Television series

The Politician

Name: The Politician
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: 2019
Cast: Laura Dreyfuss, Rahne Jones, Ben Platt, Theo Germaine, Lucy Boynton

Satire

A candy-coloured satire about a calculating high schooler's ruthless climb through student politics toward the presidency. It's *Heathers* meets *West Wing* by way of Ryan Murphy's maximalist playbook—camp, cruel, genuinely funny, with a cast that commits absolutely. For people who love ambition, backstabbing, and characters who are terrible in entertaining ways.

TVMaze rating

3.1

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like your satire overheated and your ambition sharp, and you don't mind a show that bends reality to make a point about who gets power.

Skip it if you want gentle, grounded teen drama; this one is glossy, cartoonish and often more interested in its own style than in the characters' feelings.

What it asks of you: Each 44-minute episode moves quickly and the plot keeps shifting allegiances, so it asks you to keep up with its scheming rather than settle in for slow character work.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Glee2009

Same creator, same gift for ensemble comedy-drama, same willingness to treat high school as a stage for huge emotions and outlandish set pieces. The musical numbers are a bonus, not the point.

But Tonal whiplash between jokes and heartbreak; later seasons lose focus. Some subplots aged poorly or resolve unsatisfyingly.

Heathers1989

The ur-text for dark high school satire. Cynical, vicious, hilarious, with a protagonist so committed to his own awfulness that you can't look away. Pure spite dressed as comedy.

But Shot in a grainy 80s palette that looks nothing like *The Politician*'s glossy production. Dark in a different register—bleaker, less optimistic.

Cruel Intentions1999

Rich kids making elaborate bets and destroying each other's lives for sport. Same DNA: privilege as villain fuel, backstabbing as entertainment, a protagonist you root for despite everything.

But Straight melodrama where *The Politician* is comedy. Sexy in ways the show never tries to be. Slower paced and genuinely morally dark.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Politician

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Jawbreaker1999

Both centre an amoral protagonist whose ruthlessness is presented as its own kind of genius. Both use visual maximalism and dark comedy to make wickedness entertaining rather than cautionary.

A dead girl, a coverup, a popular girl willing to burn everyone to protect herself. The *Politician*'s ancestor in hyper-colour cruelty and female ambition as the driving force. Wilful, trashy, committed to its own excess.

But Genuinely nasty in ways that feel unsafe; the film doesn't distance itself from its protagonist's choices. Shot in candy-coloured DayGlo that can feel dated. Very 90s.

The Good Wife2009

Political intrigue, shifting allegiances, and characters who are always three steps ahead. Addictive plotting; every episode raises the stakes. Proof that process—the scheming, the moves—can be more gripping than outcome.

But Heavily serialized and dense; you need to track subplots across seasons. No camp or comedy; it's played straight, sometimes grimly so.

Succession2018

Ruthless family members competing for power while barely concealing contempt for each other. Sharp, dark, viciously funny. The dialogue alone is worth your evening.

But Aggressively cynical in a way that can feel suffocating. No character arc toward goodness; it's all damage and performance. Very long (55 minutes per episode).

Gossip Girl2007

High school as a game played for keeps. Scheming, betrayal, elaborate revenge plots, and characters who are fun precisely because they're morally compromised. Addictive pulp.

But Melodramatic in a sincere way rather than a satirical one. Later seasons lose coherence. The writing doesn't always justify the stakes.

Election1999

High school student politics as microcosm of American ambition. Darkly comic, precisely observed, absolutely merciless about teenage entitlement masquerading as idealism.

But Smaller scale than *The Politician*; it's a single election, not a power fantasy. Matthew Broderick is the villain, not the protagonist, which changes the emotional math.

Orphan Black2013

Tatiana Maslany as multiple clones, each distinct; an ensemble where one actor plays everyone and somehow it deepens rather than simplifies the interpersonal drama. Proof that committed performance elevates everything.

But Sci-fi premise instead of political satire. Starts tight but sprawls; later seasons feel less focused. Not interested in high school or youth politics.

Community2009

Ensemble comedy where characters are smart enough to comment on their own tropes. Ambitious, weird, genuinely generous about its cast. Shows you can be silly and also care about people.

But College instead of high school. Tone shifts wildly across seasons—some lean hard into parody, others into sentimentality. Takes time to find its voice.

F for Fake1973

Both are fundamentally about performance as power. Both understand that the story you tell about yourself matters more than the truth. Both are about charisma as a tool and an end in itself.

Orson Welles on fraud, performance, and the story you choose to believe. A 52-minute essay-film about ambition, con artistry, and the theatre of presentation. Hypnotic, playful, endlessly clever about its own unreliability.

But Not a narrative; it's an argument in motion. Formal and essayistic where *The Politician* is plot-driven. Fifties film-festival culture at its most rarefied and self-impressed.