Watch this: ‘Mrs. America’ on FX on Hulu

St. Louisans remember Phyllis Schlafly as a firebrand who, in the 1970s, through ultra-effective grassroots organizing, stopped the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment…after Congress had approved it and 30 state legislatures had already ratified it. Schlafly, a conservative who opposed same-sex marriage and reproductive choice, believed that it would open the door to the draft of women into the military. A new FX mini series, Mrs. America, centers on this period—the movement surrounding the ERA, Shirley Chisholm’s race for president of the United States, Gloria Steinem’s launch of Ms. magazine. It stars Cate Blanchett as Schlafly, Rose Byrne as Steinem, Uzo Aduba as Chisholm, and John Slattery as Schlafly’s husband. But even more than capturing the events of the era, Mrs. America reveals the unfulfilled ambitions and complicated desires of these women. Schlafly held a master’s degree in political science and, as the series depicts, was an expert in national defense. Yet, she once said, “women find their greatest fulfillment at home.” She ran three times, unsuccessfully, for Congress. Mrs. America shows Schlafly, muffins in hand, visiting her husband in his office to talk about a third go. They’re delicious, a co-worker remarks. “Have you ever thought of starting a baking business?” he asks. Blanchett smiles. “No,” she replies. “I’ve never thought of that.” 

Mrs. America premieres April 15 on the new FX on Hulu.