Really, it was only a matter of time before Ryan Murphy got to Ben Platt. Deadline reports that Platt has signed on to star in a new Netflix show from Murphy called The Politician with a cast that could include — are you sitting down? — the Barbra Streisand and Gwyneth Paltrow. Which is all to say that, indeed, Netflix has green-lit Ryan Murphy’s wildest personal fanfiction. According to Deadline, the show has received a two-season straight-to-series order after Netflix beat out Hulu and Amazon for the rights in a lucrative bidding war.
The Politician is described as a one-hour comedy “with social commentary,†and, obviously, the possibility of several musical numbers from Platt. He’ll play the titular political candidate, a “wealthy Santa Barbarian,†with each season following a different political race. If Babs signs on, she’ll reportedly both star and direct some episodes; Streisand, Paltrow, and Platt will also produce. This is Murphy’s second Netflix series, along with the upcoming Ratched, but certainly the first to combine his fascination with musicals, politics, actresses of a certain stature, and, apparently, Santa Barbara.