At last, we finally have a first look at The Politician, Ryan Murphy's first TV show for Netflix. (The prolific producer signed a deal with the streaming giant in April 2018.) Starring Ben Platt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, and Zoey Deutch, this comedy-drama seems to mix the campy comedy of Glee with the biting wit of Scream Queens. So, in other words, Ryan Murphy is in its DNA.
Here's everything we know about the show so far:
The release date: September 27, 2019.
The episode count: The first season will consist of eight episodes, and a second season has already been green-lighted.
The premise: Per the show's first official trailer (watch below), The Politician centers on a vicious high school presidential campaign set in an upscale suburb. Platt stars as Payton Hobart, a whip-smart type-A student keen on winning the race, while Lucy Boynton plays Astrid, his biggest competition. Meanwhile, Zoey Deutch portrays Infinity Jackson, a seemingly sick female student who runs alongside Payton as his vice president. Thrown into the mix is Jessica Lange as Infinity's mother and Gwyneth Paltrow as Payton's mom.
Watch the trailer for yourself, below:
The cast: A full list can be found here. According to Variety, both Bette Midler and Judith Light are slated to make guest appearances on The Politician, as well.
The show's conceit: The Politician is the first season of what's expected to be an anthology series that will explore all sorts of political races. What the future seasons will hold—and how the first season's characters will be involved—isn't exactly known at this point. Per W magazine, it appears the show might center on Payton as he runs in different campaigns throughout his life. (He has lofty ambitions of becoming a U.S. president.)
The behind-the-scenes team: Murphy is working with his longtime collaborators Brad Falchuck and Ian Brennan on this project. Platt is also serving as an executive producer on the series.
We'll update this post as more information comes in.
