Political Animals Trailer: Hillary Clinton Inspires New USA Series

Culture

The new show Political Animals, which is set to premiere this weekend, has kept much of its plot under wraps. If you have seen the commercials, the online trailers, or have visited the show’s Facebook page, one thing is clear, the main character is based off of Hillary Clinton and her political career.

Elaine Barrish (played by Sigourney Weaver) is secretary of state and is preparing to launch her second campaign to run for president. Barrish is married to a former president and has two twin sons who also play a political role in her life.

There are many common threads between our current secretary of state Hillary Clinton and the fictional character Elaine Barrish. Besides the fact that they share the same job description, both Clinton and Barrish are married to former presidents who had extramarital affairs, both brought up children in the White House, and both ran for president.

The trailers have revealed that Barrish left her husband Bud Hammond, and more than likely it is a strategic political move to advance her career. Also, interviews with the cast confirm that Barrish is running for president for the second time. The show is making a timely debut, with the presidential election around the corner, and speculations about whether or not Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2016.

The show promises a new type of strong female character – one in politics. While we have some information about Elaine Barrish’s character, we still have yet to learn about the other women on the show. Another character Susan Berg is a journalist who wants the inside scoop on Barrish and her presidential campaign. Berg is accredited with releasing the story about her ex-husband and his sexual affairs. Barrish’s mother is also an important part of the plot. It will be interesting to see as the storyline develops, if the other female characters are also modeled after real people.

Political Animals has set up a winning formula to capture a large audience. The show is playing off of the current political atmosphere, which promises to reign in the attention of political junkies. The show’s writers have managed to model their main character after a political figure that is not only well respected, but liked by many and very recognizable. Many people will just tune in to see how similar or different Elaine Barrish is from Hillary Clinton.

Political Animals promises to be scandalous and politically tantalizing. While much of the plot is yet to be revealed, it is clear that the writers modeled the main character after Hillary Clinton. Only time will tell, if this was a good idea.