The West Wing vs. Commander in Chief

Okay, okay I know it's not a fair fight. I know I didn't become West Wing-centric until years after it began. (At first I just couldn't get on the bandwagon with Josiah "Jed" Bartlet being played by Martin Sheen who really thought he WAS the President.) Then I watched The West Wing. Bravo was running a marathon and I was hooked. The first two seasons of TWW are my favorites because of the rapid-fire repartee, hall-walking and talking that never quite lives up to the seasons without series creator Aaron Sorkin. But don't get me wrong. I still love it.

Then ABC's Commander in Chief comes along. A-ha. A female president. She's an Independent to boot, not wanting to offend any demographic. But folks, it's no West Wing. Everything that was witty and fast-paced about West Wing is laborious and stilted at Commander. Gina Davis, although likeable enough in other parts, is humorless, brittle and totally lacking in political charisma. Of course, ABC says Commander is supposed to be more about the presidential family and the angst in the set-up, rather than a political drama. Commander has every weekly plot tied-up in a neat little package at the end of the hour. That's more like The Walton's than The West Wing.

Commander is in the top ten for viewership and West Wing struggles to regain an audience after switching to the Sunday night timeslot. West Wing continues to hold my interest because each of the characters have had time to flesh out and have their own personalities. Other than the Donald Sutherland character (the foil) there is no attempt by the writers on Commander to give the rest of cast real depth. Commander is not an ensemble, it's a one trick pony. Commander hasn't cracked a joke yet. West Wing found that balance early on. Well-adjusted, successful, productive, bright people are not without humor. Commander in Chief may continue to be a ratings winner, and yes, I'll probably keep watching to see if it improves, but The West Wing remains the best political drama on American television, in my not-that-humble opinion.