SummarySaint Sebastian High School student Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) strives to become Student Body President and get into Harvard on his way to attaining his dream to become President of the United States in Ryan Murphy's dark comedy.
Created By:Ian Brennan, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy
❮ The Politician
Season 1
Season Premiere:
Sep 27, 2019
Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
User score
Generally Favorable
6.4
My Score
Drag or tap to give a rating
Hover and click to give a rating
Where to Watch
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Season Episodes
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
66
56% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
44% Mixed
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Jan 3, 2020
100
Although the relentless superficiality of the characters gets tiring, it allows you to keep laughing as they double cross and second guess each other at a turbocharged pace. There’s fun to be had at the expense of the premise of the school as a microcosm of American society.
Sep 30, 2019
80
Even when The Politician is flailing all over the place, its heart is tapped into the pain of living in a world full of rich white people and forcing down everything that makes you a little bit different. Like Murphy’s best shows, The Politician is about how sad being happy can be.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.4
63% Positive
25 Ratings
25 Ratings
18% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
20% Negative
8 Ratings
8 Ratings
Jun 24, 2020
10
The Politician is my 2nd favorite new show of 2019, my 2nd favorite Netflix show, and one of my favorite shows of all time. Ben Platt's performance is outstanding, he gives a very emotionally powerful performances, he makes you go from laughing, to crying, to making you angry throughout every episode. The supporting performances are stupendous especially from Zoey Deutch, Jessica Lange, Lucy Boynton, Gwyneth Paltrow, David Corenswet, Julia Schlaepfer, Benjamin Barrett, Dylan McDermott, Trevor Mahlon Eason, Trey Eason, January Jones, Theo Germaine, and Ryan J. Haddad. The writing was excellent, very witty and unique. The makeup and hairstyling was superb especially on Zoey Deutch, Jessica Lange, Ben Platt, Benjamin Barrett, Lucy Boynton, Julia Schlaepfer, Rahne Jones, and Gwyneth Paltrow. The costumes were wonderful especially the ones wore by Ben Platt, Lucy Boynton, Julia Schlaepfer, Zoey Deutch, Jessica Lange, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Rahne Jones. This first season was an A+.
Mar 21, 2020
10
If you are a Ryan Murphy fan like me, you will probably love this show, but if you are not, you will probably hate it. The most pleasant surprise in the first episode was a musical performance by Ben Platt. The show is darker and less comedic than I thought it would be, but still very entertaining. Also, I wonder if Payton Hobart's character was inspired by the lives of Ben Platt and Pete Buttigieg?
Sep 30, 2019
70
It’s tonally all over the place. Respective elements of it are intriguing and occasionally fantastic. Platt is a captivating actor. ... Imperfect as it is, every decision, from the casting to the camera work to the tone and the themes merit dissection. ... Is a series’ mere ambition and the promise of an interesting season two enough to merit endorsement? In the case of The Politician, we’re surprising even ourselves by voting yes.
Sep 24, 2019
63
Farcical, snarky, admittedly creative but at times irritating and off-putting series.
Sep 26, 2019
60
With these juicy themes in play, the first season of “The Politician” is nonetheless a mixed bag. ... And yet it’s highly watchable.
Sep 26, 2019
55
Marking Ryan Murphy's first series for Netflix, The Politician feels like a mashup of the producer's high-school-set dramas -- a dollop of "Scream Queens," a dash of "Glee," and a whole lot of the Alexander Payne-directed movie "Election." Throw in some high-profile casting, and it's a shiny but not especially bright bauble that falls short of a winning ticket.
Sep 23, 2019
40
I see a lot of half-baked ideas about politics as a means of change, about the harmful dividing lines of class and privilege that separate potential allies, about the importance of the caring and keeping of your mental health, and so much more. But at every turn, The Politician chooses an artificial, inauthentic way of expressing these ideas, of prioritizing the drama for the truth, and opting in for skating by with little else to offer but something superficially indulgent to lose yourself in for a while.
Nov 18, 2019
10
Amazing, bright, funny, witty, different. I love every second. Ben Platt is now my new favourite person, Ryan murphy has amazing range I hope he never stops making his art.
Sep 29, 2019
9
A light hearted, brilliantly entertaining and original series with a dash of cliche, caricature and panache. Watch it without expectation and you will not be disappointed.
Oct 8, 2019
6
Like the majority of Ryan Murphy's shows, The Politician has moments of brilliance, humour and (lots of) satire. On the whole, the cast is fantastic, and Ben Platt really shines in the main role. The show looks suitably lavish, with the direction and production highlighting the excessive wealth that surrounds the majority of the characters. Unfortunately, the show's treatment of its characters and their relationships remain frustratingly inconsistent. Character moments and developments that the show wants you to be invested in do not earn their place. The writers really needed to show rather than tell in those cases. Some of the supporting characters deserved far greater development and screen time. However, the finale added another point to my score, as the episode sparks new energy (and sublime acting) into the show. This sets up what should ideally be a superior second season. Overall, the show is watchable yet fails to live up the potential it could have.
Oct 7, 2019
5
I really enjoyed the disk satirical look at the electoral process- from the voters to the politicians- through the lens of a relatively inconsequential race like student president. They managed to include great black comedy moments in an otherwise frivolous show with some great dialogue and character moments thrown in. Although some of the plot-forward moments were a bit contrived and the season stuttered a bit near the end, I found it a very entertaining watch due to the very evocative style and some very convincing performances by the main cats stuff high his HDTV it'd ruff St high HD GF
Oct 6, 2019
5
Even with a stellar cast, a fast paced story and excellent production, the show can't mask it's lack of likable, interesting or even believable characters. When Ryan Murphy shows are bad, it's still never boring, but it's annoying. Characters are in service of the plot, they're almost caricatures. If this indicates the type of shows that Ryan Murphy are going to produce for Netflix; shows that might only appeal to a small audience, then Netflix just wasted a lot of money. (This review is based on the first three episodes.)
