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The First Lady Season 1 Episodes
Season 1 Episode Guide
10 Episodes 2022 - 2022
Episode 1
That White House
Sun, Apr 17, 202256 mins
After Franklin's sudden polio diagnosis, Eleanor Roosevelt commits to enabling his political future despite pressure from her mother-in-law, Sara. As the Watergate scandal unfolds, Betty Ford unexpectedly becomes Second Lady upon Jerry's nomination as Vice President and she clashes with his staff over her newly public role. Following the historic 2008 election, Michelle Obama wrestles with the expectations and dangers that Barack and their children face as the first Black family to live in the White House. Series premiere.
Episode 2
Voices Carry
Sun, Apr 24, 202255 mins
Moved by the toll the Great Depression has taken on the country, Eleanor presses Franklin to act more boldly and lobbies for an unprecedented formal position in the administration while helping craft his inaugural address. After Nixon's resignation, Jerry assumes the presidency and Betty becomes First Lady days before an important state dinner, which Jerry's staff try to cancel. In the days leading up to Barack's inauguration, Michelle faces opposition from members of his transition team who plan to diminish her role.
Episode 3
Please Allow Me
Sun, May 1, 202258 mins
Young Eleanor attends her coming out party in New York where she meets cousin Franklin. In Michigan, young Betty is courted by hotshot lawyer Jerry. At a Chicago law firm, young Michelle meets summer intern Barack, interested in politics.
Episode 4
Cracked Pot
Sun, May 8, 202259 mins
Years before first entering the White House, Eleanor discovers Franklin's marital indiscretions, which push her to socialize with more independent, politically active women in the salons of New York City. While Jerry rises through the ranks in Congress, a stubborn shoulder injury drives Betty to seek help from a doctor, who prescribes addictive pain medication. After toddler Sasha is rushed to the hospital with meningitis, Michelle vows to hold Chicago's inadequate healthcare system to task by working to improve it from the inside.
Episode 5
See Saw
Sun, May 15, 202253 mins
Frustrated by the male dominated world of media and politics, Eleanor holds the White House's first all-female press conference and grows closer to journalist Lorena "Hick" Hickock. Betty's public announcement of her breast cancer diagnosis shifts opinion of the Ford Administration away from Jerry's controversial pardon of Nixon and makes Betty a popular figure among American women. After Barack gets clobbered in the midterms, Michelle launches a new healthy school lunch program, which prompts a stalled Congress to enact new legislation.
Episode 6
Shout Out
Sun, May 22, 202256 mins
Eleanor moves Hick into an adjacent bedroom in the White House while Franklin has the FBI surveil her actions. Inspired by her growing influence and popularity, Betty steers a White House campaign office to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, which aggravates Jerry's staff who worry about a conservative challenge for the upcoming Republican Party presidential nomination. Michelle pushes Barack to take a firm moral stand in favor of marriage equality over his political concerns about losing re-election.
Episode 7
Nadir
Sun, May 29, 202251 mins
After African-American opera singer Marian Anderson is banned from performing for the Daughters of the American Revolution, Eleanor leaves the group and doubles down on her efforts to confront racism. Betty's popularity helps Jerry secure the Republican nomination for re-election, but her growing problems with addiction threaten the family and her health. After gun violence tragedies hit both the national stage and her own childhood neighborhood, Michelle grieves with Barack and advocates for legislative action.
Episode 8
Punch Perfect
Sun, Jun 5, 202254 mins
Dissatisfied with Franklin's complacency over growing international atrocities in Europe, Eleanor forces his hand to assist Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. Having retired to Palm Springs, Jerry plans to keep active across the country, which leaves Betty to seek out new party companions at home. Despite Barack's political hesitations, Michelle refuses to stay quiet on racially driven violence any longer while writing her commencement address for Tuskegee University.
Episode 9
Rift
Sun, Jun 12, 202254 mins
As Franklin helms the United States' entry into World War II, Eleanor patriotically rallies the country as First Lady, which leaves Hick neglected on the sidelines. After Betty's spiraling addiction reaches a breaking point, Jerry intervenes with the help of family and friends. When Donald Trump's Access Hollywood tape ignites a national debate during the 2016 presidential campaign, Michelle joins Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail to advocate for the dignity of American women.
Episode 10
Victory Dance
Sun, Jun 19, 202256 mins
Franklin gifts Eleanor the charter for the League of Nations. After rehab, Betty vows to help others with addiction problems. Barack and Michelle prepare to leave the White House, determined to continue making a difference in the world. Season finale.
