History Series / PoliticalAnimals

Political Animals is a limited series on USANetwork starring SigourneyWeaver as Elaine Barrish Hammond, an American former First Lady, politician, and Presidential candidate who is currently serving as Secretary of State. [[{{HillaryRodhamClinton}} This may sound familiar]]. The show also follows her ex-husband Bud Hammond, a former Democratic President, their workaholic son Doug who is devoted to working for his mother, and their younger gay son T.J. The series follows the Hammond family through the travails of political intrigue and awkward family life.

* TheAlcoholic: Elaine's mother and TJ, though Elaine's mother is probably closer to BottleFairy than full-blown alcoholic; indeed, she highly dislikes the idea of a person getting themselves in deep enough to have an addiction (having witnessed Elaine's father self-destruct due to his drug addiction) and she bluntly informs TJ that he's headed down the same path as his grandfather if he doesn't get a hold of himself soon.

* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Elaine's DeadpanSnarker BottleFairy mother.

Tropes present in this series include:

* AlternateHistory: With the point of divergence sometime around in the '80s or at least 1992 at the latest; Bud Hammond's presidency seems to have replaced BillClinton's, and Hillary's turn as a Senator from New York seems to have been replaced by Elaine as Governor of Illinois.[[note]]Incidentally, the real HRC is originally from Chicago.[[/note]] Also, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was was replaced by Diane Nash, who is also lesbian.

* ProductPlacement: Skype seems to be the video-chat app of choice at USA Networks. See also Series/Suits.

* MyOwnPrivateIDo: Doug and Annie ('''Plan First, Elope Later''' variant), in the season finale.

* VomitIndiscretionShot: Doug's bulimic fiancee.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: After the Vice-President refers to T.J. as "that queer son of yours," Bud decks him. ''In the Oval Office.'' '''In front of the President.'''
** Elaine, needless to say, doesn't view it as such.

* VomitIndiscretionShot: Doug's bulimic fiancee.

* GrandDame: Elaine's mother is advertised as this on the show's promotional materials.

* BottleFairy: Elaine's mom.

* {{Irony}}: Elaine's mother is a cranky old BottleFairy who ''lives'' by the ScrewPolitenessImASenior trope, but she's arguably the most well-adjusted character on the show, consistently warning the others about the potential consequences of their actions ([[{{CassandraTruth}} which they promptly ignore and get themselves into trouble]]), and she's the one person who's GenreSavvy enough to know everyone's secrets and try to push them towards the right direction. She's pretty much the only character on the show who gives consistently sensible advice to the others.

* {{Irony}}: Elaine's mother is a cranky old BottleFairy who ''lives'' by the ScrewPolitenessImASenior trope, but she's arguably the most well-adjusted character on the show, consistently warning the others about the potential consequences of their actions ([[{{CassandraTruth}} which they promptly ignore and get themselves into trouble]]), and she's the one person who's GenreSavvy enough to know everyone's secrets and try to push them towards the right direction. She's pretty much the only character on the show who gives sensible advice to the others.

* {{Irony}}: Elaine's mother is a cranky old BottleFairy who ''lives'' by the ScrewPolitenessImASenior trope, but she's arguably the most well-adjusted character on the show, consistently warning the others about the potential consequences of their actions ([[{{CassandraTruth}} which they promptly ignore and get themselves into trouble]]), and she's the one person who's GenreSavvy enough to know everyone's secrets and try to push them towards the right direction.

* Irony: Elaine's mother is a cranky old BottleFairy who ''lives'' by the ScrewPolitenessImASenior trope, but she's arguably the most well-adjusted character on the show, consistently warning the others about the potential consequences of their actions ([[{{CassandraTruth}} which they promptly ignore and get themselves into trouble]]), and she's the one person who's GenreSavvy enough to know everyone's secrets and try to push them towards the right direction.

* TheAlcoholic: Elaine's mother and TJ, though Elaine's mother is probably closer to BottleFairy than full-blown alcoholic; indeed, she highly dislikes addictions (having witnessed Elaine's father self-destruct due to his drug addiction) and bluntly informs TJ that he's headed down the same path as his grandfather if he doesn't get a hold of himself soon.

* ShoutOut: Adrian Pasdar's President character is a sleazy politician named Garcetti from Baltimore; this is almost definitely meant as a ShoutOut to Tommy ''C''arcetti from TheWire, who goes from Baltimore City Council to Mayor and then finally Maryland Governor by the end of the series, and perhaps is a sort of exploration of what would happen if Carcetti were President. Yikes. Lampshaded by Bud, who does not ever hesitate to point out how slimy and disgusting he finds Garcetti.
* SilentSnarker: The Secret Service agents.

* TheAlcoholic: Elaine's mother and TJ.

* DeadpanSnarker: The whole family, but especially Elaine's mother.

* AllGaysArePromiscuous: TJ uses a Grindr-like smartphone app to hookup with a guy in the first episode.

*** Bud Hammond will remind you of a lecherous, highly ambitious middle-aged politician, [[{{Rome}} and not necessarily Bill Clinton]].