In the intro, there are several books with past presidents name on them in order; Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Barack Obama & then the next book is Idiot's Guide to Clowning. This is a slam to Donald Trump since the next book should have had his name
Gwyneth Paltrow has admitted in interviews that she no longer has a particular interest in acting and had to be convinced by her husband Brad Falchuk and her good friend Ryan Murphy, co-creators of the show along with Ian Brennan, to be on this show. She ended up agreeing as long as she could shoot her scenes in a couple of days each week, because her primary occupation is running her company Goop, and if she didn't want to say some of the dialogue, Falchuk would rewrite them to her comfort.
Playing the title role in Dear Evan Hansen required Ben Platt to lose 30 pounds and walk with a slouch, which had become his regular posture. For this role he had to go through special exercises to correct it.
This show was partly filmed at Fullerton High School in Fullerton, California.
Often compared to the film Election (1999) which also satires national politics through a high-school election, the second season of The Politican has a scene in which Peyton (Ben Platt) and his mother (Gwyneth Paltrow) have a discussion about the differences between morals and ethics. The opening scene of Election features Matthew Broderick having a similar discussion with his students.