Politics Aside

I know, you're sick of the election and ready for it to be over. (You've voted already, right? Or have made your plan to vote in person, right? How about the people you know?)

Anyway... right now, the idea of watching a television show about politics may sound as appealing as someone sneezing in your face. But let me make a modest case for Netflix's series The Politician.

The Politician is one of many shows from from the television juggernaut-hive-mind of Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. My route to the series was that it stars Ben Platt, Tony Award winner for Dear Evan Hansen. Platt plays Payton Hobart, a hyper-ambitious high school student whose campaign for student body president is merely the first step on his meticulously mapped-out path to eventually becoming President of the United States. Machiavellian machinations meet zany twists of fate and wild secrets that won't stay hidden in a fast-paced "dramedy."

There are only 15 episodes of The Politician, spread across two (very different) seasons. And it took me perhaps too big a chunk of that for me to decide I actually liked the show. That's because it took me a while to accept its tone and adjust to just what kind of show I was watching. The first episode was earnest and serious, and carried a well-placed content warning about suicide. (Oh, so, drama then.) The fifth episode was an insane farce about one horny student's quest for (ahem) "me time" as candidates court his vote. (Um... so... not serious.) The Politician is both of these shows.

At its core, though, The Politician is a pulpy, schlocky soap opera that is very much aware that it's a soap opera. Evil twins? Guardian angels? Sexual secrets? Faked deaths and diseases? The Politician has all these things and more. It is ridiculous. And though it took me a while to realize this and succumb, once I did, I found the show to be a decadent dessert. Each new scheme, three-way, or backstab was just sort of perfect -- and the only way to top the insanity of actual American politics right now (while still feeling like escapist entertainment).

No, The Politician is nothing revelatory, but it's full of fun performances to enjoy. Ben Platt gets a role much more diabolical than the one that brought him fame on Broadway (but which still gives him ample opportunities to sing). Gwyneth Paltrow plays his mother, a role that is frankly written as a parody of Gwyneth Paltrow. Season one features a scenery-chewing Jessica Lange, while season two introduces a great comedy pairing in Judith Light and Bette Midler.

The rest of the main cast, though not as well known, is filled out with many interesting other characters played with razor-sharp focus. And guest stars include the likes of Dylan McDermott, January Jones, Martina Navratilova, Bob Balaban, and Joe Morton. As usual with a Ryan Murphy show, the contact list is extensive and willing.

Also as usual with a Ryan Murphy show, they seemingly get sick of their own premise and completely change it in season two. Without going into details, I'll say that season two is the better of the two, a more complete embrace of its over-the-top tone. (Still, you sort of have to watch season one to appreciate the big swing of season two.)

Is The Politician essential viewing? No, not really. Overall, I'd probably give the series a B. (B- for season one, B+ for season two.) Yet it can be fun. It made me want to watch a television show about politics (at least in part) right now. That's no mean feat. Maybe its brand of quirkiness is right for you too.