From George Washington to Donald Trump, real American presidents have been portrayed in movies and television shows for over a century. Film directors and TV showrunners who have covered actual commanders-in-chief have typically tended to treat their subjects, even the more controversial ones, with at least some semblance of nuance. While giving a full picture is oftentimes necessary when presenting viewers with a real-life historical figure, such is not the case when dealing with a fictional president. Sure, these presidents can still be packaged as complex humans rather than mere caricatures, but by and large, they are leaders who can ultimately be defined by one of two overarching qualifiers: good or bad.