Singer and actor Ben Platt is becoming a household name, whether you know him from “Pitch Perfect,” “Dear Evan Hansen,” or his new full-length album “Sing To Me Instead.” Recently, Platt starred in the new Netflix original series, “The Politician,” a show largely anticipated by Platt fans everywhere. The show was directed by Ryan Murphy, creator of “Glee” and “American Horror Story.”
Platt plays Payton Hobart, a dignified high school student whose dream is to become president of the United States. Payton runs for student body president, seeing the election as a stepping stone for his future presidential campaign, as well as looking good on his Harvard application.
The pilot episode opens with him speaking to a Harvard admissions representative about how he will one day be president of the U.S. However, Payton’s campaign runs into many obstacles, including fierce opponents and controversial running mates.
Fans have been referring to this series as the new “Glee,” one of the most popular Murphy shows to ever surface. University sophomore Bridget Fitzpatrick said, “The show is like ‘Glee.’ It has a lot of the same dramatic music, delivery of lines, and similar characters. You can clearly tell that it is a Murphy show.”
With the 2020 presidential election coming up, the show highlights the difference one vote can make, though the show is set in high school rather than the real world.
The dramatic official trailer for the show ends with the tagline “We promise to promise you everything,” a representation of how presidential candidates present themselves to voters in real life.
“‘The Politician’ is another great piece of work from Murphy,” said Skyler Hyatt, a sophomore at the University. “The show met expectations, and Platt carries the whole series with his performance. He portrays a teenager well, and his supporting cast helped his character grow throughout the show. Zoey Deutch and Jessica Lange also did phenomenal with their portrayals of Infinity and Dusty Jackson, a relationship which satirizes Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard.”
Hyatt continued, “Each supporting character plays a key role and each episode helps advance the story in an entertaining and emotional way. The season finale leaves the door open for a potentially exciting season two, teasing viewers with the appearance of the legendary Bette Midler, that will leave fans excited for what’s to come!”
Without spoiling anything, it can be said that the first season ends quite dramatically, setting up the premise for more political action in the second season. With an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the first season, hopefully, the second season will keep excitement for the show alive!
