Netflix lands Ryan Murphy political comedy series

Streaming service Netflix has beaten off rivals Amazon and Hulu to secure the latest comedy from Glee and American Horror Story creator Ryan Murphy.

Capture of The Politician, which has landed a two-season straight-to-series order, is a boon for Netflix, which has been targeting big name producers in recent months.

Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan co-created the show, which already has Ben Platt attached to star, with US trades claiming Barbra Streisand and Gwyneth Paltrow are also in negotiations to co-star.

Murphy already has one series with Netflix, having already sold the upcoming One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest prequel Ratched to the SVOD player in another two-season deal.

The Politician is being billed as a one-hour comedy with social commentary and musical number elements set based around a Santa Barbera-based official.

Fox 21 TV Studios will produce through its deal with Murphy, with Streisand and Paltrow expected to take on producer roles if they close deals to feature.

Murphy’s future is currently up in the air, as he hasn’t made the decision whether he will stay with Fox when the Disney acquisition closes. He was effusive last month when questioned by journalists.

He currently has four series on air: the recently launched Fox drama 9-1-1 and FX’s anthology show American Horror Story.