The First Lady

I'm enjoying the show, learning things I did not know before & love the emphasis on the First Ladies. My biggest complaint, which seems to be everyone's opinion, is the poor casting of Viola Davis as Michelle Obama. That is the complete downfall of this show, although I plan on finishing the season as I'm enjoying Michelle Pfeiffer & many of the story lines.

On episode 8 and must note the series gets better as it goes on. Michelle Pfeiffer exemplifies what great acting is all about. Loved her as Betty Ford. Gillian Anderson is also wonderful as Eleanor. I sually love Viola Davis but think she was miscast in this. She seems too old for the part. Barack who is actually 3 yrs older than Michelle looks 15 yrs younger in the series. Whoever did Viola's makeup in the White House Years should be fired. They heavy makeup ages her and the overdone eyes make her look like a hooker (or in modern day terms...a sex worker) In real life, Michelle Obama's makeup was always understated. Also, the character is not as warm and empathetic as the Michelle Obama we have all come to love.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series . Not being American I only knew bits and pieces about these women , the show has pushed me to do further research. I loved Gillian Anderson and Michelle Pfieffer in their roles but found Viola Davis ( who I am a fan of) very distracting pursing her lips like that all the time . I have endeavoured to look at footage of Michelle Obama to see how accurate this is .. and not really succeeded. Nevertheless a really good series , well worth the time.

I find myself fast-forwarding through the "middle-age Obama" segments: 2 casting errors. Viola Davis makes a terrible Michelle Obama, none of the charisma or charm. Shame as the "Roosevelt" and "Ford" segments are very good.

Viola Davis and Gillian Anderson are doing impersonations more suited for "Saturday Night Live." Michelle Pfeiffer on the other hand humanizes First Lady Betty Ford, an often overlooked historical figure. I happen to agree with critics who've stated that this show would have fared better had the entire spotlight been on Betty Ford.