There's never been a better time for a TV show about a high schooler desperate to get into a good college. The college admissions scam, in which 50 people were accused and indicted of bribing and faking teens' ways into schools like the University of Southern California, is all anyone's been talking about since the indictments came out last week, and now Ryan Murphy is teasing his next project that will tide over pop-culture obsessives until the inevitable Olivia Jade movie.
The Politician stars Ben Platt as a wealthy California student who wants to get into Harvard as one of many steps to become president of the United States. But first, he must get elected Student Body President of Saint Sebastian High School. For anyone who thinks high school elections are less ruthless than the real thing, think again. The Politician follows the dark lengths Platt's Payton must go to to find the ultimate success without ever sacrificing his crystal-clean image.
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Platt is joined by series regulars Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, Zoey Deutch, Lucy Boynton, Bob Balaban, David Corenswet, Julia Schlaepfer, Laura Dreyfuss, Theo Germaine, Rahne Jones, and Benjamin Barrett — together they make this honestly pretty perfect poster:
Platt previously starred on Broadway's Dear Evan Hansen, and before that played Benji in Pitch Perfect 1 & 2. His first starring role in television comes hand-in-hand with his newly-launched solo music career.
As for Gwyneth Paltrow, this isn't the only Netflix project she has up her sleeve. She will also co-host a wellness show for the platform alongside Goop's chief content officer Elise Loehnen, but specific details are still unfolding.
The Politician comes to Netflix September 27.