CNN The key art for the CNN documentary 'First Ladies'
Go inside the White House with this new documentary from CNN that chronicles the different First Ladies of the United States throughout the last 100 years. It premieres Sunday, October 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.
If you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch a live stream of First Ladies streaming online for free:
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FuboTV
You can watch a live stream of CNN and 100-plus other TV channels on FuboTV, which comes with a seven-day free trial:
Once signed up for FuboTV, you can watch First Ladies live on the FuboTV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad or Android tablet. You can also watch on your computer via the FuboTV website.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 250 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as a 72-hour look-back feature, which allows you to watch most shows on-demand within three days (and sometimes longer) of their conclusion, even if you don’t record them.
Hulu With Live TV
You can watch a live stream of CNN and 65+ other TV channels via Hulu With Live TV, which you can try out for free with a seven-day trial:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch First Ladies live on the Hulu app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Hulu website.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu with Live TV comes with both its extensive on-demand library (which includes most shows after they air) and 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials).
Sling TV
You can watch a live stream of CNN and 30-plus other TV channels via Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” or “Sling Orange” bundle. It comes with a free three-day trial, but if you bypass that, you can get $10 off your first month, and get Showtime, Starz, and Epix included for free:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch First Ladies live on the Sling TV app, which is available on your Roku, Roku TV, Amazon Fire TV, or Firestick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Samsung Smart TV, LG Smart TV, Android TV, airTV Mini, Oculus, Portal, iPhone, Android phone, iPad, or Android tablet. Or you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
‘First Ladies’ Preview
Actress Robin Wright, who won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of fictional First Lady (and later president) Claire Underwood narrates this six-part docuseries on America’s most iconic first ladies.
According to CNN’s press release, the docuseries profiles Michelle Obama, Jackie Kennedy, Nancy Reagan, Eleanor Roosevelt, Lady Bird Johnson, and Hillary Rodham Clinton. Blending in-depth interviews, rare archival footage and cinematic recreations, First Ladies is a bold revision of each woman’s traditional portrayal, revealing how they were impacted during their time in the White House, and how their achievements fundamentally shaped American and global history. The series premieres with an extended episode on former first lady Michelle Obama.
“First Ladies provides an intimate inside look into the lives and legacies of six remarkable women who transformed the role of first lady,” said Amy Entelis, EVP for Talent & Content Development, CNN Worldwide. “The series highlights how each defied expectation to carve her own trailblazing path, inspire generations and leave an indelible imprint on American culture.”
According to the Wall Street Journal review of the docuseries, the episode about Jackie Kennedy is particularly engrossing.
“No portrait is, as one might expect, as shattering to watch as that of Jacqueline Kennedy. Year after year, as Thanksgiving approaches, it seems that we might by now be inured to the pain of those assassination images. And year after year we learn that we are inured to nothing about this event — and one learns it again watching this series,” wrote Dorothy Rabinowitz. “But the segment on Jackie Kennedy is largely a chronicle of her life as first lady, which included an education in her husband’s sexual adventures. A commentator notes that she knew he had been a playboy, ‘but she hadn’t banked on the sheer scale of his infidelity.'”
Rabinowitz also cites the episode on Eleanor Roosevelt as being very good, especially what she calls “one of the highlights of the series” — “the little-known story of Mrs. Roosevelt’s address to an alarmed nation on the night of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The president was preoccupied with cabinet meetings and the preparation of his speech to Congress the next day, calling for a declaration of war. She spoke of the fears of parents whose sons were now fighting: ‘You cannot escape a clutch of fear at your heart.'”
CNN’s First Ladies documentary premieres Sunday, October 4 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on CNN.
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