Showtime Cancels ‘The First Lady’ After One Season

The First Lady (Credit: Showtime)

The First Lady has been voted out of Showtime.

The anthology series explores the lives of former first ladies Michelle Obama (Viola Davis), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer), and Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson), with the cast also featuring Kiefer Sutherland, O-T Fagbenle, Aaron Eckhart and Dakota Fanning.

But Showtime said Monday it will not move forward with the drama, according to multiple published reports.

“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 Entertainment Weekly. “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.”

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The series was created by Aaron Cooley. It premiered on April 17, and the creative team previously said they hoped to bring the show back to focus on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Hillary Clinton, Rosalynn Carter or Melania Trump.

However, the series received poor reviews from TV critics, with just a 41 out of 100 score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Some social media users also complained that Davis’ performance as Michelle Obama was over the top.

In an interview with BBC News in April, the Emmy and Oscar-winning actress said the criticism was “incredibly hurtful.”

“Not everything is going to be an awards-worthy performance,” she explained.

Season 1 of The First Lady ended in June.