Political drama

See also: Political theatre

A political drama can describe a play, film or TV program that has a political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events.

Dramatists who have written political dramas include Aaron Sorkin, Robert Penn Warren, Sergei Eisenstein, Bertolt Brecht, Jean-Paul Sartre, Caryl Churchill, and Federico García Lorca.

Examples

Television series that can be classified as political drama include Yes Minister, its sequel Yes, Prime Minister, The West Wing, Borgen, Boss, Jack and Bobby, The Bold Ones: The Senator, Commander in Chief, House of Cards (UK and US versions) and Madam Secretary. There have been notables films that have been labeled as political dramas such as Thirteen Days. A famous literary political drama which later made the transition to film was Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men.

Political drama and other genres

The reimagined Battlestar Galactica was very much a political drama due to the way the show dealt with political issues and government very closely resembling that of other political dramas such as The West Wing or Yes Minister but, due to the genre it's based in the show also dealt with political and social issues that can arise from the show's science fiction background as well as common issues arising in normal political dramas that are based on our world in our modern day or the history of our world.

The Good Wife can also be considered a political drama, especially in its critically acclaimed second season and fifth season. Races for political office, including state's attorney, governor, and even a Presidential run, move in and out of the show's narrative and the story of its main character, Alicia Florrick. However, Alicia's primary profession as a litigator for the most part takes precedence in the narrative, and so the show more often focuses on her cases and related office politics, making it primarily a legal drama.

There are also political dramas that don't relate to diplomatic politics but daily politics, like the comedies 30 Rock or Parks and Recreation.