Ryan Murphy's 'The Politician': 'Gossip Girl' meets 'House of Cards' in Netflix's new high school drama with political undertones
'The Politician' is a Netflix show starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Platt and Zoey Deutch in lead roles. Platt plays the role of Payton Hobart in the show and Paltrow plays his mother Georgina Hobart who supports him in all his endeavors.
Payton has known from when he was young that he wanted to be President of United States and the first step in making his childhood dream come true is ruling the political landscape in his high school - Saint Sebastian High School. Payton is the son of a privileged family, who resides in Santa Barbara, California, and so the school he goes to is an elite one, not very different from the one we see in 'Gossip Girl'.
The reason Payton needs to secure a spot as the Student Body President is to get himself into Harvard to secure a successful path towards his dream. However, things don't go according to plan and this is where we see the political overtones.
Scandal, speculation, damage control and lies - Payton is expected to come face to face with it all in his high school. To understand what goes into becoming a politician, one that can actually withstand the pressure and the expectations of the job, 'The Politician' will explore if Payton can handle what it takes to make his dreams come true and this is where the show meets 'House of Cards'.
For instance, Payton introduces his running mate Infinity Jackson (Zoey Deutch) to the school only to learn later Infinity may not be the best running mate for him. She has a history, one that includes using slurs against a gay man, which becomes a scandal big enough to blow up in his face.
From the trailer of the show, it is clear Payton's only worried about one thing and that is to win the upcoming Student Body elections. Creator, writer and executive producer of the show, Ryan Murphy, is popular for creating shows such as 'Glee', a high school musical, 'American Horror Story', 'American Crime Story' and medical drama 'Nip/Tuck'.
With such varied genres, the addition of the political arc he brings in the show is expected to work in favor of 'The Politician'. It will definitely set the Netflix show apart from the other high school dramas currently being produced and the star cast only adds more value.
Joining Paltrow, Platt and Deutsh is Jessica Lange. She plays the role of Dusty Jackson, Infinity's mother, on the show. In the trailer, we see Payton beat down Infinity's door to understand why she would use slur words and when Dusty asks Payton if he is even aware of what time it is (for it is well past bedtime), he turns around and responds that he doesn't have time to deal with her.
To see how they all get along, we will have to wait until the show's premiere on September 27. The bond between Payton and Georgina is another thing to watch out for.
