The first installment of Ryan Murphy‘s new anthology series “Feud: Bette and Joan” depicts the infamous rivalry between Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) and Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) during the making of the Oscar-nominated thriller “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” (1962). Need a refresher of the who’s-who from the golden age of Hollywood? Check out our handy-dandy cheat sheet photo gallery above that highlights the cast and characters of FX’s limited series “Feud: Bette and Joan,” debuting March 5, 2017.
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Based on “Best Actress,” a script by Jaffe Cohen and Michael Zam, “Feud” appears on the surface to be a campy take on the infamous bad blood between Davis and Crawford. But it’s so much more than that. Just like how Murphy’s prior program “The People v. O.J. Simpson” grounded a sensationalized courtroom fiasco in reality, “Feud” resists the urge to go over the top and instead amps up the heart-wrenching emotional issues of the day — namely ageism, sexism and misogyny. Watch the “Feud” main title sequence right here.
FX’s ‘Feud: Bette and Joan’ strikes perfect balance between campy and heart-wrenching
Joining Sarandon and Lange in the main cast are Alfred Molina as “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?” director Robert Aldrich, Stanley Tucci as studio producer Jack Warner, Judy Davis as gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, Jackie Hoffman as Crawford’s housekeeper Mamacita and Alison Wright as Aldrich’s assistant Pauline. Notable guest stars include Dominic Burgess as Victor Buono, Catherine Zeta Jones as Olivia De Havilland and Kiernan Shipka as Davis’ daughter B.D.
