I've Found The West Wing

[Jax]

My housemate finished the show a few weeks ago and told me to give it a shot and dam, this show has dull the pain of losing BL by giving me a new show to watch, which gives great drama and good comedy. I have just started the 3rd season and I am totally hooked on this show, the characters have been written so well and how they tackle politcal issues in such a serious and funny way reminds me of Boston Legal in so many ways.

The cast interact so well together and my favourite is probably a tie between Josh & The President, who are witty/charming characters with a great sense of humor but also moralilty when it comes to daily issues. Even Toby who is so grumpy has become a warmer character, the longer it goes on but the supporting cast is so strong too, which gives the show a much more greater depth than most others.

Anyone else a fan or watching it at the moment like me. (I might keep this a running thread as I watch it, if wanted)

This is why I love TV, for shows like this.

 

[Lindley]

Was it behind the couch?

 

[Mooch]

Was it behind the couch?

I bet if you start at the East Wing and go west, it'll turn up.

 

[unimatrix7]

I'm going to insert here the obligatory mention of Sorkin leaving after season 4 and the quality allegedly declining. It simply wouldn't be a West Wing thread without that point being laboured, so this time I'm first (even though I think it's rubbish).

Personally, I loved all 7 seasons. Amazing show from start to finish, and my favourite series of all time. Like you, I discovered it on DVD and watched the whole thing back to back. There's nothing else around that's nearly as good.

 

[Mr Light]

I watched it through most of S5 as it aired, and I'm actually just now in the process of watching the end of the show on DVD. As I recall I loved the first two years, but the third year killed my interest in the show, the fourth show recovered somewhat, and re-watching the fifth year it was just OK. I'm looking to see the final two years for the first time, I hear the quality really went back up again for them.

 

[CommanderJMic]

I think the quality dipped a little during season 5, but there are a few really good episodes during that season that help redeem it. the latter half of season 6 and season 7 are great, IMO.

 

[Candlelight]

It is one of my favourite shows, and I recently watched the whole lot for the first time a few months ago.

The quality does vary depending on the season and who you are; I found the first few seasons were great, season four dropped away in quality after ~episode 8 (a very important event which I won't spoil in case you haven't seen it) but bounced back for the last three (despite one of the new characters becoming as annoying as hell).

 

[Maestro]

Season 6 seems "hurried" to me, but then again, they've got so much ground to cover and only 22 episodes to cover it in.

 

[nx1701g]

I have to say that I love politics but I could never get into this show for some reason. I don't know why.

Coincidentally I appeared in an episode of it during the reelection campaign. They came to my home town and filmed scenes at a local eatery.

 

[bigdaddy]

Don't like the characters too much, the later seasons destroy certain characters.

And housemate? People still use that word?

 

[BigFoot]

I watched the show when it originally aired and then I rewatched it on DVD last year. Awesome show.

 

[Angel4576]

We literally just finished our rewatch the night before last.

Great show. One of the best definitely.

I've watched the show that many times now that rewatches don't really change my opinion too much. The first three seasons are easily the best. Four is where the decline starts, and five is where it really takes hold. It's the worst part of the series IMO. Things pick back up in the sixth season, and continues well into the seventh.

There's a huge change of direction/focus in the latter half of the sixth season and that continues through the rest of the series. You'll either like it, or not. Personally, after a disappointing fifth season, it was much needed IMO.

 

[Australis]

Watched an ep last night, first time I'd seen it since it finished its run here. Top show, really liked it. AND we got it in double eps during its run too!

 

[Ensign_Redshirt]

Coincidentally, I'm watching the series as well now. Started last year in November or so. Currently, I'm somewhere in the middle of the 5th season. I agree that's a good mix of drama and comedy.

As for the quality of the writing after the Sorkin departure... it was my impression that there were one or two episodes were C.J. and the president acted a bit out of their (usual) character. In Bartlet's case we could perhaps rationalize it by contributing it to what-had-happened-at-the-end-of-Season-4. No idea if this was intentional though.

Spoiler: Some spoilers for Season 5

The way Bob Russell got his job also seemed a bit farfetched to me. Some totally obscure backbancher who hasn't done anything noteworthy before? I know that he was supposedly forced upon the White House by Congress. But in the real world either Congress or the White House (or both) would have been blasted by the media for this seemingly random and mediocre choice. I also miss Tim Matheson. Gary Cole is a good actor, but not as good as Matheson. (Yeah, I already know that he'll be back later in the series).

