Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

"We're all being lobotomized by this country's most influential industry. It's just thrown in the towel on any endeavor to do anything that doesn't include the courting of 12 year-old boys. Not even the smart 12 year-olds, the stupid ones, the idiots. Which there are plenty thanks in no small measure to this network. So why don't you just, change the channel? Turn off the TVs do it right now." -Wes Mendell, Executive Producer Studio 60

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip main cast

Television is a completely new ballgame these days. Networks fill the air with reality shows where contestants eat worms, stay the longest on an islands or live the longest imprisoned in camera filled houses. Scripted shows costs more to produce, quality actors costs salary while reality shows gets fame seekers for free and people still watch the trashy reality shows making them better suited to gain advertiser money.

S60 wasn't afraid to kick off their show by saying so. And by letting Aaron Sorkin loose to follow up his huge The West Wing success with actors like Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet collecting paychecks, they took a high priced dice throw from the get go. S60 didn't have to gain some success to survive. S60 needed to be a killer hit to stand a chance.

Then it doesn't really matter the show is one of the best ever written and performed by quality actors. S60 only got a season, but it's 22 episodes you shouldn't miss out on. You'll easily recognize Sorkin's writing both in the wit and smartness, but also in the way the dialogue drives the drama. It's no doubt one of those shows canceled way to soon, and not because of a lack of quality. It was canceled just because television today is a completely different ballgame.

The West Wing - season 1

"Lady, the God you pray to is too busy being indicted for tax fraud." -Josh Lyman, White House Deputy Chief of Staff

The West Wing main cast

The first season of The West Wing is a stunning display of television at its best. OK. So Mandy Hampton wasn't the most interesting character ever made for television, but hey; At least they got a lot right. The casting came very close to a home run. Add the ability to make politic interesting, add the walk-and-talk, add characters with layers and humanity in both their shortcomings and their emotions, and you come close to summing up the first season of The West Wing. Of course you'll still be way short, as its strength is the complexity and that's not something you sum up in a couple of short lines.

New drama doesn't get much better than this. It's filled with passion and yet manages to use wit, relations and human reactions to drive the stories forward. They never bash their view to death with repetitions, but we're never in any doubt on were they stand. The first season of The West Wing is close to perfection in script writing and character building. Managing to keep the smaller episode stories interesting as they went along was the icing on the cake making it an instant success.

Who knew politic could be so interesting prior to The West Wing?

And between all these political victories and losses, it's all those small moments I'll always remember the most from the first season of The West Wing. Moments reminding us also the people with the most powerful jobs in the US are people who gets touched by others in so many ways.

The first season of The West Wing is nothing short of excellent entertainment. I've got no problem recommending it strongly if you have yet to get acquainted with the White House senior staff, and if you are familiar with them this might maybe serve you as a reminder to say hello to an old friend.