Prepare for Gaslit in April 2022, especially if you’re a Nixon-era nerd! The new Starz anthology drama series will shed light on the Watergate crisis (yeah, that political earthquake again! ), but its storylines will be portrayed from a variety of unique and varied perspectives, not all from within the White House.
One of the Gaslit stories will center on the unique role of Martha Mitchell, President Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell’s quirky and outspoken wife. Julia Roberts plays the feisty Martha, who notoriously accuses Nixon of participation in Watergate, while Sean Penn portrays her powerful political husband John.
To summarise, we are salivating at the thought of this couple delivering this story. Thus, here is all the information you need to know about Gaslit…
What Is ‘Gaslit’ on Starz About?
Gaslit is an adaptation of Slate’s Slow Burn: Watergate podcast, which will delve into various unknown stories from within the White House regarding the Watergate affair, which effectively ended Nixon’s administration.
The true story will be presented primarily through the eyes of Martha Mitchell (Julia Roberts), the wife of Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, who is characterized in her official character bio as a “famous Arkansas socialite” with a “large personality and an even louder mouth.”
The Watergate scandal is a major political scandal that engulfed the Nixon administration from 1972 to 1974. It stemmed from the administration’s cover-ups of its involvement in the June 1972 break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel complex in Washington, D.C.
According to the official synopsis, the series is a “modern retelling of Watergate that focuses on the scandal’s untold stories and forgotten characters—from Nixon’s bumbling and opportunistic subordinates to the deranged zealots aiding and abetting their crimes to the tragic whistleblowers who would eventually bring the entire rotten enterprise crashing down.”
“With ‘Gaslit,’ we not only have the opportunity to tell an incredible untold story by bringing Martha Mitchell’s historic role in Watergate to the forefront, but we are also incredibly fortunate to have a dream cast led by Julia and Sean and the best creative team and partners we could have asked for,” Christina Davis, president of original programming for Starz, said in a statement.
Gaslit Date Release
Gaslit, a drama anthology, will premiere on Starz in the United States and Canada on April 24, 2022, and the streaming platform Starzplay (accessible on Prime Video) in the United Kingdom, Europe, Latin America, and Japan.
Gaslit Cast
Sean Penn and Julia Roberts, both Academy Award winners, star in Starz’s Gaslit.
In Gaslit, Milk’s Penn depicts Nixon’s attorney general and best buddy, John Mitchell.
Pretty Woman’s Roberts plays Martha Mitchell, John’s wife, and an Arkansas socialite.
Gaslit also stars Dan Stevens from Downton Abbey as John Dean, Betty Gilpin from GLOW as Mo Dean, Shea Whigham from Homecoming as G. Gordon Liddy, and Darby Camp from Big Little Lies as Marty Mitchell.
Allison Tolman of Fargo will portray journalist Winnie McLendon.
- Julia Roberts as Martha Mitchell
- Sean Penn as John N. Mitchell
- Dan Stevens as John Dean
- Betty Gilpin as Mo Dean
- Shea Whigham as G. Gordon Liddy
- Darby Camp as Marty Mitchell
- Aleksandar Filimonović as Zolton
Based on the insane but shockingly true story, Julia Roberts stars in #GaslitSTARZ, premiering April 24 on STARZ. pic.twitter.com/gVHbzefK6s
— Gaslit (@GaslitSTARZ) February 2, 2022
Gaslit: Trailer
Yes, there is an exciting trailer to build anticipation for Gaslit’s launch.
The trailer begins with a voiceover introducing Martha Mitchell as the “first person to openly accuse President Nixon of orchestrating the Watergate burglary.” They then inquire, “Are you insane?”
Roberts and Penn appear indistinguishable as Martha and John Mitchell in the film, and as the trailer cuts to scenes of panic and paparazzi, a man can be heard saying, “that loud-mouthed wife of his is becoming a burden.”
The trailer concludes with Martha seated in what appears to be a courtroom, being questioned about why she would jeopardize her husband’s position, to which she simply responds, “Because it is true.”
How to Watch Gaslit on Starzplay?
Gaslit will be available to stream in its entirety on Starz play; if you are unable to access these streaming services, you can utilize a VPN.
Watergate Is Still Relevant
Watergate is such a well-known controversy that it has become customary to prefix every scandal with “gate.” According to Pickering, Gaslit is more than a historical play.
“I do not view it as a period reassessment,” Pickering stated. “I view the performance as an appraisal of where we are now and how current events reverberate through the decades. And they reverberate because these things we regard as government complicity and people sacrificing their beliefs for an authoritarian person spring from genuine human frailties, in the instance of John Mitchell, the need to be appreciated. In the case of John Dean, blind ambition. In the case of G. Gordon Liddy, zealotry.”