In many ways, the political situation in Season 5 reminds me very much of the situation in Season 1... obviously this is supposed to be the result of what-had-happened-at-the-end-of-Season-4 and the fact that the Republicans got a new badass leader. I must say that the introduction of Haffley is one of the best things in Season 5. The show needed a recurring antagonist. And the showdown between him and Bartlet in "Shutdown" was great. One of the best episodes of this season so far.

That story arc with Josh screwing up big time by losing this Democratic senator to the Republicans was also good.

 

[Angel4576]

There were a number of things that signalled a downturn in the latter half of season 4, and season 5;

Spoiler: Seasons 4 Onwards Spoilers

There was the obvious departure of Sorkin and replacement with Wells, but beyond that, was the number of supporting characters that had helped make the show so rich, just disappeared or were written out;

Danny
Hoynes
Lord John
Sam
Ainsley

Although these were replaced, these were with mixed success at best;

Danny was replaced by Brock - Brock never got the same attention that Danny did, the character was never really developed

Hoynes was replaced by Bingo Bob - I like Gary Cole, but the character was written as being wooden and two-dimensional intentionally, and Gary Cole pulled it off too well

Sam was replaced by Will - This worked initially but went down the pan IMO when they had him go work for Bingo Bob, where Will then overnight turned into an arse, only rectifying itself when he eventually came back in season 7

Ainsley was replaced by Joe Quincy - A great character, criminally underused. He was only in a couple of episodes.

The other thing that jars about the fifth season in particular, it's a bit depressing. The majority of the season's central theme appears to be either Josh screwing up, or Leo getting a crab up his ass about something. A cornerstone of the show had always been the relationship between Bartlett and Leo. In season 5 this just deteriorated at an unrealistic pace. Up until that point Jed had trusted Leo's advice, yet at the drop of a hat, he shuns it in favour of newly arrived Kate Harper? Didn't make much sense.

That being said, there were still some great episodes though. Shutdown and The Supremes instantly spring to mind.

 

[Jax]

And housemate? People still use that word?

Obviously Yes

 

[bigdaddy]

In all fairness Angelall those people you listed come back on the show, they just took some time off. A lot of time in some cases.

*I can't stop the underline.

Spoiler: Season 4 on...

Danny disappears throughout the show at different times for seasons on end. Hoynes was written off well,
Lord John came back a few more times. Most notable after John Spencer's untimely death.

What you said about Will I think is why the later seasons are cast in a terrible light, some of the stories are lame, but the characters were destroyed. They made VP Hoynes a sex pervert who CJ slept with! Will was a great replacement for Sam, who wanted off the show, so it wasn't anyone's fault. Josh became a screw up for awhile. Toby and Josh fight a lot for no reason. CJ get's the biggest job jump ever, Toby becomes a traitor. They add some new CIA person with blonde hair who was the most dislikable character on TV until Fringe started.

The show also became more ER-ized. Season 5 had no real flow, it had great stand alone episodes, but there was no real point besides "Republicans are evil". Season 6 solved Middle Eastern peace in 5 episodes, and season 7 dealt with the terrible Space Shuttle story.

 

[Mike Farley]

Heh. I just finished marathoning through the series on Tuesday. So, yeah, I watched the episode with the inauguration of the new president ON Inauguration Day. It wasn't planned that way but I get a chuckle at the way it worked out.

Great GREAT series. I like it pretty much all the way through, even the much maligned 5th season. BUT the show definitely loses something when Sorkin leaves. It loses some of its lightness...it's sense of wimsy. Plus by the end of the series there are so many characters the show gets a little thinnly spread.

Spoiler: question about the last 2 seasons

I wonder if there would have been so much focus on the Santos (and Vinek) campaign if the producers had known the show was NOT going to continue.I liked all that stuff, but sometimes I just wanted to get back to the White House!

 

[Christopher]

Spoiler: Some spoilers for Season 5

The way Bob Russell got his job also seemed a bit farfetched to me. Some totally obscure backbancher who hasn't done anything noteworthy before? I know that he was supposedly forced upon the White House by Congress. But in the real world either Congress or the White House (or both) would have been blasted by the media for this seemingly random and mediocre choice.

That didn't stop John McCain...

 

[bigdaddy]

The show might not have continued. The season 6 finale might have been the series finale.