The first season is set at the fictional Saint Sebastian High School in Santa Barbara, California. Payton Hobart (Ben Platt), who has dreamed of being elected President of the United States since childhood, is running for student body president against the popular and athletic River Barkley (David Corenswet). Payton, under the direction of his ambitious friends McAfee Westbrook (Laura Dreyfuss), James Sullivan (Theo Germaine), and Alice Charles (Julia Schlaepfer), chooses Infinity Jackson (Zoey Deutch), a cancer patient and victim of Munchausen by Proxy disorder, to be his vice-president. Meanwhile, River, under the direction of his girlfriend Astrid Sloan (Lucy Boynton), chooses Skye Leighton (Rahne Jones), a gender-nonconforming black classmate, to be his vice-president.
The second season is set in New York City and Albany, New York. Payton, now a student at New York University, is running for a seat in the New York State Senate against incumbent Majority Leader Dede Standish (Judith Light). Payton, under the direction of his former classmates and climate change activist Infinity Jackson, runs an ecocentric campaign. Standish, under the direction of her conniving campaign manager Hadassah Gold (Bette Midler), runs a more conservative campaign. Meanwhile, Payton's mother, Georgina Hobart (Gwyneth Paltrow), is running to be Governor of California.
Ben Platt as Payton Hobart an ambitious man
Zoey Deutch as Infinity Jackson Payton's former running mate
Lucy Boynton as Astrid Sloan Payton's rival and River's former girlfriend
Bob Balaban as Keaton Hobart (season 1), Payton's adoptive father
David Corenswet as River Barkley (season 1; recurring season 2), Payton's opponent for student body president and ex-boyfriend
Julia Schlaepfer as Alice Charles Payton's girlfriend and later fiancée
Laura Dreyfuss as McAfee Westbrook Payton's campaign manager and advisor
Theo Germaine as James Sullivan Payton's campaign manager and advisor
Rahne Jones as Skye Leighton River's former running mate
Benjamin Barrett as Ricardo (season 1; guest season 2), Infinity's former dim-witted boyfriend
Jessica Lange as Dusty Jackson (season 1), Infinity's grandmother and former caretaker
Gwyneth Paltrow as Georgina Hobart Payton's adoptive mother
Judith Light as Dede Standish (season 2; guest season 1), the New York State Senate Majority Leader
Bette Midler as Hadassah Gold (season 2; guest season 1), Dede's Chief of Staff
Ryan J. Haddad as Andrew Cashman a former student with cerebral palsy at St. Sebastian
Trey Eason as Luther Hobart one of Payton's brothers
Natasha Ofili as Principal Vaughn (season 1), the Principal at St. Sebastian
B.K. Cannon as Chris
Martina Navratilova as Brigitte (season 1), a horse trainer
Dylan McDermott as Theo Sloan (season 1), Astrid's father
Sam Jaeger as Tino McCutcheon (season 2; guest season 1), the Junior Senator-Elect from Texas
January Jones as Lisbeth Sloan (season 1), Astrid's mother
Joe Morton as Marcus Standish (season 2; guest season 1), Dede's husband
Teddy Sears as William Ward (season 2; guest season 1), the third in Dede and Marcus' throuple
Jackie Hoffman as Sherry Dougal (season 2; guest season 1), the receptionist at Dede Standish's campaign office
Rick Holmes as Cooper (season 1)
Eric Nenninger as Detective (season 1)
Russell Posner as Elliot Beachman (season 1)
Terry Sweeney as Buddy Broidy (season 1)
Robin Weigert as Andi Mueller (season 2)
Susannah Perkins as Jayne Mueller (season 2)
Jordan Nichole Wall as Ivy (season 1), girl with Down syndrome on school bus
Jake Tapper as himself a CNN correspondent and moderator for the gubernatorial debate
Trevor Eason as Martin Hobart
Koby Kumi-Diaka as Pierre
Richard Wharton as Thomas
Daryl Edwards as J. Tank Brown
James Waterston
Clark Carmichael as Pat Carney
Sandra Landers as Anna Whitcolm
Joseph Runningfox as Shaman George
Ava Eisenson as Riva Mandel
Carrie Gibson as Waitress
Sky Soleil as Officer McKay
Troy Blendell as Mr. Happ
Marshall Fox as Ray
Michael Graham as Gaylord Nelson
Heather Burns as Mary McCutcheon
Mallory Ann Wu as Taryn
Krystin Goodwin as Tiffany Albrecht
