The Politician (2019)
TV show · 2019 · Comedy · English
Curator score: 3.6/10 (26.2K ratings)
Tagline: We promise you bi partisanship.
Payton has known since childhood that he's going to be president. First he'll have to navigate the most treacherous political landscape: high school.
Ratings:
- Curator score: 3.6/10
- IMDb: 7.4/10
- Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
- Metacritic: 62
- TMDB: 7.0/10
Production: Fox 21 Television Studios, Ryan Murphy Television, Brad Falchuk Teley-vision, Prospect Films
Cast: Ben Platt, Judith Light, Lucy Boynton, Zoey Deutch, Julia Schlaepfer, Laura Dreyfuss, Theo Germaine, Rahne Jones, Bette Midler, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brandon Win
Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict: A glossy, sharply styled satire with strong performances and a lot of Ryan Murphy excess. It’s most rewarding if you enjoy heightened, campy political and social comedy; if you want a tighter or more emotionally grounded series, it can feel uneven and overstuffed.
Best for: Viewers who like campy prestige satire; Fans of fast, stylized, high-concept dramedies; People interested in ambition, privilege, and power games; Audiences who enjoy bold production design and sharp ensemble performances
Skip if: You want a consistently grounded political story; You dislike tonal whiplash or self-conscious satire; You prefer subtle humor over glossy excess; You need a show that stays focused and disciplined throughout
Overview: The Politician is a very Ryan Murphy kind of series: immaculate surfaces, big performances, and a willingness to swing from biting satire to melodrama in the same scene. Ben Platt gives the show its obsessive center, and the supporting cast helps sell the absurdity of a teen political machine built out of privilege, image management, and emotional damage.
Worth noting: The first season is the stronger, more coherent half, using the high school election premise as a neat engine for social satire. It’s funny, sharp in bursts, and visually confident, though it can also feel overdesigned and emotionally schematic. The second season broadens into a more overt political farce and is less satisfying overall, with the concept stretched thinner.
Bottom line: If you like your comedy glossy, theatrical, and a little ruthless, it’s an easy binge. If you want satire with more bite than sheen, or character work that lands more consistently, it may leave you admiring the packaging more than the payoff.
Recommended similar titles:
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- Veep (2012 · Curator 9.5/10 (71.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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- Gossip Girl (2007 · Curator 6.7/10 (216.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads, Max)
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- Big Little Lies (2017 · Curator 9.3/10 (245.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Max)
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A warmer political comedy option, less caustic but similarly interested in ambition and public service as performance.
Topics: satire, dark comedy, dramedy, camp, prestige TV, teen politics, ambition, class conflict, stylized, bingeable
https://watchlist.tannermartz.com/apple/tv-show/the-politician/83127
The Politician (2019)
TV show · 2019 · Comedy · English
Curator score: 3.6/10 (26.2K ratings)
We promise you bi partisanship.
Overview Payton has known since childhood that he's going to be president. First he'll have to navigate the most treacherous political landscape: high school.
Ratings
Curator score: 3.6/10
IMDb: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
Metacritic: 62
TMDB: 7.0/10
Production Fox 21 Television Studios, Ryan Murphy Television, Brad Falchuk Teley-vision, Prospect Films
Cast Ben Platt, Judith Light, Lucy Boynton, Zoey Deutch, Julia Schlaepfer, Laura Dreyfuss, Theo Germaine, Rahne Jones, Bette Midler, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brandon Win
Where to watch Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A glossy, sharply styled satire with strong performances and a lot of Ryan Murphy excess. It’s most rewarding if you enjoy heightened, campy political and social comedy; if you want a tighter or more emotionally grounded series, it can feel uneven and overstuffed.
Best for
Viewers who like campy prestige satire
Fans of fast, stylized, high-concept dramedies
People interested in ambition, privilege, and power games
Audiences who enjoy bold production design and sharp ensemble performances
Skip if
You want a consistently grounded political story
You dislike tonal whiplash or self-conscious satire
You prefer subtle humor over glossy excess
You need a show that stays focused and disciplined throughout
Overview
The Politician is a very Ryan Murphy kind of series: immaculate surfaces, big performances, and a willingness to swing from biting satire to melodrama in the same scene. Ben Platt gives the show its obsessive center, and the supporting cast helps sell the absurdity of a teen political machine built out of privilege, image management, and emotional damage.
Worth noting
The first season is the stronger, more coherent half, using the high school election premise as a neat engine for social satire. It’s funny, sharp in bursts, and visually confident, though it can also feel overdesigned and emotionally schematic. The second season broadens into a more overt political farce and is less satisfying overall, with the concept stretched thinner.
Bottom line
If you like your comedy glossy, theatrical, and a little ruthless, it’s an easy binge. If you want satire with more bite than sheen, or character work that lands more consistently, it may leave you admiring the packaging more than the payoff.
Recommended similar titles
2018 · Curator 9.9/10 (354.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
A sharper, more ruthless study of ambition, power, and elite dysfunction, with the same pleasure in verbal sparring and status games.
2012 · Curator 9.5/10 (71.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
If you want political comedy with far more bite and precision, this is the gold standard for cynical, fast-moving satire.
2007 · Curator 6.7/10 (216.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads, Max
Shares the glossy privilege, social scheming, and melodramatic momentum, but leans more into teen soap energy.
2017 · Curator 9.3/10 (245.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
For polished ensemble drama, sharp social observation, and a glossy surface hiding ugly power dynamics.
2016 · Curator 9.9/10 (103.7K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu
Another Ryan Murphy-produced prestige project that blends style, performance, and heightened real-world drama.
2017 · Curator 7.8/10 (29.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu
Campy, theatrical, and performance-driven, with a strong sense of spectacle and interpersonal warfare.
2021 · Curator 9.8/10 (322.6K ratings) · Where to watch: Spectrum On Demand, Max
A more controlled social satire about privilege, performance, and hidden resentment, with strong ensemble appeal.
2019 · Curator 9.7/10 (306.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Max
For the same maximalist visual style and heightened emotional intensity, though it’s darker and more psychologically raw.
2018 · Curator 1.5/10 (9.4K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Teen privilege, murder, and social climbing in a sleek, bingeable format that thrives on excess and intrigue.
2020 · Curator 8.0/10 (65.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Hulu
A sharp, irreverent period satire with big performances and a playful, anachronistic sense of power politics.
2014 · Curator 9.6/10 (233.8K ratings) · Where to watch: Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
If you’re drawn to satire that mixes comedy with self-destruction, image management, and emotional damage.
2009 · Curator 7.8/10 (315.5K ratings) · Where to watch: Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus
A warmer political comedy option, less caustic but similarly interested in ambition and public service as performance.
Topics
satire, dark comedy, dramedy, camp, prestige TV, teen politics, ambition, class conflict, stylized, bingeable
Open The Politician (2019) on Curator TV