schulman and Gaspin read a spec script Cooley had written about First Lady Edith Wilson, and that inspired them to re-examine the families in the White House through the eyes of the First Ladies.

THE FIRST LADY (w/t) is executive produced by Cathy Schuman via Welle Entertainment, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon and Andrew Wang via JuVee Productions, Jeff Gaspin via Gaspin Media, Brad Kaplan via LINK Entertainment, Aaron Cooley and Susanne Bier.

SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS, and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Amazon, Apple(R), Google, LG Smart TVs, Oculus Go, Roku(R), Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One and PlayStation(R)4. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Amazon's Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Sling TV and YouTube TV or directly at www.showtime.com.





  [january 2021]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· FIRST LADY, THE (SHOWTIME)





[10/24/25 - 02:30 PM]
Video: First Look at Upcoming New Drama "Memory of a Killer" Starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli - Premiering This January on FOX
Dempsey stars as a hitman, Angelo Doyle, leading a dangerous double life while hiding an even deadlier personal secret - he has developed early onset Alzheimer's.

[10/24/25 - 02:02 PM]
"20/20" Is Friday's Most-Watched Newsmagazine Across the Board
In addition, "20/20" posted its best Adults 25-54 in more than four months.

[10/24/25 - 02:01 PM]
ABC News' "Nightline" Ranks No. 1 Across the Board, Leading NBC in All Key Demos for the 4th Straight Week
"Nightline" grew year to year across the board: Total Viewers, Adults 25-54, and Adults 18-49.

[10/24/25 - 01:05 PM]
"Dancing with the Stars" Makes Television History - Rising for Fifth Straight Week
The October 21 episode scored 6.63 million Total Viewers and a 1.38 rating among Adults 18-49, hitting new season highs in both demographics.

[10/24/25 - 08:01 AM]
Netflix Announces "Hollywood Arts," A Brand-New Spinoff of Hit Live-Action, "Victorious," with Daniella Monet Returning as Star and Executive Producer
The series is set to debut on Netflix in 2026, followed by releases on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.

[10/24/25 - 07:14 AM]
FOX Sports Readies for Major League Baseball's 121st World Series Presented by Capital One
Action leads off Friday, October 24, between the National League and current reigning World champion Los Angeles Dodgers and American League champion Toronto Blue Jays from Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada, on FOX, FOX Deportes, the FOX Sports App and FOX One.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Video: "Love Is Blind" Season 9: The Reunion - Official Trailer - Netflix
Denver singles shake up their search for "the one" and step into the pods, braving twists, turns and love triangles to find their soulmate sight unseen.

[10/24/25 - 07:01 AM]
Experience the Family, the Fun, and the Fantastic! Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" Lands Exclusively on Disney+ November 5
Continuing the celebration of Marvel's First Family, the announcement was made live from SpaceCon 2025 in San Antonio, where The Fantastic Four: First Steps Immersive Pop-Up Experience invites attendees to step inside the iconic Baxter Building.

[10/24/25 - 06:00 AM]
The CW Network and Xfinity Celebrate 11 Years of the NASCAR Xfinity Series by Presenting the Third Stage of the Championship Race Commercial-Free
Taking place in Phoenix, Arizona, on Saturday, November 1, the commercial-free stage presented by Xfinity was created to thank the loyal race fans who have supported the NASCAR Xfinity Series for more than a decade - helping the series grow through their unwavering enthusiasm, increased viewership, and continued trackside attendance.

[10/23/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "As You Stood By" - Official Trailer - Netflix
When two women plot to end an abusive marriage through murder, an unexpected visitor arrives - threatening to shatter everything they've carefully planned.

[10/23/25 - 02:33 PM]
Largest Audience for "NBA Tip-Off" Doubleheader Since 2010 as NBA Returned to NBC and Debuted on Peacock
Tuesday night's audience across NBC and Peacock peaked at 7.1 million viewers from 10:45-11 p.m. ET as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder to a one-point win over the Houston Rockets in double overtime.

[10/23/25 - 02:28 PM]
The 305 Just Got Hotter: "Love & Hip Hop: Miami" Moves to BET Season 7 Premieres Tuesday, November 4 at 8 PM ET/PT
The upcoming seventh season dives deeper than ever into Miami's thriving entertainment scene, following a cast of stars who are rebuilding, rebranding, and redefining success in real time.

[10/23/25 - 01:30 PM]
Critically Acclaimed Noir Thriller, "Dark Winds," to Return to AMC and AMC+ Sunday, February 15
The series' gripping fourth season focuses on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes Leaphorn, Chee and Manuelito from the safety of Navajo Nation to the gritty terrain of 1970s Los Angeles in a race against the clock to save her from an obsessive killer with ties to organized crime.

[10/23/25 - 12:01 PM]
Video: BET+ Releases Trailer for Horror Film "A Demon's Revenge"
In the film, following the bloodshed in Belize, Peaches, played by Jhoné Lucas, delves deeper into Caribbean folklore and the terrifying truth that lurks beneath.

[10/23/25 - 12:00 PM]
FOX Entertainment Acquires Equity Stake in Chain, Forging Strategic Partnership with Experiential Food Phenomenon Co-Founded by B.J. Novak
Included in the investment is a first look development deal through Chain Media.