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T2 WHATS UP! April 24 - 30, 2022 TV FEATURE BY KYLA BREWER TV Media A s political scandals go, Watergate is undoubt- edly one of the most talked about in mod- ern 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 ("Homecom- ing") returns to TV as Martha Mitchell, a celebrity socialite and the first person to speak out about President Nixon's poten- tial link to the Watergate break- in in "Gaslit," premiering Sun- day, April 24, on Starz. The eight-episode political thriller also stars Sean Penn ("Licorice Pizza," 2021) as Martha's hus- band, 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 scan- dal that took Nixon down — he resigned from office in August 1974. Robbie Pickering ("Mr. Ro- bot"), who created the series and serves as both executive produc- er and showrunner, explained his approach to the series in a March interview with Vanity Fair. "The more you immerse your- self in that era and Watergate, the more you realize it's not like those Oliver Stone movies, with these huge heroes and huge vil- lains," Pickering told the maga- zine. "It's mundane in the best way." While the word "mundane" may not usually describe must- see TV, "Gaslit" has been caus- ing a huge buzz in the industry, especially because of the caliber of its stars. Both Roberts and Penn are Academy Award win- ners more frequently seen on the big screen, but the team be- hind "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 "Home- coming," and Pickering noted that she was his dream choice for the character of Martha Mitchell. The central figure of the se- ries, 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 unabash- edly revealing her personal views. When Watergate erupts, Martha is almost as well known as Nixon himself — a household name, not unlike Roberts her- self. 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 seam- lessly transformed by award- winning makeup artist Kazu Bentonville Acupuncture 5 x 5 continued on page T10 Sean Penn and Julia Roberts star in "Gaslit" Scandalously good TV Not a subscriber? No problem, subscribe today and receive an iPad with your subscription*. *iPad must be returned within 30 days of termination of account. now available on the digital replica! NEW INTERACTIVE PUZZLE PAGES Get the new puzzle pages on the digital replica, featuring puzzles daily! CROSSWORDS KIDS' GAMES SUDOKU WORD GAMES STRATEGY & MEMORY NUMBERS Call 479-684-5509 or visit nwaonline.com/nwaipad