# Political Animals (2012)

> A former first lady turned Secretary of State tries to hold her family together while battling State Department crises and a relentless journalist.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/39345

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 6
- Episode runtime: 44 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Greg Berlanti
- Network: USA Network
- Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Carla Gugino, Ciarán Hinds, James Wolk, Sebastian Stan, Ellen Burstyn, Brittany Ishibashi, Adrian Pasdar
- TMDB rating: 7.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2239947/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: none
- Tone: polished, tense, melodramatic, wry, intimate

## What critics say

Audience reception is positive, praising the political drama and the lead performance of Sigourney Weaver.

## Synopsis

Political Animals (2012) is a US political drama miniseries created by Greg Berlanti for USA Network. Sigourney Weaver stars as Elaine Barrish Hammond, a former first lady now serving as Secretary of State, who tries to keep her family intact while managing crises inside the State Department. Her estranged husband Bud Hammond (Ciarán Hinds) and her sons Douglas (James Wolk) and T.J. (Sebastian Stan) orbit her ambitions, and Carla Gugino plays Susan Berg, a hungry Washington journalist determined to destroy Elaine's career. The engine of the story is the constant collision between private loyalty and public duty, with each episode built from diplomatic emergencies, backroom political maneuvering, and family confrontations that play out in the same breath. Across six episodes the show moves at a brisk, glossy pace, mixing sharp dialogue with melodrama and a steady undercurrent of tension. Its tone is polished and intimate, sometimes wry, sometimes wounded, and its atmosphere is that of Washington power corridors seen from inside a family kitchen. Fans of Scandal, House of Cards and The Good Wife will find resonance in its blend of political intrigue and domestic drama. This single-season limited series offers a complete, self-contained arc suited to viewers who want political drama without a long commitment.

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