Let's hear it for Aaron Sorkin and "The West Wing"

<rant>
:rant:

:bounce:

:patriot:

I was watching some episodes on DVD tonight and I still marvel at just how incredible the writing, the acting, the directing and the overall vision of this show still hold up nearly five years after it went off the air.

It's a shame that 99% of network TV today is total crap reality TV. The few good original dramas left on the air are on TNT.

"The West Wing" and movie "The American President" before it really inspired a lot of us to take up the cause that our government could, should and really can be better if we only would get involved - and most importantly that it was NOT futile to try to change it for the better.

It made the important point that our government could be and often is a force for good in the world and that human decency means not ignoring another's suffering.

I think this show educated a lot of people about the workings of our government and politics in a such a painless, even addictive way that many people didn't really even understand they were learning something important. It made government and politics exciting and gave people some hope that they could actually have an impact on their government again.

Especially during the Bush Administration, I feel the West Wing served as an intellectual counterweight to the extremist arguments of a neo-Nixonian imperial Presidency. It defended the virtues of American constitutional democracy and argued that there had to be a better way to conduct our government.

I believe in many ways, "The American President" and "The West Wing" gave our political pendulum the nudge it needed to get us back to sanity. Without the vision and the writing of Aaron Sorkin we would still be waiting for our Obama to come along instead of getting out there and working to elect him.

Let's hear it for Aaron Sorkin.

Doug D.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dmp1sGsHOAg
</rant>

State of the art television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfOfUtkbiHQ

Bartlet: Don't you think this is going to bring EVERY homeless veteran out of the woodwork?

Toby: I can only hope, sir.

I always lose it at that moment...

It was a moment much to good for TV...

along with the PTSD episode about Josh Lyman

got me teary again. Definitely one of my favorite episodes...

I am a late comer to the West Wing...started watching it in Dec '08.
Just finished rewatching the 6th and 7th seasons before they are due
back at the library....

I've got the first season on hold, think I'm going to do it again.
It was a blast the first time, I learned a lot...
...fell in love with the characters
...especially Josh and Toby.

Though I don't suffer drama queens well I'll admitt. :)

corner of Hell awaits you.

So there.

Take THAT, salty one!
---------------------

Okay, y'all know the drill. Lefties over here, righties over there.
It's showtime, people! Places!
--Gore Vidal

:P

It is an oasis in my day when I get to see it on Bravo. So well written, so...I don't even know, I just love it.

could have, should have been...
I never missed an episode. I really should watch it again.

It took a bit of a dive in season 5 but was still 1000X better than the crap on TV nowadays.

Everytime I see Rob Lowe on Brothers and Sisters, I keep thinking that his character is just a poor man's Sam Seaborne.

Sam Seabourn saved his career.

Have all 7 seasons on DVD. Josh is perhaps my favorite character because his tirades reminder me so much of myself. I saw a video clip recently that three of them did for an organization (can't remember which one) and was stunned how much older then had gotten. I'll always remember them as they were on the show.

Which is good, she deserves a little relaxation. She also got me to watch and agree it's a good show.

I also absolutely agree with you regarding your thesis about Sorkin moving the political pendulum, ddeclue. Television is where most Americans get their information -- whether news or entertainment. The show deserves credit for enlarging the imagination of the electorate. Perhaps we will once again become that nation we dreamed of as kids -- where each person is valued and anything is possible.

= a nation of news/entertainment TV watchers.
---------------------------------------------

I am all for everyone having a voice, I just don`t think everyone has earned the microphone. And that`s what the Internet has done.
--Aaron Sorkin

but it's too bad that the networks yanked both series before they had time to build a following.

Sid

One of the best primetime series ever.

I am on season 5 right now. The writing and acting is superb.

I really think they could bring it back with the Santos Presidency. I seriously think people would watch something this smartly written again.

They would be soundly ignored until WW was over at 10.

I loved that show and still watch it all the time.

I wholeheartedly give it :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

and Arnold Vinik was based on the old/2000 John McCain. It was a weird art imitating life/life imitating art happenstance.

They drew some inspiration from old McCain, as well as others and probably a lot of him is Barry Goldwater. Bartlet was a combination of all the good qualities of the recent Democratic Presidents without their screwy personal issues.

But Matt Santos was mainly modeled after Obama.

Interestingly, there was also a Preacher running for the Republican nomination on The West Wing. And a Southern Democrat with a sex scandal.