The Politician: Everything You Need to Know About Netflix's New Comedy

From Oprah Magazine

• Earlier this summer, Netflix released first-look photos of Ryan Murphy's first show for the streaming giant, The Politician, starring Ben Platt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, Zoey Deutch, Lucy Boynton, Laura Dreyfuss, and more—with appearances by Judith Light and Bette Midler.

• In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Paltrow—who portrays Ben Platt's Payton Hobart's mother—opened up about working with her husband, Brad Falchuk, who created the show along with Murphy and Ian Brennan.

• Watch the trailer here, starring a ruthless Jessica Lange.

• In an exclusive interview with OprahMag.com, members of the cast—Ben Platt, Laura Dreyfuss, Theo Germaine, Julia Schlaepfer, Lucy Boynton, Zoey Deutch, Rahne Jones, and David Corsenswet opened up about their love for the show—and a funny group chat they're in.

Ryan Murphy is officially making waves at Netflix.

The celebrated director and producer behind TV hits such as American Horror Story, Glee, and Pose is making his debut on the streaming platform on September 27 with The Politician, an entirely new show starring an A-list cast that includes Ben Platt, Bette Midler, Gwyneth Paltrow, Judith Light, Jessica Lange, and more. Before everyone at your book club interrupts the conversation with, “Have you seen The Politician?,” here’s what to know ahead of the fall 2019 premiere. And what the show's cast exclusively told OprahMag.com.

When does The Politician air?

Netflix will drop season one on September 27. And yes, season two has officially been ordered.

Is there a trailer?

Yes, and Jessica Lange's fierce character had Twitter losing it.

What’s it about?

The dark comedy follows Payton Hobart, played by Pitch Perfect star Ben Platt, a student from Santa Barbara, California who thinks he’s destined to become president of the United States. His first hurdle? Surviving Saint Sebastian High School, where he's vying to become student body president, something he thinks will secure his path to Harvard.

As we learn in the first episode, Payton—spoiler alert—doesn't immediately get into Harvard like his older brothers, and the scenes offer a nod to the recent college admissions scandal in Hollywood, as pointed out by The Hollywood Reporter. "It's wealthy people behaving badly," Murphy said. "All of this has been percolating in the culture, particularly under this president and this idea of Ivanka and Jared [as] the sort of satanic poster boy and girl for privilege and nepotism."

Throughout the series, Payton and the characters surrounding him hilariously poke fun at and intelligently address not only our current political landscape, but also buzzy topics like nepotism, sexual harassment, LGBTQ rights, and mental health. In fact, the very first episode comes with a trigger warning, and for good reason: there's a very bloody scene in it.

Who’s in the cast of The Politician?

We’re pumped about this lineup. In addition to Platt, the series has tapped a mix of Hollywood greats plus exciting fresh faces: Paltrow, Midler, Light, Jessica Lange, Zoey Deutch, Lucy Boynton, David Corenswet, Theo Germaine, Bob Balaban, Julia Schlaepfer, Laura Dreyfuss, Rahne Jones, and Benjamin Barrett.

During a press junket at N.Y.C.'s Crosby Hotel in September, the cast opened up to OprahMag.com exclusively about their camaraderie. In fact, the younger members of the squad share a group chat, and as we learned, it's called "Disney Dreams."

"This week, everyone in our group chat has just been like, 'Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" Germaine said, while Platt interjected that they're simply thrilled that the show's reaching fans. "We're like, look at this poster! Look at this bus! Look at this Hebrew billboard! Also, it's called Disney Dreams—our group chat. I feel like that's important," Platt joked.

Why the name? Platt took them all on a celebratory trip to Disneyland. "He got a party bus, we had mimosas—it was the most glorious day," Deutch recalled. "We went on Space Mountain three times before 10 a.m. Now, tell me that's not the perfect morning?"

Separately, Paltrow is married to Brad Falchuk, who signed on as a writer and executive producer. And while Light has previously appeared on Murphy’s Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, this will mark Midler’s first time working with him.

"I had never seen a male actor able to be vulnerable and accessible and neurotic," Murphy told THR about seeing Platt in Dear Evan Hansen. "Ben is that kind of figure. And also, like Barbra [Streisand], very ambitious."

Will it be successful?

That’s to be determined, but the good news for fans of Murphy is that there’s definitely a second season coming your way. Netflix ordered season two right after they announced their five-year $300 million deal with Murphy.

How did Brad Falchuk get his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow to participate?

"It took some convincing...A lot of convincing," Falchuk told The Hollywood Reporter. While he called her the "muse for this character," she initially hesitated because of her busy schedule as the founder of GOOP. And once she agreed to take on the role, she even asked him to remove certain lines, something he said he "would never do" for anyone else.

That said, Paltrow has loved it. "It's so fun to be working with someone who you're in love with...I was like, 'Agh! He's so hot, he's so talented, this is so fun."

For more ways to live your best life plus all things Oprah, sign up for our newsletter!