OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Apparently, people are not clamoring for more of former first lady Michelle Obama.
The Showtime Series “The First Lady” which starred Viola Davis as Michelle Obama, has been canceled after flopping in its one and only season, Deadline reported.
It should be noted that the show did not only focus on Obama but also on Eleanor Roosevelt, played by Gillian Anderson and Betty Ford played by Michelle Pfeiffer.
“Showtime can confirm that the anthology series The First Lady will not be moving forward with another season,” a Showtime spokesperson said to Deadline. “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.
“The First Lady, which received a lukewarm reception from critics, hailed from writer Aaron Cooley, Davis and Julius Tennon’s JuVee Productions; Cathy Schulman’s Welle Entertainment (Otherhood); and Jeff Gaspin’s Gaspin Media. Cooley executive produced along with Davis and Tennon via their JuVee Productions, Schulman via Welle Entertainment, Gaspin via Gaspin Media, and Brad Kaplan via Link Entertainment. Susanne Bier was director/exec producer. Showtime and Lionsgate TV co-produced the series,” the report said.
“At TCA in February, Schulman and Bier shared that they were exploring potential future installments that they said could feature Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Hillary Clinton, Dolly Madison, Edith Wilson, Martha Washington, Rosalynn Carter, or Melania Trump,” it said.
Davis said she has been hurt by negative comments from reviewers of the show in an interview with BBC.
She said it is “incredibly hurtful when people say negative things about your work”.
“How do you move on from the hurt, from failure?” she said. “But you have to. Not everything is going to be an awards-worthy performance.”
“Critics absolutely serve no purpose. And I’m not saying that to be nasty either,” the actress said.
“They always feel like they’re telling you something that you don’t know. Somehow that you’re living a life that you’re surrounded by people who lie to you and ‘I’m going to be the person that leans in and tells you the truth’. So it gives them an opportunity to be cruel to you.
“But ultimately I feel like it is my job as a leader to make bold choices. Win or fail it is my duty to do that,” she said.
In February, Myra Adams, an opinion contributor for The Hill, said that she believes that the Democrats’ best chance for winning in 2024 would be Michelle Obama.
“As of this writing, a 2024 run by Mrs. Obama has been characterized as a baseless rumor, injecting fear into Republicans’ bloodstreams to help fundraising. For years Obama has consistently rejected the prospect. During a 2018 interview, when asked about a 2020 run, she famously said, “first of all, you have to want the job,” the implication being that she didn’t want the job,” the author said.
“Still, Democrats in 2023 might be desperate enough for party leaders to encourage Mrs. Obama into considering the job. This group could argue that ‘your party and country need you’ to stop either Donald Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — which could appeal to her patriotism and become her game-changing reason,” she said.
When Adams told one prominent Republican activist that she was penning this opinion piece he responded with, “God help us. She could beat any of our candidates. It’s a good thing she doesn’t want to run.”
Adams believes that if Biden decides not to campaign that Obama would annihilate a Democrat field, believing that even Vice President Kamala Harris would not want to take her on.
The author argued that Obama would attract crowds that are similar to the ones former President Donald Trump does as her popularity is incredibly high.
She also stated that Obama’s activity in the 2022 midterm elections would help her in 2024.
