The West Wing (1999)

Without a shadow of a doubt, THE finest political TV drama ever to come out of a studio! Despite its rather liberal happy-clappy perspective with most of its secondary storylines, TWW is exceptionally well-written and very rarely fails to deliver some rather thought-provoking episodes. I have had many boxset marathons with this show over the years, and I must admit my adulation for certain seasons has changed somewhat in that time. Back then I adored the first 4 seasons, while dismissing season 5 outright, and only having a grudging respect for seasons 6 & 7. But these days I much prefe…

Peter McGinn

10.0

Apr 5, 2020

If every program on TV was this good I'd never leave the house. I have to agree with the reviewers who call this the best drama show ever, at least for entertainment value. Of course, it gets panned often for political reasons by people who perhaps don't watch it enough to see that, yes, it is a liberal administration being represented here, but they often make mistakes and fail in their efforts, so it is hardly a progressive utopia. I write novels in my spare tome, and I like to think my dialogue is a strong point, so I have nothing but admiration for the fast and witty conversations i…

CinemaSerf

Feb 23, 2022

The first edition, indeed season, of this political drama is as good as it gets. Aaron Sorkin has created a monster - in just about every sense - and the cast led by Martin Sheen ("President Bartlet") consistently deliver well as the senior advisors in his administration - alongside some sadly infrequent appearances from his no-nonsense wife (Stockard Channing) - guide us through the daily trials and tribulations accompanying American government. For the most part, the pace is hectic, controlled (sometimes) by the calming, sagacious influence of his Chief of Staff "Leo" (John Spencer) and deal…