One of the most intelligent television series ever, The West Wing must have been a very difficult concept to sell to the TV executives when creator Aaron Sorkin was first seeking support for the idea. In a world dominated by canned laughter comedies and crime-of-the-week cop shows, a drama which follows the lives of the staff of the White House must have seemed like a ridiculous idea which could never have got off the ground. Sorkin was and remains a fantastic scriptwriter; those who have seen 'A Few Good Men' or 'The American President' know what great dialogue he writes. Clearly someone decided to take a chance on his new idea, let's all be grateful they did.
The West Wing ostensibly follows the life of the US president - a politically middle of the road yet undoubtedly statesmanlike democrat played by Martin Sheen - and his staff as they muddle through a full two terms of governance in contemporary USA. From that description it is obvious that this is a TV series in which one needs their wits. All too often television hand feeds material and plot signposts to the audience; this is never done in the West Wing - something that I found immensely satisfying and kept me coming back for more. Many episodes revolve around a series of loosely connected events with a common theme; the main characters will generally each deal with a number of sub-plots while the main plot (often an arc stretching over several episodes or series) bubbles along influencing what goes on. In a given episode the plots will be thematically connected; and although this can sometimes be cringingly pro-USA, it is almost always done in a way to provide a depth which viewers can find if they want to think about it.
The series gets through a large number of characters, although for the majority of the run there are about 8 main characters who we see in almost every episode - each of which are played by a fine actor who is obviously enjoying the opportunity to act as if in theatre. The West Wing is famous for its long scenes in which actors and extras are expected to hit marks exactly on time as the camera moves through the halls of the White House. This technique - rare elsewhere and never done on such a scale in television - provides the setting with a real sense of gravitas and the characters therein with an air of importance. It also gives the writers a chance to fill the air with huge portions of dialogue; this is not normal dialogue, this is Aaron Sorkin dialogue - a rapid-fire mixture of witticisms and serious debate which could never be possible in real life but which makes you stare at the screen marvelling at the capacity for anyone to speak like that while running down a corridor trying not to look at the camera. It engrosses you and by the end you sit staring at your screen, not sure if you understood everything but absolutely sure that you loved every second of it.
As with real life presidencies, the series doesn't deal too well with the knowledge that it is coming to an end. The 6th and 7th series largely revolve around the campaign to elect a new president (a man based on Barack Obama would you believe). Just like in real life this seems to go on forever and re-examines much of the material covered in the Bartlett election campaign without saying much new. The old characters get sidelined and the introduction of a whole host of new ones cannot compensate. Thankfully the series retains its best non-presidential character (Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman) throughout, but it doesn't stop the plot largely running out of steam long before the final episode.
This aside though, the early seasons of the West Wing are some of the most engaging television ever created. The second half of season 2 for example are driven by a drama which comes to a head in the season finale, even now I struggle to re-watch this without getting a lump in my throat. It's a programme which manages to be funny, romantic, dramatic, interesting, intelligent and crucially never pulls any punches when it comes to estimating the capacity of its audience to understand it. Eventually I'm going to make time to watch the whole lot again from start to finish as I'm sure that there are depths I missed first time around.
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