Ahead of the United States’s 250th anniversary, FOX Nation will provide a glimpse behind the scenes of the early years in the White House with a new historical docudrama titled White House.
The docudrama, which will premiere on Feb. 6, 2026, with two new episodes debuting weekly, examines the earliest years of the U.S. through the lens of the White House and the various first families, confidants, and adversaries who filled the residence.
The series will transform the White House’s four walls into “a volatile stage where ambition, betrayal, romance, and rivalry collide behind closed doors,” according to the press release.
“While Americans know the broad strokes of our nation’s history, this series provides a revealing new perspective on what unfolded inside the president’s home during its earliest years,” FOX Nation President Lauren Petterson said. “We are thrilled to share this gripping and immersive look inside the American legacy.”
Throughout the series, various historical figures who roamed the White House halls during different scandals and events emerge to reenact major moments from history, including Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Dolley Madison, Aaron Burr, and Alexander Hamilton. Historians and experts set the scene and provide context to the audience about the moment’s significance.
Nutopia produced the series, with Jim Greayer as showrunner and Hereward Pelling as director. Ben Goold and Jane Root are executive producers.
The series, which the Washington Examiner obtained early access to, has eight episodes, each about 25-30 minutes long.
Building the first White House
The series begins in 1800 with President John Adams, the White House’s first occupant, and documents a series of White House transformations alongside the “birth pains of a divided nation.” At the time, it was a half-built mansion surrounded by mud and mosquitoes.
When Adams moved in, Under the Roof author Paul Brandus described the United States as a “very young country.” Historian Jesse J. Holland said Adams was essentially “living in a construction site” as he was trying to “conduct the business” of the nation.
The experts explained how the White House got its name, noting that people did not know what to call the building at the time. “Presidential palace” and “presidential mansion” were among some of the earlier suggested names.
The building is white because of the materials used to make it “weather-proof,” historian Patrick Spero said. It was not until 1901, with President Theodore Roosevelt, that it became known as the White House, historians said.
“With his presidency under siege, Adams faces heartbreak at home and betrayal in office,” the synopsis for the first episode says.
From friends to foes
Throughout the series, viewers will see the development of political relationships in the White House and in Washington, D.C. Many of these relationships start out as friendships, but political ambition turns them against one another.
These relationships begin to tear as early as the first episode, with Jefferson quietly waging a smear campaign against Adams. In the episode, when Adams confronts Jefferson about it, he says, “When I come for a man, I come from the front.”
Jefferson ran against Adams for president in the 1800 election.
“John Adams felt betrayed and scandalized that Jefferson ultimately was behind these attacks on his presidency,” historian Tyson Reeder said.
Episode 5 also delves into the rivalry between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. In 1804, the two men faced off in a duel, in which Burr killed Hamilton. Burr was serving as vice president under Jefferson at the time.
The historians explained that, at that time, Jefferson hated being criticized by the press. So when Burr killed Hamilton, Jefferson understood that it would affect his administration’s legacy too.
First ladies support
The series also explores the relationships between the first couples and the roles the first ladies played in supporting their husbands throughout scandals and political battles.
“Adams had highs and lows, and maybe he was a bit bipolar, I don’t know,” historian Carol Berkin said. “[Abigail] functioned to comfort him and stabilize him. He really needed her.”
The series shows that when newspapers were critical of Adams, he leaned on his wife for support and advice.
President James Madison and his wife, Dolley Madison, had a similar relationship. The first lady both advised and supported Madison, especially as the U.S. entered war with Great Britain in 1812.
She also supported Madison by overseeing renovations to the White House to make it “more American.” She helped unite the country through the White House by hosting parties she called “squeezes” with politicians and redecorating it to feel more patriotic.
One instance highlighted in the series is when she offers Henry Clay some of her snuff, a tobacco product sniffed like a drug, in what historians called a “peace offering.”
Madison wanted Congress to start preparing for war at the time, but the warhogs, including Clay, were pushing him faster than he thought the U.S. was prepared for, according to the historians in the series.
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“You could describe James and Dolley Madison as one of the earliest power couples in U.S. history,” Reeder said. “Dolley Madison loves to be at the heartbeat of U.S. politics, and James Madison tries to cultivate a persona of a philosopher statesman, but he is not as good with the social aspects of being president.”
The first two episodes of the series will premiere at 5 a.m. on Feb. 6 on FOX Nation.
