About the Series

Tagline: “Power. Quietly Administered.”

Logline: “The story of George B. Cortelyou - the unsung hero and architect of the modern presidency - who served three U.S. presidents and quietly held America together amid corruption, assassination, and reform.”

Format: Limited Series

Genre: Historical/Political Drama

Length: 8 episodes, 45-50 minutes each

Tone & Style: A balance of stately historical drama and character warmth. The series carries the gravitas of the movie, Darkest Hour or the TV series, Death by Lightning, infused with the wit and humanity of A Gentleman in Moscow.

Series Overview

CORTELYOU is the untold story of the man who stood at the hinge of history, quietly shaping the modern presidency. From a modest postal clerk to trusted advisor to three presidents, George B. Cortelyou rose through discipline, intelligence, and unshakable integrity. No inheritance, no dynasty, only merit.

The Unknown Architect of Power

Most Americans have never heard of the name George Cortelyou. Yet his fingerprints are everywhere - presidential press strategy, executive operations, cabinet structure, presidential security, to name just a few. As the nation is thrust from the Gilded Age into the Progressive Era - through assassination, corporate power, war, and reform - Cortelyou becomes the fixed point inside the storm. If Theodore Roosevelt is thunder, Cortelyou is gravity. Together, they pull the country into the twentieth century.

A Story of Two Forces

Roosevelt is bold, explosive, incandescent - an engine of personality and ambition. Cortelyou is quiet yet charming, precise, impenetrably calm. Their relationship is the core dynamic of the series: Chaos and Control; Spectacle and Substance; Momentum and Mastery. One reshapes the nation’s spirit. The other builds the systems that make it last.

Women Who Command the Room

Power in CORTELYOU is never owned by one gender. President Roosevelt’s daughter, Alice, storms into the series as America’s first political celebrity - brilliant, rebellious, scandalous, and unstoppable. She destabilizes power with her laughter and audacity, serving as both spark and pressure valve in an age of rigid control. Edith Roosevelt reigns with discipline and strategic force, shaping the public face of the presidency. Lilly Cortelyou becomes the unseen emotional anchor of the series - the steady heart behind a man who carries the weight of the nation in silence.

Black Americans at the Heart of the White House

CORTELYOU restores visibility to the Black Americans who sustained the presidency from within its walls. Mr. Percy, the dignified and preceptive Chief Domestic Steward, becomes a recurring presence - an observer of presidents, scandals, triumph, and grief. Through his eyes, we witness the human cost of proximity to power, including moments like Booker T. Washington’s historic dinner at the White House, which cause an uproar across the South.

The American Dream, Without Mythology

George Cortelyou does not inherit power. He earns it - methodically. From postal clerk to Private Secretary to President McKinley, to Private Secretary to Theodore Roosevelt, to Secretary of Commerce and Labor, to Postmaster General, to Secretary of the Treasury, and finally, to presidential contender. He stands at the center of national transformation while insisting on remaining just outside the spotlight. In an era of towering ambition, he practices something rarer: restraint.

A Series About Character

CORTELYOU is, at its core, a story about integrity under pressure. A man who repeatedly stands at the edge of ultimate power.. and steps back. Who refuses corruption when fortune is offered. Who chooses democracy over dynasty. Who believes institutions matter more than ego. When the noise fades and the century turns, Cortelyou does not leave behind monuments. He leaves behind a functioning republic. And in that legacy lies the heartbeat of the series.

Target Audience:

Prestige-Drama Fans: Viewers of The Crown, John Adams, A Gentleman in Moscow, Downton Abbey, and The West Wing - audiences who value character, history, and production design.

Why Now: In an time when institutions are strained, partisanship is high, and public trust in leadership is fragile, CORTELYOU offers a powerful counterpoint to the chaos. He represents a kind of leader in government almost 'too good to be true' today - someone who wielded immense power without the need to be the center of attention, who believed and aimed for real achievement over the appearance of achievement. Cortelyou was quiet, yes, but never passive. Beneath his calm exterior was a fierce sense of purpose and a disciplined will. He didn’t posture; he executed - and the country was served better for it. A political hero is something we all crave for these days.