Ryan Murphy series brings political skulduggery to the classroom

In The Politician, the characters of Ben Platt (above) and Lucy Boynton go head to head in a race to become the leader of the student council.
In The Politician, the characters of Ben Platt (above) and Lucy Boynton go head to head in a race to become the leader of the student council. PHOTOS: NETFLIX, ADAM ROSE
In The Politician, the characters of Ben Platt and Lucy Boynton (above) go head to head in a race to become the leader of the student council.
In The Politician, the characters of Ben Platt and Lucy Boynton (above) go head to head in a race to become the leader of the student council. PHOTOS: NETFLIX, ADAM ROSE
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

Actors Ben Platt and Lucy Boynton had very different high school experiences. One attended a super competitive Hollywood institute, the other a more down-to-earth British establishment. In their new show, however, both share a gilded, glamorous All-American school where the competition is cut-throat and the humour as black as tar.

The show is The Politician, the first offering from Glee creator Ryan Murphy's US$300 million (S$414 million) production deal with Netflix. Platt takes centre stage as a near-sociopathic, politically obsessed student, while Boynton is a spoilt and entitled fellow student and rival. They go head to head in a race to become the leader of the student council.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 28, 2019, with the headline Ryan Murphy series brings political skulduggery to the classroom. Subscribe