Critic Reviews

Brisk and unwilling to hand-hold, Mrs. America is extraordinarily attuned to the ideological and intersectional schisms within both the Second Wave and the emerging Moral Majority movement that the Catholic Schlafly helped bring to the political mainstream. But the miniseries is just as adept at humanizing these historical figures, particularly as vanguards beset with vulnerabilities and doubts. ... Mrs. America makes history come alive, in thoughtful and achingly real detail.

None of the women come off as one-dimensional and there is just as much controversy found within the group supporting the ERA. ... FX on Hulu’s new series is a must-watch. ... “Mrs. America” is a show that will leave you thinking and, if you’re femme in any way, questing for a revolution.

From the lead roles to the ensemble, “Mrs. America” has a fabulous cast, and the writing gives them plenty to work with. Blanchett is totally in command as Schlafly. ... “Mrs. America” is one of the best shows so far this year, and it’s worth seeking out.

Women rule in the thrillingly acted Mrs. America, a fabulously robust recreation of the 1970s battle over ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. ... They're going to have to expand the Emmy lists to acknowledge this much terrific talent. [13 - 26 Apr 2020, p.5]

A nine-episode limited series worth the investment. It’s easily the best new series this year.

Ms. Blanchett is hypnotically over the top, politely frenzied, a frozen smile atop naked ambition. It’s a performance both fascinating and poisonous, as well as cartoonish, critical and, after a few episodes, addicting. ... The series seems a masterwork of visual manipulation and subliminal messaging. ... For all the first-rate performances in the piece—which propel chapters titled “Shirley,” “Betty,” “Jill” and, ultimately, ‘”Reagan”—a viewer will return, again and again, to Ms. Blanchett’s Phyllis, a character whose villainy, or tragedy, is of a classical nature.

Brought to life by a star-studded cast. Though there are captivating performances by the men, James Marsden, Adam Brody, and most notably, John Slattery playing Phyllis Schlafly’s (Cate Blanchett) charming, but controlling husband, Fred, this show belongs to the women.

Exceptional. ... Creator Dahvi Waller, whose history as a writer for Mad Men and Halt and Catch Fire is evident in Mrs. America’s vivid, complex depiction of our country’s recent past.

Breathtaking. ... The decade-long fight that unfolds is epic and swaggering, bubbling with cultural ferment and bouncing along on a soul-laced soundtrack. There is an “Avengers Assemble” feeling here, both in the gathering of historical figures — a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg even appears, briefly — and the bumper crop of acting talent.

Mrs. America is maybe the first great television series of 2020, a project that manages to capture the complicated essence of real characters while telling a story at both micro and macro levels. ... It’s Schlafly, played as an elegant coil of wound ambition by Cate Blanchett, who turns Mrs. America from a starry historical miniseries into a stunning explainer on the poisoning of national politics.