We all remember those superficial student council elections, right? Giving out candy and pencils to unsuspecting voters in the lunch room, when in reality that election was really defined on where you stood on the popularity food chain?

Think of that, but in a more hyper-politicized context, and you got Netflix's new series "The Politician." Ryan Murphy's newest incarnation, which premiered on September 26, 2019, is an unsuspecting political thriller in an age of exhausting political satire.

The show follows high schooler Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) who is thoroughly convinced he was born to become President of the United States, and he thinks that becoming student council president of his affluent Santa Barbara, California high school will be his first stepping stone into political stardom.

Payton works this superficial election as if it's actually a real presidential election. He has staffers James (Theo Germaine) and McAfee (Laura Dreyfuss) and even his own manufactured first lady Alice (Julia Schlaepfer). In fact, he even has his own presidential rival Astrid (Lucy Boynton), who we will see become just as bitter as any political opponent especially given her boyfriend's (David Corenswet) intimate connection with Payton.

"The Politician"'s distinguishing factor is clearly its depiction of a high school election as a polarizing one that we see in real-life politics. Both Payton and Astrid play political shots that we're all-too-familiar with, including a variety of scandals involving their running mates: Astrid's pick the gender-non-conforming Skye Leighton (Rahne Jones) and Ben's Gypsy Rose Blanchard doppelgänger Infinity Jackson (Zoe Deutch).

Moreover, the series also has a star-studded list of veterans on its roster. Some of these names include the legendary Jessica Lange, who plays Infinity's mother Dusty; Gwyneth Paltrow, who portrays Payton's mother who is struggling with infidelity and protecting Payton from his brothers; and Bette Midler, who plays the chief of staff of one of Payton's future political opponents.

But with any new series, "The Politician" has a lot of questions surrounding it. Indeed, the series provides a gleeful, satirical look at the can of worms known as politics, but with its end-of-season cliffhanger (which I won't spoil), it raises the question of whether or not this show will spiral into another typical politically-oriented show. Ryan Murphy is known for his television magic ("American Horror Story," "Glee," "Pose," etc.), so it will be interesting to see how he can morph this concept into something worth remembering.

All episodes of season 1 of "The Politician" are streaming on Netflix.