# The Politician (TV series)
**The Politician** is an American satirical comedy-drama television series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan for Netflix, following Payton Hobart ([Ben Platt](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-platt)), a wealthy Santa Barbara teenager who has planned a run for [President of the United States](https://www.edgepedia.org/president-of-the-united-states) since childhood and must first win his high school's student body presidency.[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/80241248/) It premiered on September 27, 2019, ran for two seasons and 15 episodes, and ended on June 19, 2020.[2](https://can.newonnetflix.info/info/80241248)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Creators | Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan, previously the co-creators of *Glee*[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/80241248/) • [3](https://www.screendaily.com/news/netflix-orders-two-seasons-of-comedy-the-politician-reports/5126266.article) |
| Run | Premiered September 27, 2019; two seasons, 15 episodes (8 in season 1, 7 in season 2); final episode June 19, 2020[2](https://can.newonnetflix.info/info/80241248) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-politician) |
| Lead cast | Ben Platt as Payton Hobart, with Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, Judith Light, and Bette Midler[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/80241248/) |
| Structure | Each season was planned to follow a different election campaign in Payton's political rise[3](https://www.screendaily.com/news/netflix-orders-two-seasons-of-comedy-the-politician-reports/5126266.article) |
| Netflix deal | Produced under Murphy's prior Fox deal with Fox 21 Television Studios, rather than being the first series under his reported $300 million Netflix development deal[5](https://time.com/5684050/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy/) • [17](https://www.screendaily.com/news/ryan-murphy-confirms-hollywood-as-first-series-under-netflix-deal/5137178.article) |
| Critical scores | Metacritic metascore 62 (generally favorable, 41 reviews); Rotten Tomatoes 50% Tomatometer and 80% audience score; season 1 scored 59% and season 2 41%[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-politician/critic-reviews/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_politician) |
| Recognition | A Golden Globe nominee, per Netflix's own listing[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/80241248/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and structure
The series follows Payton Hobart, a student at Saint Sebastian High School in [Santa Barbara, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-barbara-california), who has known since the age of seven that he will be president of the United States. His first campaign, for student body president, is a step toward Harvard and the White House, and he must outmaneuver ruthless classmates without sacrificing his carefully crafted public image.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_politician) Season 1's eight episodes cover that election and its aftermath, including episodes titled "The Voter," "The Assassination of Payton Hobart," and "Vienna."[1](https://www.netflix.com/title/80241248/)
**A campaign per season.** When Netflix ordered the series, reported in February 2018, the plan was for each season to follow Payton through a different election campaign, with musical numbers in some episodes.[3](https://www.screendaily.com/news/netflix-orders-two-seasons-of-comedy-the-politician-reports/5126266.article) Season 2 accordingly moves Payton to New York, where, after his Harvard dreams collapse and he enrolls at New York University, his friends persuade him to challenge incumbent state senator Dede Standish ([Judith Light](https://www.edgepedia.org/judith-light)), whose chief of staff Hadassah Gold is played by [Bette Midler](https://www.edgepedia.org/bette-midler).[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/the-politician-season-2-review/2020/06/17/c754cda0-af75-11ea-856d-5054296735e5_story.html)
### Cast and characters
Ben Platt, a Tony winner for originating the title role in Broadway's *Dear Evan Hansen*, stars as Payton Hobart.[11](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/10/10/ben-platt-interview/) The principal cast includes:
- [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://www.edgepedia.org/gwyneth-paltrow) as Georgina Hobart, Payton's mother[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_politician)
- [Jessica Lange](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-lange) as Dusty Jackson, Infinity's grandmother[10](https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/review-the-politician-balances-well-honed-satire-and-melodramatic-frenzy/)
- [Zoey Deutch](https://www.edgepedia.org/zoey-deutch) as Infinity Jackson, Payton's running mate[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-politician)
- Lucy Boynton as Astrid Sloan[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-politician)
- Julia Schlaepfer as Alice Charles, Payton's girlfriend[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-politician)
- Laura Dreyfuss as McAfee Westbrook, Theo Germaine as James Sullivan, and Rahne Jones as Skye Leighton, Payton's campaign staff[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-politician)
- David Corenswet as River Barkley, Payton's rival and former tutor in season 1[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-politician) • [5](https://time.com/5684050/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy/)
- Judith Light as Dede Standish and Bette Midler as Hadassah Gold, joining in season 2[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/the-politician-season-2-review/2020/06/17/c754cda0-af75-11ea-856d-5054296735e5_story.html)
Platt said he drew on [Reese Witherspoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/reese-witherspoon)'s Tracy Flick in *Election* (1999) and on [Rachel Berry](https://www.edgepedia.org/rachel-berry) from *Glee* in shaping the character, while Schlaepfer studied young [Hillary Clinton](https://www.edgepedia.org/hillary-clinton)'s public behavior during the 1990s scandal coverage as a model for Alice.[11](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/10/10/ben-platt-interview/)
## Production and the Netflix deal
The [Politician](https://www.edgepedia.org/politician) was the first product of Ryan Murphy's exclusive Netflix agreement, reported at $300 million, which The Independent described as the biggest producer deal in television history at the time.[5](https://time.com/5684050/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy/) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-politician-review-netflix-cast-ben-platt-gwyneth-paltrow-release-date-a9121476.html) Netflix had reportedly outbid Amazon and Hulu for the project, and Fox 21 Television Studios produced it under Murphy's then-existing deal with 20th Century Fox.[3](https://www.screendaily.com/news/netflix-orders-two-seasons-of-comedy-the-politician-reports/5126266.article)
