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While the greatest political story of our lifetimes may be playing out in the 2024 presidential contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, there was a time when the biggest dramas taking place at the White House were confined to fictional tales.
From the inspiring (“Parks and Recreation”) to the insipid (“House of Cards”), the political TV show has been a longtime staple. And amid an election in which the aggressive, even nasty tone of the conversation and stranger-than-fiction twists feel right out of ABC’s “Scandal,” it’s hard not to think about all the sparring between politicos, emissaries and presidents in these great TV series.
So as Election Day gets ever closer, we rank the 10 best political TV shows ever, from comedies to dramas to even science fiction.
10. ‘House of Cards’
(Netflix, 2013-18)
Some political TV shows are focused on the promise of government to help people, but that’s not the theme of Netflix’s first big hit, which was based on a British miniseries. “Cards” was a distinctly dour, depressed and downright villainous version of our bureaucracy’s machinations, focused on how a few bad actors can lie, cheat, steal and literally murder their way to the Oval Office. Its association with now-disgraced star Kevin Spacey is unfortunate, but the work of actors like Robin Wright, Mahershala Ali, Corey Stoll and Kate Mara made it a top-tier parliamentary thriller.
9. ‘Saturday Night Live’
(NBC, 1975-present)
Yes, the majority of any “SNL” episode is general humor rather than directly political, but it’s impossible to ignore the sketch-comedy institution when talking about political TV. From Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford to Tina Fey as Sarah Palin to Maya Rudolph’s role as Vice President Kamala Harris, “SNL” has long been the only game in town when it comes to a certain brand of topical political humor. Come here for impressions of major political figures ranging from the silly to the sublime, for some deep-cutting satire, or just observational wackiness. When it comes to series that have made an impact on modern politics, who can deny the show that actually had Trump as a host and coined “I can see Russia from my house!” For good or ill, “SNL” and politics are forever intertwined.
8. ‘Scandal’
(ABC, 2012-18)
As the most outlandish series on this list (a true accomplishment), “Scandal” was a nighttime soap opera first and political drama second. But it was a very good and juicy soap that used the marble halls of the White House as a backdrop, and occasionally had a point or two to make about our political reality from its heightened world. No one could have, well, handled it all better than Kerry Washington as white-hat-wearing political fixer Olivia Pope and Tony Goldwyn as doomed President Fitzgerald Grant.
7. ‘The Good Wife’
(CBS, 2009-16)
Not every political drama needs to be on a national scale. This superb series from creators Robert and Michelle King created delectable TV out of local political brouhaha, in which a Chicago state’s attorney (Chris Noth) is ousted over a sex scandal and various financial misdeeds, and his wife, Alicia Florrick (Julianna Margulies) stands by his side. A mix of legal procedural and Chicago political machine dramatics, “Wife” spun seven seasons of gold out of Marguilies’ soulful eyes and the writers’ whip-smart scripts, with their blistering satire of political corruption. Special shout out to Paramount+ spinoff “The Good Fight,” which continued in its predecessor’s footsteps with a more absurdist lens.
6. ‘Battlestar Galactica’
(Syfy, 2004-09)
Look beyond the robots in sexy red dresses and giant space battles and you’ll see the most astute and effective post-9/11 story ever brought to the screen. The remake of the 1970s sci-fi epic perfectly encapsulates Patriot Act-era politics, in the way the series’ military and political leaders, played by Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell, respond to an attack on humanity by its robot creations. Smart, twisty and often profound, it exemplified the very best attribute of science fiction: revealing truths about the distinctly nonfictional world where it was produced. So say we all.
5. ‘The Wire’
(HBO, 2002-08)
While you might think of David Simon’s Baltimore-set epic as a crime drama first and foremost, it’s really a deeply political series that captured the essence of city politics almost too perfectly. Corruption, kickbacks, glad-handing, and every bad thing you’ve ever thought about government officials happened in the series. “The Wire” is made of the cops, the criminals and city officials who mine power and wealth out of everything happening below them. It is so well done as to be deeply depressing.
4. ‘The Thick of It’
(BBC, 2005-12; streaming on Peacock)
Before creator Armando Iannucci brought us biting American political satire in “Veep” (more on that show below) he created this British comedy starring Peter Capaldi as foul-mouthed, angry government fixer Malcolm Tucker. Set in the seemingly dull land of British bureaucracy, “Thick,” and its movie spinoff “In The Loop,” were absurd, profane and oftentimes giddily idiotic, perfectly tuned for a series about the slow grind of government work.
3. ‘Veep’
(HBO, 2012-19)
Iannucci’s take on American politics had fewer accents but somehow even more farce as it chronicled the exploits of Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus). In many of the shows on this list, politicians are villains and masterminds, but in Selina’s America, they’re just clowns and jerks who “take a dump on the glass ceiling.” Hilarious and often a little too real, the series gave us permission to laugh at the absurdity and unfairness of the uniquely American governmental and electoral systems.
2. ‘Parks and Recreation’
(NBC, 2009-15)
Dark, cynical and somber political dramas are all well and good, but sometimes you may want to feel a little bit hopeful about politics and government. Look no further than Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), a small-town Indiana parks official, and her unending optimism about the ability of government to make the world a better place. In addition to being uplifting and delightful, “Parks” was one of the funniest sitcoms of the century, with unforgettable characters and sets. Its signature town meeting was both a perfect parody of popular opinion and a setup for some of the series’ most hilarious bits. Government can be good and silly, actually, was always the thesis here.
1. ‘The West Wing’
(NBC, 1999-2006)
No list of political shows could put Aaron Sorkin’s White House-set walk-and-talk saga (25 years old this fall) anywhere but the top. Most shows try to avoid taking sides on hot-button issues, let alone mention real political parties. But part of the majesty of “Wing” is that it committed to being openly partisan and passionate. The stakes of congressional votes and foreign summits felt all the more real because the characters were Democrats and Republicans talking about real parts of our world. If it became a little preachy at times, we can forgive the series for all the times its speeches from the likes of Jed Bartlet (Martin Sheen), Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits), and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) were awe-inspiring.
Honorable Mention: ‘The Diplomat’
(Netflix, 2023-present)
With just one season under its belt (Season 2 streams Thursday), it’s a little too early to say if this Netflix drama, starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell, can make the all-time-greats ranking. But it is certainly a heady, chewy story about the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom (Russell), who is caught up in a tense political moment between the two usually friendly nations. With the patter and pace of “The West Wing,” delicious romantic and international relations melodrama and the immense acting talent of Russell, “Diplomat” is deeply watchable, and fans of other shows on this list would enjoy it.
