Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Scandalously good TV
As political scandals go, Watergate is undoubtedly one of the most talked about in modern history. It has been explored in countless books, television productions and films. Now, a new series has chosen to take a look at the scandal from a fresh perspective.
Julia Roberts (“Homecoming”) returns to TV as Martha Mitchell, a celebrity socialite and the first person to speak out about President Nixon’s potential link to the Watergate breakin in “Gaslit,” premiering Sunday, April 24, on Starz. The eight-episode political thriller also stars Sean Penn (“Licorice Pizza,” 2021) as Martha’s husband, former attorney general and Nixon’s loyal campaign manager John N. Mitchell.
Based on the first season of Slate’s popular podcast series “Slow Burn,” “Gaslit” promises to explore the untold stories of key players in the political scandal that took Nixon down — he resigned from office in August 1974.
Robbie Pickering (“Mr. Robot”), who created the series and serves as both executive producer and showrunner, explained his approach to the series in a March interview with Vanity Fair.
“The more you immerse yourself in that era and Watergate, the more you realize it’s not like those Oliver Stone movies, with these huge heroes and huge villains,” Pickering told the magazine. “It’s mundane in the best way.”
While the word “mundane” may not usually describe mustsee TV, “Gaslit” has been causing a huge buzz in the industry, especially because of the caliber of its stars. Both Roberts and Penn are Academy Award winners more frequently seen on the big screen, but the team behind “Gaslit” seemingly had no trouble securing them. They were attached to the project by the time it was announced in February 2020.
Roberts had worked with “Gaslit” executive producer Sam Esmail on Amazon’s “Homecoming,” and Pickering noted that she was his dream choice for the character of Martha Mitchell.
The central figure of the series, Martha is well known for her big mouth even before the scandal erupts. In fact, she earned the nickname The Mouth of the South for unabashedly revealing her personal views. When Watergate erupts, Martha is almost as well known as Nixon himself — a household name, not unlike Roberts herself. The Oscar winner is among Hollywood’s most bankable stars and has starred in such big screen hits as “Steel Magnolias” (1989), “Pretty Woman” (1990) and “Erin Brockovich” (2000). She also earned an Emmy nod for the HBO film “The Normal Heart” (2014).
Pickering told Vanity Fair that it was Roberts who insisted on working with her old friend Penn.
At first glance, viewers may not recognize Penn in the role of John Mitchell as he was so seamlessly transformed by awardwinning makeup artist Kazu
Hiro (“Bombshell,” 2019). Mitchell, described as temperamental, foul-mouthed and ruthless, is loyal to Nixon but also deeply in love with his wife. As a result, he faces an impossible choice. The conflicted character is in good hands with Penn, a two-time Academy Award winner for “Mystic River” (2003) and “Milk” (2008). His other credits include “Dead Man Walking” (1995) and “21 Grams” (2003). Penn is also well known for his activism, most recently for speaking out about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Roberts and Penn are joined by a solid supporting cast in “Gaslit.”
Dan Stevens portrays John Dean, a hotshot lawyer who rises through the ranks to serve as White House counsel. While Dean is ambitious, he does struggle with whether he can lie to protect the president. Stevens may be familiar to North American TV fans from his role in FX’s “Legion,” a Marvel superhero show that aired from 2017-19. He first rose to fame, however, as Matthew Crawley in the British historical drama “Downton Abbey” before playing the Beast in 2017’s live action “Beauty and the Beast.”
Betty Gilpin plays Dean’s love interest, Mo, who falls for the man just as the Watergate scandal blows up and soon finds herself thrust onto the national stage. Gilpin has earned three Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Debbie “Liberty Belle” Eagan in the Netflix series “GLOW.” She also appeared in Showtime’s “Nurse Jackie” and on the big screen in “True Story” (2015), “A Dog’s Journey” (2019), “The Grudge” (2020) and “The Hunt” (2020).
Other supporting players include Shea Whigham as former FBI agent G. Gordon Liddy. As one of Nixon’s chief operatives, he takes the lead on the Watergate espionage operation and is driven to protect the president at all costs. Best known for his role as Eli in “Boardwalk Empire,” Whigham also starred in Season 1 of “True Detective” and Season 3 of “Fargo.”
Darby Camp portrays Martha’s long-suffering daughter, Marty. While starring opposite Reese Witherspoon in HBO’s “Big Little Lies” from 2017-19, she also played roles in “Benji” (2018) and “The Christmas Chronicles” (2018).
Allison Tolman, meanwhile, has landed a recurring role as D.C. journalist Winnie McLendon, who would later become Martha’s biographer. TV viewers may recognize Tolman for her Emmy- and Golden Globenominated role as Molly Solverson in “Fargo.”
With such talent both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, “Gaslit” promises to be one of the television events of the year.
Don’t miss the Sunday, April 24, premiere on Starz.