The Politician (2019–2020) User Reviews

Everything Ryan Murphy touches turns to Glee

[travinorbit-72734 · 6/10 · 29 November 2019]

I don't mean that in a good way. The Politician starts out smart, dark and addictive, then rapidly descended into a s**t tornado, minus the gold.

His tendency to rely on histrionics and maudlin song performances and ghostly apparitions in attempts to manipulate his audience into feeling all the feels pushes you past saturation point (he did the same to Pose, which also started out amazing before morphing into Glee) and ironically, it loses all its potency.

There is some lazy writing by way of information dumps and less than subtle exposition (especially in the last episode), but the cast are generally great. And visually it's great. And it really does start out great. Shame about the last half of the season.

Wes Anderson Vibe

[kategranville-48566 · 8/10 · 27 September 2019]

It's got beautiful, quirky, flawed, interesting characters. I instantly got a Wes Anderson vibe. Pulled me right in.

I hate rating anything artistic. Taste is subjective. So don't go by my Stars. If you like things that are a little off center, give it a try.

Amazing and grippingly wonderful!

[pim_bijlsma · 7/10 · 27 September 2019]

I have just seen the first episode and this show is so fresh with never a dull moment.

First of all, the acting in this series is phenomenal and the cast is amazing. Ben Platt's character Payton is truly layered as are most of the characters.

Secondly, the visuals of most scenery is beautiful and makes The Politician an even bigger delight to watch.

At last I want to say that Ryan Murphy and his team did it again and better than ever. I'm trying to think of something negative but I truly cannot find it at this moment.

I hope you all enjoy The Politician as much as I am doing.

Question!

[jbhiller · 21 October 2019]

How Come All the High School Students Look 30 Years Old?????

Jessica Lange hold hands again with Ryan in a brilliant adventure

[CinemaAmazing · 9/10 · 28 September 2019]

Ryan Murphy does not stop. "The Politician" is a black comedy with some heavy psychological scenes that bring us to the political reality of the United States through an insight into teens. Starring Daytime Emmy winner, Ben Platt brings us a political figure that we are used to seeing in front of the audience, but never what's behind it. And this is the reality that Ryan wants to show it. With performances that deserve an Emmy Award from Jessica Lange to Gwyneth Paltrow and, perhaps for Best Guest Actress - Bette Midler, who is back in the television world. A brilliantly written argument, with a praise achievement and a very diverse and talented cast. It will probably take a few nominations for the Emmys. Well done!

Bring on season two

[dvdjunkie-77971 · 9/10 · 28 September 2019]

Watched it all in one sitting I need season 2 now.

Great acting but convoluted story

[bef1991 · 6/10 · 27 September 2019]

I was really excited about this series. How can you go wrong with Ryan Murphy and team but it was a mishmash of plot lines with inconsistent story telling. It was glee, a bit American Horror and other stuff just thrown in. The story had so many subplots that it drowned out the core theme of a young man's obsession with being the President. If not for the great cast, this would be a bomb.

Good show

[dpoland-76589 · 9/10 · 1 October 2019]

Great acting, roller coaster of some fun, some depth and some good old fashioned drama. A nice production and it follows a Murphy-style.

Side note: I'm sure I'm not the only one tired of people lately reviewing shows as they were political news. Leave politics out of IMDb, please. Rate shows and film on their story telling, not any political themes. What's great about entertainment is that we get to see all kinds of stories!

So you're thinking of watching The Politician...

[goldie_fish · 6/10 · 29 April 2020]

...maybe you're quarantined at home and you've run out of other shows on Netflix. Maybe you have seen the trailor and want to enjoy some form of escapism from the current presidential election by watching a series about a fictional election. I don't know. I will give you some advice. If you have nothing better to do, then watch this show.

That sounds harsh. Why do I say that?

The Politician never found its identity and, as a result, it's a chaotic wild ride of a show. It's not so bad that it's not enjoyable, but it's not coherent enough to be really good.

It can't decide whether it is a drama, a teen soap. a musical, a comedy, or parody. This show incorporates so many different elements that I got whiplash watching it. If it had just stuck with theme, it could have been excellent. The central premise of the show is solid and engaging and the cast did a good job. But I never understood what this show was trying to tell me. Was it trying to mock the political process? Was it trying to hyperobolize (is that a word?) human experience to show just how strange we humans are? Was it trying to depict the human struggle with loss and grief? Was it trying to mock similar shows? Was it trying to be a romance? I have no idea. Maybe that's my problem and I'm just not smart enough to understand but I've never been this confused about the underlying theme, central message, or aim of a show before. (Or maybe the confusion is itself the goal of the show?)

