9 TV Shows That Took Aim at the Trump Administration (Some More Subtly Than Others)
November 10, 2026, 9:57 am
From superheroes and science fiction to political thrillers and animated comedies, television has never been shy about taking shots at the White House. But during Donald Trump‘s first and second administrations, scripted shows have increasingly blurred the lines between fiction and reality, using everything from thinly veiled political stand-ins to outright caricatures of the president himself.
Some series, like The Boys and South Park, have made their targets impossible to miss, while others, including Andor and The Diplomat, have taken a more subtle approach, exploring themes of authoritarianism, political corruption, propaganda, and the dangers of unchecked power.
Whether intentional, coincidental, or simply a case of art imitating life, these scripted shows have found plenty to say about the Trump era, sometimes without ever mentioning the president by name.
The Boys Despite his use as a meme by both political parties, Homelander (Antony Starr) was a direct satirical analogue for Donald Trump and the rise of modern authoritarianism. Showrunner Eric Kripke stated that as political and media landscapes shifted, the series transitioned from a general parody of corporate-backed superhero franchises into a sharp critique of the intersection between celebrity, populism, and fascism.
“When Seth [Rogen] and Evan [Goldberg] and I took it out to pitch, it was 2016. We just wanted to do a very realistic version of a superhero show, one where superheroes are celebrities behaving badly,” Kripke told The Hollywood Reporter. “When [Trump] got elected, we had a metaphor that said more about the current world. Suddenly, we were telling a story about the intersection of celebrity and authoritarianism and how social media and entertainment are used to sell fascism. We’re right in the eye of the storm. And once we realized that, I just felt an obligation to run in that direction as far as we could.”
Andor It isn’t hard to draw a connection from Disney+ series Andor to the politics of the Trump administration. It’s best seen in Mon Mothma’s (Genevieve O’Reilly) senate speech in Season 2 Episode 9 “Welcome to the Rebellion,” which was seen as a reflection of current political leaders: “The distance between what is said and what is known to be true has become an abyss. Of all the things at risk, the loss of an objective reality is perhaps the most dangerous. The death of truth is the ultimate victory of evil. When truth leaves us, when we let it slip away, when it is ripped from our hands, we become vulnerable to the appetite of whatever monster screams the loudest.”
“When I’m writing that speech, I’m pissed off. I’m pissed off right now,” writer Dan Gilroy explained during the Sublime Primetime Drama Panel at the Writers Guild in Los Angeles. “So as I’m writing the speech, which is really the climax of that episode, I’m also deeply aware … of what was going on in our world at that time. I’m watching Senators being held to a standard of things of what they [said they once] believed in, and then utterly abandon them out of expediency and cowardice.”
South Park (a.k.a. South America) Much more on the nose and firing direct shots at the Trump administration than other shows on this list, South Park even changed its name to South America to mock Trump’s penchant for renaming American landmarks and institutions, such as his proposal to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America.”
“Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google, we are changing the name of South Park to SOUTH AMERICA. We especially want to thank our parent company Paramount — a Skydance Capitulation,” wrote creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone in a statement.
Never one to shy away from controversy, the long-running animated comedy took its political satire to new heights, making Trump and his administration frequent targets of its increasingly outrageous storylines, including featuring a naked Trump in a deepfake pseudo PSA video and depicting Trump in a relationship with Satan.
The Testaments Writer Margaret Atwood stated on Late Night with Seth Meyers that the election of Donald Trump and the political climate during his first administration “put wind in my sails” while she was writing her 2019 sequel novel, The Testaments, noting that the story served as a warning drawn from real-world history and authoritarian playbooks.
The Testaments also included direct digs at modern political figures in Trump’s administration, including a line mocking the backgrounds of candidates seeking government positions: “Before this guy was a Commander, he worked in Crypto.”
The Diplomat In Netflix’s The Diplomat Season 4, U.S. Ambassador Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) clashed with President Grace Penn (Allison Janney) over increasingly dangerous policies and ultimately defied the administration on the world stage. The season also tackled political violence through an assassination attempt on Penn, reflecting the heightened tensions of the Trump era.
