Featuring Bette Midler and Judith Light, New ‘The Politician’ Teaser Is a Gay Man’s Fever Dream
Is Ryan Murphy trolling gay culture vultures? It appears to be so. The latest teaser for “The Politician,” Emmy-winner Murphy’s first Netflix series as part of a new pact with the streamer, boasts gay icons for days. Check out a new spot from the series, which debuted during the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards telecast.
As previously announced, Judith Light (Emmy-nominated last year for Murphy’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”) and Bette Midler, stepping into Murphyland for the first time, have joined the cast. The lineup also includes Broadway star Ben Platt and Gwyneth Paltrow in the leads, opposite Bob Balaban, Lucy Boynton, Benjamin Barrett, Zoey Deutch, Dylan McDermott, and, of course, Jessica Lange as a gimlet-eyed whippersnapper named Dusty Jackson.
A 2017 Tony Award winner for Best Actor for the hit musical “Dear Evan Hansen,” Platt plays a well-to-do high-schooler with aspirations of becoming president of the United States. But first, he has to become president of the student body at his Santa Barbara school, and contend with his family and a terminally ill running mate, all while chasing dreams of attending Harvard after graduation.
The satire is created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. Murphy and Falchuk feature among the 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards, with their FX ballroom-culture series “Pose,” co-created with Steven Canals.
Along with “The Politician,” Netflix has three series in the works from Murphy, including the upcoming period piece “Hollywood,” starring Darren Criss, and “Ratched,” starring Sarah Paulson as the tyrannical nurse from hell who originated in Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
During the Emmys telecast, Netflix also premiered new looks at “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie,” set for release on the streamer on October 11, and the TV movie “American Son,” bowing November 1 and starring Kerry Washington. Emmy viewers also got a new glimpse at Netflix’s “The Crown,” taking the throne on November 17, with 2019 Primetime Emmy nominee Olivia Colman starring as the Queen.