TLDR: It's a confusing, funny, sad, weird little show. It could be good in the second season if the writers try to pull together some coherent themes so I'll probably watch it just to see what they do. It's not a complete waste of time and it does have its moments, but there are so many better, similarly-themed shows that it's hard not to be critical of this one. Check it out if you have nothing else to do and see what you think. Maybe you can make better sense out of it than me.

Psychopathy has never been so much fun

[chaybear · 10/10 · 27 September 2019]

Loving Ryan Murphy new show, fast paced, dark humoured, not what you think, great acting by everyine in it so far, even gwyneth paltrow is fascinating. Jessica lange as usual brings her scene stealing characters, multi layeyed and complex.. Ryan Murphy and Netflix is a rip roaring hit. Nearly finished season one and wanting more. Bring it on

Ridiculous

[jennfinn · 7/10 · 27 June 2020]

I only watched two episodes of The Politician and I don't think I can suffer through anymore. These "kids" are supposed to be in high school yet every single one of them looks at least thirty. What high school student wears a suit to school or a sweater set with a pencil skirt ? I love Bette Midler but I couldn't continue watching it.

***EDIT - I watched the rest of season one and all of season two. While I still argue that ALL of the actors look way older than they're supposed to be and that high schoolers don't dress or talk like that it did get better.

I definitely enjoyed the second season a lot more than the first although I can't stand Infinity (Zoey Deutch) has got to be one of the most annoying characters I've ever seen especially her "baby" voice.

Smart, Amusing & Entertaining

[j-w-k · 10/10 · 27 September 2019]

I binged 5 of the 8 episodes (only stopped to get some sleep). I think it's a clever show with constant twists and turns and it hooked me quickly. Love Jessica Lange"s performance as well as the rest of the outstanding cast.

Skip it. Not worth watching it.

[rufus_gdl · 6/10 · 29 September 2019]

So much potential. Such a great Cast. It Started well, but as it happens in every Ryan Murphy shows, the writers loose interest throughout the middle of the series. So by the end of the first Season you dont know what the show was about. That last episode was confusing and exhausting. all thrown to the garbage. I only give it a 6 for the first 6 episodes and for Gwyneth Paltrow.

It's a miss so don't worry skipping this tv show.

Bingeworthy to Cringeworthy in 5 episodes

[peter-stead-740-486963 · 5/10 · 18 December 2019]

It started off great, a sort of college level microcosm of grown up politics, but soon it stopped trying to "say" anything, lost interest in the reason for River's suicide (and therefore the emotional backbone of the series) and became tied up in a multitude of subplots, repetitive story points, an insistence on including a death or near-death in every single episode, so that it ended up a sort of mish-mash of Glee and Jane the Virgin (with a score that reminded of the latter). By the end of episode 5 with my eyes glazing over, I decided to call it a day. A really wasted opportunity.

A typical Murphy production

[felicityburrows-flower · 8/10 · 27 September 2019]

It started well and the development of the characters was perfectly paced and then everything went south, the core point of the series changed and it no longer felt like it knew where it was going. It felt like 4 seasons being crammed into one, so it meant that the characters fell flat and we also missed out on a chance to fall in love with them. By the end it just feels so ridiculous it could be a later season AHS finale. Such a waste because the cast is fantastic and it started so well, and the point of Payton's story was that he was drowned by his own ambition. Feels like the writers should have taken note.

It's different, in a good way.

[diegodias · 8/10 · 27 September 2019]

No, I don't think this Show deserves a 10/10 but it's certainly not a 2 or a 4, that's just ridiculous. It's an 8.5 at its best and a 7 at its worst.

Netflix describes it as a quirky comedy series and honestly, that's what it is! It's a fun ride for everyone who enjoys over the top / cheesy / cliche movies and tv shows like Mean Girls, Scream Queens, Heathers and so on.

You're not supposed to take this show too seriously since it's basically a parody about high school politics.

+ The acting is fantastic. So go and watch it and judge for yourself.

