Netflix's The Politician Has It All: Teen Drama, Politics, and a Dream Cast

Grilled Cheesus has answered our prayers: The Politician, Ryan Murphy's first Netflix series, is coming in hot this September. Along with his long-time collaborators Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk, the TV god behind Glee and American Horror Story has created a new project that blends teen drama, politics, and sly humor all in one package — with a megatalented cast to boot. But if you're wondering what the show will be about, you're not alone. Here's every shred of information we have on the dark comedy so far.

At its core, the series revolves around Dear Evan Hansen's Ben Platt as Payton Hobart, a wealthy senior at a Santa Barbara, CA, high school who's dreamed of becoming the president of the United States ever since he was 7. But before he can take on this lofty aspiration, he has to deal with the roughest political landscape of them all: high school. Payton runs for class president and does whatever it takes to win — even if it comes down to ethically sketchy stuff. But that's just season one. According to a description of the series, every season will spotlight a political race that Payton is in, so we're more likely than not going to get multiple installations.

Given the series's high-school setting (and musical numbers), we're already tingling from its Glee vibes. But it's not quite about a scrappy choir club, and we doubt anyone's going to get slushied. The Netflix series's political underpinnings are reminiscent of American Horror Story: Cult, which gave us a caricature of our postelection society. Jessica Lange, who plays the character Dusty Rose, describes the series as such: "It is an allegory of the political situation that we're in now." The Politician will touch on sensitive issues of voter fraud and gun control. But given that it's a Murphy production, we expect it to be bold and weird, not too distressingly earnest.

We should also talk about the cast. A typical Murphy-Fulchuck-Brennan project, The Politician will dive into social issues with a gifted cast of actresses. Even if the show revolves around Payton, we're excited to see the stories of the women in his life unfold. It's ridiculously easy to get swept away by The Politician's lineup of megastars, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Lucy Boynton, Zoey Deutch, and Lange in addition to appearances by Judith Light and Bette Midler. Besides Payton, other notable characters include Georgina (Paltrow), Payton's adoptive mother, and Astrid (Boynton), his equally competitive classmate.

With its cast, its relevant premises, and Murphy engine, it's more than worth it to check out The Politician. Meanwhile, here are some fabulous stills from the series while you wait for it to come out!

The Politician is available for streaming on Netflix on Sept. 27.