The Politician
Netflix Original
Length: 2 Seasons
Starring: Ben Platt, Zoey Deutch, Gwyneth Paltrow
Sham’s Synopsis: Payton (Platt) wants to be President someday. To do that, he needs to get into Harvard. To do that, he needs to become High School Class President. Payton and his politically savvy friends realize he needs a Vice President who’ll help get him some votes. Enter, Infinity (Deutch). Infinity has cancer. This seems like a safe, no-brainer sympathy play, right? Season 1 does take place in high school, so sprinkle in family drama, dating mishaps, frenemies, mental health, and sexual tension. Eventually, one thing leads to another which leads to Payton questioning whether accepting moral decay, blind ambition, and Machiavellian tactics are worth winning a silly election.
Sham’s Verdict: Inconsistent on all accounts. Initially, after I watched the first episode, I was impressed. It covered a lot of ground. There’s comedy, tragedy, and drama all within a high school setting. After a few episodes I got annoyed. Politician gives you a B performance in every genre it touches. Why not just pick one and give an A? All I’m saying is that Payton would never settle for a B.
Positives: Ben Platt plays a really good “rich kid who needs to rule the world.” Serious politicking performed by teenagers (season 1) and young adults (season 2) is always enjoyable. There are a couple standalone experimental episodes each season with a different focus (not Payton-centric) that are fun and refreshing.
Negatives: I didn’t care for the family drama. Politician should’ve focused on humorous politics. Or focused on anything. Does it want to be the West Wing? Veep? Riverdale? I don’t know. Actually, it probably doesn’t want to be Riverdale. FYI TMB loves Riverdale.1