It's not a bad series but meh

[constanciolopez · 25 April 2020]

It has a very good script, ¨ the politician ¨ surprises you all the time with unexpected turns. It even has a very nice photograph and color palette. Accompanied by very good performances especially from Ben Platt (Payton) who has a very good chemistry on scene with David Corenswet (River) With an addition of interesting plots and characters. Reaching the bad part, the series has moments that in my opinion fall into the absurd. Chapter 6 and 7 were a disaster. Jessica Lange's performance reminded me of a play. I found it hard to believe many times that the characters were teen ages. And chapter 8 seemed interesting but unnecessary in this season.

Bingeworthy

[salinaqvi · 6/10 · 11 October 2019]

Loved it. I binged watched the entire show in 3 days and i have to say it was an absolute joy. While i will admit the characters are a bit dull at times, the story and dialogue is good enough that you can forget about it. This is a must see!

Another great show by Ryan Murphy.

[RikkeTrandum · 8/10 · 28 September 2019]

Another great show by Ryan Murphy has seen the daylight. This is a great series, with a great storyline. The acting is fantastic. You will laugh through the series because the lines are so well written. Overall a great show!!!

Ambiguous

[mkirill · 6/10 · 20 June 2020]

After watching season 2, I feel dissapointed, let's drop moments that are unrealistic (adult schoolchilds in first season, election campaign in a single school that looks more expensive than some state elections). Without that, first season was new and fresh, with interesting twists and themes, sometimes twists were too steep and unjustified, but, in general first season left a positive impact. The season two is worse, a lot of moments you saw in first season are repeating, sometimes characters act illogicaly that make viewer unable to sympathize them,Payton's mother achievements looks too bloated,Astrid lost her spark, Infinity isn't disclosed, from my point of view, showrunners could write a better script and take more time, because the only problem is a script, actors game - good, costumes and style - nice, locations and images - pleasant for eyes. End of the season clearly reveals that it will be third season, and ,maybe fourth. And for the end, I have a feeling that I know the ending of this story

Surprisingly funny and eloquent

[rainerurmas-maine2 · 8/10 · 7 October 2019]

Don't mind the use of the word "surprisingly" in the title, the cast and the creators of the show are very unsurprisingly funny and good in giving us a really, I would even say, unique show. The reason why this is surprising to me is that the first two episodes I found really not to my liking and they seemed to really drag on. The plot felt like been-there-seen-that. The start really was slow to this show, but the pace picks up rather nicely and the plot starts to thread out in surprising ways while continually getting funnier and quirkier. The last 6 episodes of the first season I really binged, I couldn't stop after the 3rd episode and it seemed like there was a switch which was turned on after this. I can't say how much I look forward to the next season which sees us outside the school environment and in New York for a real struggle in politics. It really seems to me like this whole season was very much a set-up for what is to come next, so if you are like me and are doubtful after the first episode or two, whether to watch the whole 1st season, then please do give the show a chance, it is so worth it by the end.

Timeline makes no sense

[jwoneill · 6/10 · 17 October 2019]

How can a student running for student body president be receiving college admissions letters, which happens in spring of senior year? Did the writers graduate high school?

10/10

[gsalovespandas · 10/10 · 30 September 2019]

Ben platt. period. the singing, the drama, it's amazing.

Interesting yet disturbing

[rs-89619 · 7/10 · 27 September 2019]

If you've not seen the pilot yet.. It's best to take this particular show with a grain of salt & make oatmeal..It's a whole lot of legendary artists incorporating them into a pretentious, with political innuendos of an ambitious young man who acts fake, pretends to be real. Gwyneth Paltrow, sets the tone for her families dynamic. Ben Platt reminds me of a Norman Bates on a sugar high whose life is so far from perfection he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants in life.

Satire is supposed to be funny.

[hjalsayegh · 3/10 · 8 July 2020]

The opening screen has a little warning on it proclaiming this to be satire.

Here's the thing, Satire uses humor to ridicule and criticize. The keyword here is humor. If you get 30+ years old to play highschoolers and just have them blurt out the message it's no longer funny.

I also keep waiting from them to burst into song, this thing has such a strong Glee vibe to it.

Poorly scripted, nobody is likable or interesting and a few episodes in ends up loosing itself in subplots. Skip it.