“We get as many points of view as we possibly can because we want to know what people are actually dealing with,” creator Debora Cahn told The Wrap. “We don’t want to copy the stories from the front page, but we want our characters to be grappling with the same moral toxic waste that people who work in the world are right now.”
Daredevil: Born Again The rise of mob boss-turned-politician Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) drew parallels to authoritarian politics and Donald Trump’s populist political style. Fisk’s campaign relied on the loyalty of an angry, system-weary voter base and slogans like “Fisk Can Fix It,” echoing Trump’s “Trump Will Fix It” and “Make America Great Again” messaging. Once in power, Fisk bent law enforcement to his will and established specialized task forces resembling ICE, reflecting authoritarian overreach and the abuse of government power.
However, the cast and crew of Daredevil: Born Again have publicly stated that the similarities were largely coincidental or rooted in older comic book arcs. At the same time, members of the creative team acknowledged that the narrative mirrored contemporary political movements.
“What we’re seeing happening in the streets of New York in Daredevil: Born Again happened in Cyprus in 1974,” showrunner Dario Scardapane told Entertainment Weekly. “So if you go back to the historical rise of autocrats, whether it’s Nero, whether it’s Pinochet, whether it’s Franco, they follow a script.”
“That one we did lean into. If you’re diving into stories that are borrowing from past events, history tends to repeat itself if not learned from,” said the showrunner.
President Curtis The Rick and Morty spinoff was created by Dan Harmon and James Siciliano as a commentary on the absurdity and ego of modern American leadership. Voiced by Keith David, Curtis viewed the presidency through the lens of an outsider, dismissed Washington bureaucracy, and behaved like a cartoonish egomaniac who treated the White House like his own clubhouse.
“Curtis has a naïveté that you could overlap with Trump, who is like, ‘I’m an outsider, and I consider this job simple, and I don’t care about the bureaucracy of it,’” Harmon told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Regime HBO’s satirical miniseries The Regime served as a cautionary tale about the power of populist rhetoric, drawing parallels to Donald Trump. In satirizing modern autocrats, creator Will Tracy pointed out that a defining characteristic Chancellor Elena Vernham (Kate Winslet) shared with Trump was a desperate craving to be taken seriously, with much of the dark comedy stemming from her absolute intolerance for being laughed at.
“I think that probably there are some things that Elena has in common with [Donald] Trump, moreso than with some other leaders, like even [Vladmir] Putin perhaps. I think a defining characteristic of Elena — and what makes the comedy and the tragedy work hand in hand in the show — is a commonality I’ve seen a lot with authoritarians,” Tracy told The Hollywood Reporter. “That they not only desperately want to be heard and understood, but taken seriously: Don’t laugh at me.”
At the time, Trump was seeking a second term in office, and for director Stephen Frears, the show served as a cautionary tale. “The reality of Trump [and the presidency] has increased and grown stronger. He was more of a distant idea,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2024.
Succession HBO’s Succession offered a biting satire when it came to the intersection of wealth, media, and political power, with the Roy family’s conservative news network, ATN, drawing comparisons to Fox News and its relationship with Donald Trump. In the show, the Roys used their media influence to help far-right presidential candidate Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk) gain an advantage on election night, prioritizing business over journalistic integrity.
“We want the world to feel complete and not a satire in a kind of cheap way. So, he’s evidently more eloquent and a rather more ideological figure and therefore feels more chilling,” creator Jesse Armstrong told Yahoo! Entertainment.
AndorDaredevil: Born AgainPresident CurtisSouth ParkThe BoysThe DiplomatThe RegimeThe TestamentsAllison JanneyAntony StarrDan HarmonDario ScardapaneDebora CahnDonald TrumpGenevieve O’ReillyKate WinsletKeith DavidKeri RussellVincent D’OnofrioWill Tracy
