The pantheon of great shows created by Ryan Murphy only grows with The Politician, out on Netflix now. He’s the writer and producer behind such runaway successes as Glee, Pose, American Horror Story, and Eat Pray Love.
The Politician focuses on a Santa Barbara teen who's utterly sure he’s going to be President of the United States one day. But until then, he’s got to win student elections at Saint Sebastian High School. It’s funny, irreverent, and exposes some of the weirdest parts of politics. It’s already been renewed for a second season, but if you’ve already finished binging it and need something to hold you over until then, here are ten shows that you can watch.
The Act
The tone of The Act is generally much darker than The Politician. The crime drama is based on the true story of Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard. It’s a tragic and horrifying story of how years of physical and psychological abuse brought on a case of Munchausen’s syndrome by proxy ended in murder.
When Buzzfeed broke the story in 2016, it caused waves around the internet. It has already inspired two documentaries and several dramatizations. It’s a much more intense story than The Politician, but if you’re interested in teenagers fighting deception and being pushed to their breaking point, then this is a great show for you to check out.
Pose
We couldn’t leave another of Ryan Murphy’s best shows off this list. Pose is groundbreaking in many ways—it shows us the previously ignored underground ballroom community in New York City, a veritable haven for LGBTQ+ youth of color. This anthology drama celebrates a group that has long been overlooked, undervalued, exploited, and outright attacked for years.
The anthology series has been nominated for two Golden Globes and won both an Emmy and a Peabody Award. It’s tackled tough issues like HIV/AIDS in the '80s, as well as homophobia and transphobia, without becoming all about the problems of the community. Again, Pose isn’t about elections, but it’s still political in many ways.
Insatiable
In this comedy, a teenage girl who was once fat-shamed and bullied by her high school peers loses a bunch of weight after an accident and decides to use her changed body to obtain revenge upon the bullies who made her miserable. When Insatiable first aired, it caused a firestorm of controversy. People were worried that it would encourage people to conform to societal expectations instead of accepting their bodies—it focused on revenge, not solving the real problem: bullying.
Nevertheless, Insatiable has already run for two seasons and people love it. It’s known for offering a funny look at high school dynamics—perfect for anyone missing The Politician.
Arrested Development
This comedy has been running since 2003 and is a true gem for anyone who likes seeing a dysfunctional family try to get by and not kill each other in the process. The kids started in high school, so if you like the awkward and dysfunctional high school parts of The Politician best, the early seasons of Arrested Development will definitely be right up your alley.
It’s irreverent and just the right amount of twisty to keep you wondering what the Bluth family is going to do next. There’s even a bit of a political element to it as the family deals with local politicians and local issues.
Dead To Me
This dark and twisty show set in Los Angeles is also full of laugh-out-loud moments, much like The Politician. It’s about two people seeking truth and trying to put themselves back together after a tragedy. The powerful friendship that grows between Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) and Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini) is overshadowed by a dark secret that one must decide to reveal.
“How far are you willing to go?” is a key question in both Dead to Me and The Politician. If you’re into seeing people pushed to their limits, then this will be a great show for you to check out next.
Big Mouth
This animated series created by Nick Kroll (who also voices one of the main characters alongside John Mulaney, Maya Rudolph, and Jessi Klein) follows some young teenagers as they find their lives upended by puberty, with all its wonders and horrors. The show is pretty crude, with a lot of sexual content as the teens struggle with the way the hormonal changes encourage them to behave. But it’s riotously funny and explores all the awkward parts of high school in a different way than The Politician.
There are three seasons of Big Mouth already, and a fourth on the way. So it will be a great filler until next fix of The Politician, but you might find yourself needing another show on this list to hold you over until season four of Big Mouth too.
American Horror Story
Sometimes it seems like everyone in the United States has already watched all nine seasons of American Horror Story. But if you haven’t yet, buckle up. This anthology-style show by Ryan Murphy should be on the watchlist of anyone who liked The Politician. It’s already won two Golden Globes, which is on top of 119 other award wins.
Each season is set in a different world where physical and psychological horrors break down the residents: an insane asylum, a witch coven, a circus cast, a struggling hotel, and more. The most recent season focuses on a slasher summer camp, where a murderous maniac is hunting down the campers. Since there are already over 100 episodes, AHS will keep you busy until the next season of The Politician.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
The first two parts of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina were met with critical acclaim. It is based on the Archie comic series of the same name, and a much darker take on the material than the earlier television adaptation, Sabrina the Teenage Witch. This version, starring Kiernan Skipka, sees the young witch trying to choose between the witch world of her family and the human world of her friends. It follows her through family drama, a break up with her human boyfriend, a new relationship with a warlock, and—of course—her witchy upbringing and the chilling approach of Satan into her life.
High school drama? Difficult choices? Lies, scheming? And all wrapped up in great clothes and beautiful people? This is a great show to watch after you finished The Politician.
Fleabag
Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s comedy series Fleabag recently won six Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy. It was based on a one-woman show that Waller-Bridge did in 2013, and was brilliantly expanded into two seasons on Amazon. The main character, who the audience only knows as Fleabag, is a witty woman in her early thirties trying to cope with tragedy by sleeping her way around London. She’s angry and bitter but manages to keep her chin up and keep making jokes along the way.
Just like in The Politician, Fleabag is just trying to make it through the immediate problem. Fleabag is a deliciously irreverent look at how to deal with grief and trauma in adulthood.
Sex Education
If what you like about The Politician are the high school kids figuring out life and the humor as they try, then you're going to love Sex Education. In this Netflix series, Gillian Anderson plays Jean, a sex therapist, and mother to high schooler Otis (played by Asa Butterfield). Despite not being personally lucky in love, Otis has become a reluctant expert in sex issues due to his open conversations about sex.
At school, a classmate convinces Otis to set up an underground sex therapy clinic. Despite being comedic, it deals with some pretty serious issues: revenge porn, abortion, trauma, and drug use, among others. It may not be full of campaigns, but sexual politics are just as tricky.