Untold story: ‘Gaslit’ shines new light on Watergate scandal
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 break-in 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 must-see
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.