The Politician, the latest series from Ryan Murphy, drops on Netflix September 27, marking the inaugural project of the media mogul's deal with the streaming service.
The show follows Payton Hobart, played by Tony Award winner Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen), a high schooler hell-bent on becoming the student body president of his top-tier Santa Barbara private school—as part of his ultimate quest to become the President of the United States. But things go haywire as Payton must compete with an unexpected opponent and his plan of attending Harvard University (a crucial step in any Presidential campaign, according to his research) hits a roadblock.
Dear Evan Hansen alum Laura Dreyfuss and Theo Germaine play Payton’s campaign managers, McAffee and James, respectively.
READ: Original Dear Evan Hansen Star Laura Dreyfuss Talks Being Authentic on The Politician
Gwyneth Paltrow makes a return to the screen as Payton’s mother alongside Bob Balaban as his father. The cast also stars Zoey Deutch as Infinity Jackson, Lucy Boynton as Astrid, and David Corenswet as River—all classmates of Payton.
Ryan Murphy regular and Tony winner Jessica Lange plays Dusty Jackson, Infinity’s wacky grandmother, with a secret to keep. The cast also boasts appearances by theatre greats and Tony winners Judith Light and Bette Midler.
Theatre fans can also rejoice: Platt does sing throughout the series.
The cast and creative team celebrated the premiere of the eight-episode series in New York City September 26.
The Politician is just one of many series planned by Murphy as a part of his mega-deal with Netflix. Among his theatre-adjacent projects are Hollywood, with two-time 2019 Tony nominee Jeremy Pope, Darren Criss, Patti LuPone, and Holland Taylor; movie adaptations of The Boys in the Band and The Prom; and a 10-part limited series adaptation of A Chorus Line.
Take a look inside the premiere for The Politician below:
