Five political TV shows to watch this election

With the presidential election right around the corner, Americans are anxious to find out who will win. Television can be a good distraction from real-world events, especially with the potential of delayed results. Here are five political shows to distract you.

The West Wing

This political drama follows the fictional administration of President Jeb Bartlett and his staff while they struggle to find a balance between their personal lives and trying to run the country. “The West Wing” was created and written by Aaron Sorkin and aired on NBC from 1999 to 2006 for seven seasons. After season four, Sorkin left the show for his own reasons, though many speculated it was because the production had issues during that season.

“The West Wing” is available to watch on Netflix.

Scandal

Lawyer and former White House communications director and lawyer Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) opens her own crisis-management firm. Trying to move on from her past by defending the secrets of the nation’s elite, Pope and her team can’t seem to bury their own. Created and written by Shonda Rhimes, “Scandal” aired on ABC from 2012-2018 for seven seasons.

“Scandal” is available to watch on Hulu.

Veep

“Veep” is a sitcom that follows Vice President Selina Mayer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) as she navigates her public and private life as well as all the situations that come with being the vice president. The political sitcom was created by Armando Iannucci and aired on HBO starting in 2012. It ran for seven seasons and consisted of 65 episodes, ending in 2019.

“Veep” is available to watch on HBO MAX.

The Newsroom

This political drama series is about the staff at a fictional news network, Atlantis Cable News. When Will McAvoy’s (Jeff Daniels) co-anchor, Elliot Hirsch (David Harbour) lands a new program, he ends up taking most of the staff with him. The newsroom undergoes changes when Will gets a new staff for his program. The series was written and created by Aaron Sorkin and aired on HBO for three seasons. The series ended after season three because Aaron Sorkin didn’t want to continue writing the show.

“The Newsroom” is available to watch on HBO MAX.

Designated Survivor

Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland) who is the housing and urban development secretary is picked to go to an undisclosed location during the State of the Union address. When the U.S. Capitol is attacked resulting in the death of the president and most of the Cabinet, Kirkman becomes the president. Created by David Guggenheim, the show originally aired on ABC in September 2016. The show was canceled by ABC after season two but then picked up by Netflix for a third and final season for June 2019.

“Designated Survivor” is available to watch on Netflix.