Mitch Greenberg as Male Patron
Sullivan Jones as Hamilton
John Scott-Richardson as Native American Chief
Graham Clarke as Freddy
Alveraz Ricardez as Police Officer
Lawrence Ballard
Josh Bonzie as Randal
Joe Carroll as David
Chris Kipiniak as Bryce Edgmon
Valerie Sue Love as Waitress
Irene Shamas as Danni
Eileen Grubba as Angela
Tracy S. Lee as Vicki
Taylan Tural as Dina
Alix Elias as Elderly Volunteer
Michael Hartney as Manager
Robert James Hickey as Carl Moses
Louise Bennett as Nancy Grace-Type
Sean Michael Boozer as Board Member #1
Karen Brundage as Olive Garden Woman
Justiin A. Davis as Dabney
Macy Friday as Chippy
Carla Valentine as Nurse
Tonya Canady as Female Lawyer
Amber Efé as Reporter
Kelly Fulton as Alison
Andrew Haserlat as Waiter
Josh Hemphill as Nurse
Monica Steuer as Reignbough
Luis Avila as Amir
Michael James Bell as Asshole Guest
Courtney Taylor Burness as Hostess
Ty Chen as Khai Zhi
Dey Young as Board Member #2
Karen Braga as Sway
Tristan Griffan as Nurse #2
Michael Simon Hall as David Yancy
Elvis Mitchell
Ian Unterman as Other Reporter
Luke Young as Photographer
Miles Fisher as Thad
Kevin Gardner as Mr. Hapswell
Jeff Griggs as Perkins #1
Deepti Gupta as Dr. Singh
Jillian Peterson as Board Member #4
Tanner Thomason as John Judson
Adam Wang as Mr. Anselm
Phoenix Carnevale as Reporter #3
Lizzy Jutila as Young Expectant Mother
Kim Berrios Lin as Professor
Namakula as Reporter
David L. Townsend as James Alcorn
Josh Philip Weinstein
Sammy Busby as Police Chief
Gina Gian as Mother
Jake Johnson as Student #1
Soma Mitra as Producer
Jay Pennick as Board Member #5
Albie Selznick as Perkins #2
Cate Bottiglione as Shelly Simmonds
Nandita Chandra as Alka Shah
David J. Cork as Franklin
Laurissa Romain as Cute Girl
Ivet Corvea as Lecturer
Zehra Fazal as Reporter
Kevin Garner as Teddy
Emma Kennedy as Student #2
Timothy Landfield as Dr. Brandt
Andrew Patrick Ralston as Dean Lawrence
Twinkle Burke as Nurse
Henry Caicedo as Lobsterman #1
Caitlin Cooke as Alice-Look-A-Like
Greg Crowe as Older Man
James Augustus Lee as Prisoner #1
AJ Achinger as Derek
Kyle Eastman as Jeremy
Elizabeth Lambert as Alice's Mom
Liv Mai as Susan
Theo Wilson as Anchor Steve Brock
Jay Dunigan as Lobsterman #2
T.L. Flint as Prisoner #2
Brian Richardson as Volunteer
Carla Barnett as Nurse
Hesper Dominguez as Drama Student #1
Laura Patalano as Lupe
Paloma Rabinov as Trina
Reed Rudy as Alice's Father
Michael W. Harley as Fat Prisoner
Kerry Vera Lea as Employee
Joel Bolus as Drama Student #2
Doreen Calderon as Librarian
Gustavo Escobar as Kid in Store
Lauryn Kennedy Hardy as Girl Student
Dre Jackson as Bartender
Tommie Earl Jenkins as Teacher
Brett A. Jones as Office Bodyguard #2
Sue Molnar as Instructor
Melvin Caldwell as Monsignor
Oliver Day as Drama Student #3
Julieta Espinoza as Hobart Maid
Chris Gann as Office Bodyguard #1
Brad Griffith as Auctioneer
Elise Luthman as Shelley
Jasminn Johnson as Intern
Jeff Allen as Thomas Eagleton
Will Hawkes as Calc Teacher
Tracey Ann-Marie Nelson as Admin. Assistant
Dylan Wilkinson as Drama Student #4
Brandon Win as Connor
Amy Anderson as Scientist
Zach Lewis as Officer
Glenn Meister as George McGovern
David Zachary Ortiz as Kid
Isiah Adams as Crewman
Andre Hotchko as Hubert Humphrey
Rudy Pankow as Other Kid
Elena Rosa as FBI Agent #1
Jonathan Bray as FBI Agent #2
Blaine Gray as Ted Kennedy
Evan Wasser as Third Kid
Chris Flanders as Walter Mondale
PÃ ton Hardy as Mary
Michele Aristy as Astrid's Maid
Debby Gerber as Nurse
Laura Hammer as Park Parent
Nathan Howard as Damien
Meghan Noone as Mrs. Thomas Eagleton
Brooke Piedra as High School Girl
Donna Pieroni as Ms. Barbara
Jordan Preston as Polygraph Cop
Mar Sudac as Student
Alfredo Tavares as Wedding Guest
Tucker Brown as 'Candidate' Jimmy McMillan
Shannon Cabbell as McAfee's Date
Louis DeVaughn Nelson as Election Audience Member
Sheldon Raymore as Native American Cultural Consultant
Alexandra Tejeda Rieloff as Poll Worker
Gwyneth Anne Trumbore as Student
The average duration of each episode is 28 - 62 minutes. Country of origin: United States. Original language: English.
