The 15 Best Political TV Shows on Netflix

Looking to escape the crushing 24 hour news cycle but can’t quit politics? Netflix offers a strong selection of political television in its vast catalog. Diving into historical dramas like Medici: Masters of Florence or Versaille, or visiting alternate realities where aliens have taken over Los Angeles like in Colony, there’s a range of offerings currently available on the streaming giant.

Below are the 15 best political TV shows on Netflix:

15. Medici: Masters of Florence

A political, family drama set in Florence in the early 15th century. Cosimo de’ Medici finds himself at the helm of his supremely wealthy, banking dynasty family, when his father, Giovanni dies suddenly. However Cosimo is concealing a dangerous secret – Giovanni was murdered. Now Cosimo and his brother must unearth his killer in order to protect the wealth and power of the family.

14. Versailles

In the wake of the Fronde in 1667, the French nobility have begun to defy and disobey the monarchy. Young King Louis XIV decides to move the court from the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye near Paris to his father’s former hunting lodge near the hamlet of Versailles as a means to force their submission. As Louis renovates and expands his new Palace of Versailles, the nobles-displaced from their usual surroundings but compelled to surround the king-become embroiled in increasingly dangerous intrigues.—Wiki

13. Reign

Chronicles the rise to power of Mary Queen of Scots (Kane) when she arrives in France as a 15-year-old, betrothed to Prince Francis, and with her four best friends as ladies-in-waiting. It details the secret history of survival at French Court amidst fierce foes, dark forces, and a world of sexual intrigue.—CW

12. Designated Survivor

Kiefer Sutherland stars as Tom Kirkman, a lower-level cabinet member who is suddenly appointed President of the United States after a catastrophic attack on the US Capitol during the State of the Union, on the highly anticipated series Designated Survivor. In this dramatic thriller, Kirkman will struggle to keep the country and his own family from falling apart, while navigating the highly-volatile political arena and while leading the search to find who is responsible for the attack.—ahmetkozan

11. The Last Kingdom

In the year 872, many of the separate kingdoms of what is now England have fallen to the invading Danes, leaving the great kingdom of Wessex standing alone and defiant under the command of King Alfred. Against this turbulent backdrop lives Uhtred. Born to a Saxon nobleman, he is captured by the Danes and raised as one of their own. Forced to choose between his birth country and the people of his upbringing, his loyalties are ever tested. What is he? Saxon or Dane? On a quest to reclaim his birthright, Uhtred must tread a dangerous path between both sides to play his part in the birth of a new nation and–ultimately–recapture his ancestral lands.

10. Colony

Set in the near future, Colony centers on a family who must make difficult decisions as they balance staying together while trying to survive. They live in L.A., which has been occupied by a force of outside intruders. While some people have chosen to collaborate with the authorities and benefit from the new order, others have rebelled and suffer the consequences.—malahide-107-163858

9. Ingobernable

Emilia, the First Lady of Mexico, has big plans to improve the conditions of the country and its people. As she starts to lose faith in her husband, President Diego Nava, she needs to figure out how to deal with a devastating new challenge.—Netflix

8. Marseille

A tale of power, corruption and redemption set against the rich backdrop of the French port city of Marseille.

7. Borgen

This Danish drama series follows the intricate, complicated lives of the politicians, media spinners, and reporters who feed off their triumphs and failures in ‘Borgen’ (the Castle)–the nickname for Denmark’s parliamentary building. In the first episode, Denmark is preparing for parliamentary elections and Birgitte Nyborg, facing her first election as party leader, decides at the last minute to head in her own direction.

6. Madam Secretary

A political drama which looks into the life of the Secretary of State as she tries to balance work with family.

5. Bodyguard

Bodyguard tells the fictional story of David Budd, a heroic but volatile war veteran now working as a Specialist Protection Officer for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. When he is assigned to protect the ambitious and powerful Home Secretary Julia Montague, whose politics stand for everything he despises, Budd finds himself torn between his duty and beliefs. Responsible for her safety, is he actually her biggest threat?

4. Scandal

When you get into trouble there’s only one person to call, Olivia Pope. Olivia is a professional ‘fixer’ who makes problems go away before anyone even knows they exist. For the moneyed, the powerful and even the President, Olivia is a legend in her field. Her spectacular success is mostly due to her unbreakable rule of always trust your gut. No matter how careful you are, when you do damage control for a living, you’re bound to cause some damage to your own life. She and her crew eat, sleep, live and breathe crisis. Each week, as the team races against the clock to defuse intriguing new problems before they become full-blown disasters, they also have to deal with their own personal issues. They may call themselves ‘gladiators in suits’, but little by little, Olivia and her crew begin to reveal the chinks in their armor.—Anonymous

3. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The stable wormhole discovered by the Deep Space Nine crew is known to the Bajoran people as the Celestial Temple of their Prophets. Sisko, as discoverer of the wormhole and its inhabitants, is therefore the Emissary of Bajoran prophesy. The wormhole’s other end is in the Gamma Quadrant, halfway around the galaxy from Bajor. That section of space is dominated by the malevolent Dominion. The Dominion is led by the Changelings, the race of shapeshifters to which Odo belongs. As of the beginning of the sixth season, Cardassia has joined the Dominion, and together they are waging war on the Federation and their Klingon allies. The war is quickly becoming the most costly war ever for the Federation, and the Deep Space Nine crew must fight to protect their way of life.—Matthew D. Wilson <[email protected]>

2. House of Cards

Majority House Whip Francis Underwood takes you on a long journey as he exacts his vengeance on those he feels wronged him – that is, his own cabinet members including the President of the United States himself. Dashing, cunning, methodical and vicious, Frank Underwood along with his equally manipulative yet ambiguous wife, Claire, take Washington by storm through climbing the hierarchical ladder to power in this Americanized recreation of the BBC series of the same name.—Jacob Oberfrank

1.The Crown

This show focuses on Queen Elizabeth II as a young newlywed faced with leading the world’s most famous monarchy, while forging a relationship with legendary Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill. The British Empire is in decline, the political world is in disarray, but a new era is dawning. Peter Morgan’s masterfully researched scripts reveal the Queen’s private journey behind the public façade with daring frankness. Prepare to see into the coveted world of power and privilege behind the locked doors of Westminster and Buckingham Palace.—Netflix.