BOSTON -- She's the Academy award-winning actress whose films include "Thelma and Louise," "A League of their Own," and "Beetlejuice."

NewsCenter 5's Mary Saladna reported Tuesday that Geena Davis is switching to the small screen to take on the Oval Office in "Commander in Chief."

When 45-year-old Vice President Mackenzie Allen agrees to take the reigns of power, she does so against the wishes of the man she succeeds and his party.

Davis called it a role she couldn't refuse.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime character. The chance to play the president is pretty amazing, and her political affiliation is that she is an Independent. She really is like that, I think, independent thinker and smart. It's a great character," Davis said.

Not surprisingly, comparisons are already being made to that other Oval Office drama, but Davis said that "Commander" is different.

"The 'West Wing' is fabulous. I love that show. This is really going to focus on the president and the level of things that would cross the threshold of the Oval Office, and her life and her family," Davis said.

Hollywood's first female president grew up on the Cape, attended Boston University and still has family in Massachusetts.

"Commander in Chief" premiers Tuesday at 9 p.m. on Channel 5.