Nobody in show business is going to admit this, but some roles are bigger than others. Oh sure, every character is important in their own way, but some are definitely more important than others: Captain America is one. Jesus is another. Maybe Chewbacca. Now, Viola Davis is getting ready to take on a role that is somehow even bigger and more important than those, with Variety reporting that she’s set to star in as Michelle Obama in a potential Showtime series called First Ladies. The network has ordered three scripts for the show, meaning it’s not necessarily going to come to TV just yet, but Variety says it will be about “the personal and political lives of First Ladies from throughout history.”
The first season, assuming this gets made, will focus on Obama, Betty Ford, and Eleanor Roosevelt, who—at least on a gut reaction—seem like the best choices for this sort of thing. Variety doesn’t say who will play the other First Ladies, or their famous husbands, but hopefully the rest of the casting is as good as this. (Again, assuming this show gets made.)