Critics repeatedly identified the show's visual style as indebted to [Wes Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/wes-anderson), with lush production design, stylized performances, and dialogue compared to [Oscar Wilde](https://www.edgepedia.org/oscar-wilde); Time called it "the purest expression" of Murphy's sensibility to date.[5](https://time.com/5684050/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy/) • [9](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-politician-review-netflix-cast-ben-platt-gwyneth-paltrow-release-date-a9121476.html) The pilot opens with a content warning about mental health, and the season's plot devices include a suicide, attempted murders, a kidnapping framed as a parody of [David Fincher](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-fincher)'s *Gone Girl*, and scandals ranging from falsified illness to love triangles.[10](https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/review-the-politician-balances-well-honed-satire-and-melodramatic-frenzy/)
## Reception
Season 1 received generally favorable but mixed reviews. Metacritic assigned a metascore of 62 based on 41 critic reviews, classified as generally favorable, with 49% positive, 44% mixed, and 7% negative.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-politician/critic-reviews/) On Rotten Tomatoes the series holds a 50% Tomatometer from 117 reviews against an 80% audience score, with season 1 at 59% and season 2 at 41%.[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_politician) Individual reviews ranged from The Guardian's 100 score, calling it "another dazzling Murphy triumph," to more skeptical assessments; The Hollywood Reporter found the focus uncertain and the tone erratic, while Rolling Stone argued the show would have worked better as a full musical.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-politician/critic-reviews/) • [12](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-23269/critiques/presse/)
Recurring criticisms concerned substance. The Washington Post's Hank Stuever, reviewing season 2, wrote that the show's "burn-it-down regard for all politics" was a tired stance, though he judged the season's "The Voter" episode, on the divide between Generation Z voters and their elders, among its best work.[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/the-politician-season-2-review/2020/06/17/c754cda0-af75-11ea-856d-5054296735e5_story.html) Vice criticized the satire as lacking bite, noting that the show contains no representation of Trump-supporting conservatives despite taking on the American political process.[13](https://www.vice.com/en/article/netflix-the-politician-essay-review-ryan-murphy-ben-platt-gwyneth-paltrow/) The Brown Daily Herald argued the series critiques privilege and image curation only superficially, citing Payton's use of a rival's suicide as a political prop for gun-control and mental-health promises.[14](https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2019/11/netflix-s-the-politician-glosses-over-complex-intricate-social-issues) Positive assessments centered on Platt's performance; TVLine wrote that the "battered yet still-beating heart found in Platt's performance" carried the show.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-politician/critic-reviews/)
## End of the series
The Politician ended after its second season, with the final episode airing on June 19, 2020, and the show is listed as canceled/ended.[2](https://can.newonnetflix.info/info/80241248) • [15](https://epguides.com/Politician/) The multi-season plan Stuever described, following Payton toward the White House, did not proceed beyond the two ordered seasons.[8](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/the-politician-season-2-review/2020/06/17/c754cda0-af75-11ea-856d-5054296735e5_story.html) The series remains available on Netflix, where it is presented in 4K, and can be purchased digitally on platforms including Apple TV, Prime Video, and Google TV.[4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-politician) • [16](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-politician/qh9gJ7cP9HqBziayy52Xs4/where-to-watch/)
## References
1. [The Politician, Netflix Official Site](https://www.netflix.com/title/80241248/)
2. [The Politician on Netflix in Canada, New On Netflix Canada](https://can.newonnetflix.info/info/80241248)
3. [Netflix orders two seasons of comedy 'The Politician' (reports), Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/news/netflix-orders-two-seasons-of-comedy-the-politician-reports/5126266.article)
4. [The Politician (2019), JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/the-politician)
5. [Ryan Murphy's Netflix Debut The Politician Is Peak Ryan Murphy, Time](https://time.com/5684050/the-politician-netflix-review-ryan-murphy/)
6. [The Politician critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-politician/critic-reviews/)
7. [The Politician, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_politician)
8. [Netflix's 'The Politician' is back for another cynical run, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/the-politician-season-2-review/2020/06/17/c754cda0-af75-11ea-856d-5054296735e5_story.html)
9. [The Politician review, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/the-politician-review-netflix-cast-ben-platt-gwyneth-paltrow-release-date-a9121476.html)
10. [Review: The Politician Balances Well-Honed Satire and Melodramatic Frenzy, Slant Magazine](https://www.slantmagazine.com/tv/review-the-politician-balances-well-honed-satire-and-melodramatic-frenzy/)
11. [Tragedy, Tyranny, and Designer Costumes: A Conversation on 'The Politician', The Harvard Crimson](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/10/10/ben-platt-interview/)
12. [Critique presse The Politician, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/series/ficheserie-23269/critiques/presse/)
13. [Netflix's 'The Politician' Is Trump-Era Satire, But Without Substance, Vice](https://www.vice.com/en/article/netflix-the-politician-essay-review-ryan-murphy-ben-platt-gwyneth-paltrow/)
14. [Netflix's 'The Politician' glosses over complex, intricate social issues, The Brown Daily Herald](https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2019/11/netflix-s-the-politician-glosses-over-complex-intricate-social-issues)
15. [The Politician, epguides Titles & Air Dates Guide](https://epguides.com/Politician/)
16. [The Politician (2019): Where to Watch & Stream, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/tv-shows/the-politician/qh9gJ7cP9HqBziayy52Xs4/where-to-watch/)
17. [Ryan Murphy confirms 'Hollywood' as first series under Netflix deal](https://www.screendaily.com/news/ryan-murphy-confirms-hollywood-as-first-series-under-netflix-deal/5137178.article)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Drama and prestige series (individual series) › Teen and coming-of-age drama*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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