Discover The Best Movies and TV Shows Like The Politician

Driven by a singular, obsessive ambition to become President of the United States, wealthy Santa Barbara high schooler Payton Hobart sets his sights on the stepping stone of student body president. Believing a victory will guarantee his admission to Harvard, Payton chooses the popular, beautiful Astrid Sloan as his running mate. However, Astrid abruptly defects to run against him, alongside her own opportunistic boyfriend River Barkley. Payton selects the terminally ill, highly manipulative Infinity Jackson as his new running mate to secure sympathy votes. Behind the scenes, River harbors genuine feelings for Payton, leading to a devastating tragedy when River commits suicide after Payton rejects his romantic advances.Wracked with guilt, Payton pivots his campaign strategy, delivering an emotionally raw eulogy that turns River into a martyr. Despite ruthless sabotage from Astrid and the machinations of Infinity’s eccentric, Munchausen-by-proxy grandmother, Dede, Payton wins the election. However, his triumph is short-lived. A scandal erupts exposing Payton’s bribery of a student delegate, resulting in his immediate suspension. Furthermore, Payton discovers the horrifying truth that Infinity is not actually sick; Dede has been poisoning her for attention. Payton’s Harvard dream shatters when he fails his admissions interview due to his inability to express genuine empathy, leading to a bitter falling out with his loyal friends and a deep personal depression.Three years later, Payton is a disillusioned NYU student drowning in alcohol. His old campaign manager, McAfee, tracks him down with a golden opportunity: run against crusty incumbent state senator Jacob Standish. Smelling a chance for redemption, Payton launches a fierce grassroots campaign focused on climate change. He reconciles with his estranged friends, and together they expose Standish’s hypocrisy, leading to a dramatic election night tie. The tie is broken by a random drawing of lots, granting Payton the senate seat.Just as a brighter political future seems secured, Payton’s life is upended once more when Dede and his former running mate, now a powerful political operative, launch a brutal counter-offensive. They blackmail Payton with compromising photographs of him and his married campaign manager, forcing him to resign before he even takes office. Refusing to let defeat define him, Payton resolves to challenge Dede directly in the upcoming gubernatorial race, setting the stage for a ruthless, high-stakes war of political attrition.