Viola Davis To Play Michelle Obama In New Showtime Series 'First Ladies'

The United States political landscape is a bit of a shitshow at this moment, thanks to the current administration, combined with the months-long campaigning in front of next year’s election. So, for those hoping to remember a time when politics was a bit less chaotic and a bit more inspirational, Showtime and Viola Davis are teaming up for a new one-hour drama series that will tackle the lives of some of the most influential First Ladies to ever step into the White House.

According to Deadline, Davis is set to star in and produce a new series titled “First Ladies,” which is a bit of an anthology, with Season 1 focusing on the lives of Michelle Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Betty Ford. Davis will be the actress set to portray Obama, while no other casting has been announced.

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“First Ladies” is written by Aaron Cooley, who is the author behind the books “Four Seats: A Thriller of the Supreme Court” and “The Guns of Ridgewood.” The report says that producer Cathy Schulman came across a spec script about Lady Bird Johnson penned by Cooley and brought him along to repurpose the idea into this new series. Obviously, Johnson didn’t make the first season cut of women.

This is far from the first TV project for Davis, who is probably best known for her film work in “The Help,” “Doubt,” “Widows,” and “Fences,” which ended up earning the actress her only Oscar win. On TV, however, Davis has been the star of the long-running procedural drama, “How to Get Away With Murder,” which earns her annual Emmy nominations, with her win coming in 2015.

No word on when we might see “First Ladies” arrive on Showtime, but with Davis steering the ship, it’s clear that this is a series that we’re going to want to keep an eye on.