Gwyneth Paltrow [1] is such a big part of The Politician [2] that we can't imagine the show without her. Will she be in the second season? Although very little has been confirmed about the second season of the dark Netflix comedy, other than the fact that it exists [3], all signs seem to be pointing toward yes for Paltrow's return.
As Georgina Hobart, the emotionally complicated mother to Ben Platt's ambitious protagonist Payton, Paltrow is one of the most important characters [4] on the show. Even though the story will be moving forward [5] to Payton's college years (at least) in the second season, it makes sense that she'd still be a key part of his life — and have her own storylines continuing too. Paltrow doesn't have any other filming commitments at the moment, so she'd definitely have time to continue on with The Politician.
Paltrow also seems likely to return for a second season for practical reasons as much as creative ones. She's worked with series creator Ryan Murphy before (raise your hand if you remember her stint as Holly Holliday on Glee!). More important, though, is her relationship with another of the show's executive producers: Murphy's production partner, Brad Falchuk, is her husband [6]! It definitely has to make things easier to be able to see your family, instead of being separated during filming.
Although she's focused on bringing her own character to life, Paltrow keeps an eye on how The Politician might connect with younger viewers and inspire them to get into politics — though perhaps without quite the same level of intensity as Payton.
"I always think of the show as so satirical. But I think that for the younger audience, it might be interesting for them to see what the characteristics of true politicians are . . . Maybe it will demystify it a little bit for them and encourage kids to become more politically involved and to get out there and vote [7]," she told The Hollywood Reporter. We hope she'll be around for a while to continue to help bring the world of The Politician to life!