Parents' Guide to The Politician

Parents need to know that The Politician is a comic drama about dark dealings -- many involving student government -- at a wealthy California private high school. The show starts with a trigger warning: "For those who struggle with their mental health, some elements may be disturbing." The warning is apt, because a character unexpectedly commits suicide shortly after the show starts: We hear a gunshot and see another character with a bloody face and shirt, and then see a body in a body bag with a woman screaming. Another plot point revolves around a character with Munchausen syndrome by proxy who's poisoning a relative who believes she's actually ill. Sexual content is also mature, though all we see is same- and opposite-sex kissing. There's talk of group sex, body parts, consequence-free casual sex, and a girl faking sexual pleasure to give a boy "confidence." Language can be insulting and rude: A boy is called a "f-g," and a character is told to "Eat a fat one." An adult character smokes cigarettes. Many characters are wealthy (we see their fancy houses and luxury cars), and most are white, though there's at least one African American character who's also gender nonconforming -- she doesn't have a big part, though. Positive messages are few and far between, and most characters treat each other with something between condescension and contempt.