The Politician released Sept. 27 wows with a mix of a great soundtrack, outstanding acting and an intriguing plot. Netflix released one season of the show comprised of eight attention-grabbing episodes ranging in length from an hour to 30 minutes. The series centers around Payton Hobart, played by Dear Evan Hansen star Ben Platt, as he runs for senior class president of his high school. While the race is much more dramatic than any high school race should be, involving a death, kidnapping and fraud, it still feels believable and is an exciting twist on the usual high school drama. 

The show effectively includes many of the aspects of high school society, while still adding in enough drama to make it addictive. It covers drug abuse and the use of antidepressants, homosexuality, suicide and the ignorance of the richer students when trying to relate to the poorer students’ struggles and issues. While the show is all from the point of view of the millionaire and billionaire students, the point of view adds to the show by highlighting the ignorance of the rich student’s and how unappreciative they are for all that they have. 

The star-studded cast helps provide brilliant acting to the exciting plot. The cast includes well established actors like Platt, Gywneth Paltrow, who plays Platt’s mother in the show, and Zoey Dutch, who plays Infinity who was Platt’s vice president. The actors create a unique chemistry that makes the show work. The show also includes many new acting faces that are able to blend right in with the more experienced members of the cast including Rahne Jones who plays Platt’s rival Skye and Theo Jermaine who plays James, one of Platt’s advisors. 

Another aspect of the show is its soundtrack that was released Oct. 22. The album has four songs, three sung by Platt and one duet between Platt and Dutch. The songs add to plot and make the show more emotional as they are normally sung in the most heart-wrenching moments of the show. The album is the perfect way to still show love towards the show without needing to rewatch it every time viewers want to be reminded of characters like River, who a song is dedicated to. It also helps that Platt was a main star in a major Broadway production, meaning his voice is angelic and is the sole reason the soundtrack is executed to perfection. 

Overall, the Netflix original is a must-see. There are countless plot twists and cliffhangers at the end of episodes that will make viewers want to binge the whole season in one sitting. The show is constructed in an appealing and eye-catching way from the different subplots within the greater show, to the supporting characters that create a well-rounded piece. Everything and every character does its part in creating a masterpiece of a show.