Well, West Wing has only one show to go until it is finished. I have been meaning to blog about the greatness, writing wise, of The West Wing for a while now and I feel I should do it before it leaves Australian television. As a tribute thing, maybe. (I realise this has already happened in the US.)
I started watching it - when it started on ABC (I think it was more than 18 months ago, but I could be wrong) - I watched a couple on channel nine but I had the ads on commercial television. When it arrived on the ABC it was like an oasis in television. A literary sanctuary for me!
It is in my humble opinion the best fictional television show ever produced. It is so well written, the dialogue is witty and clever, subtle and real - yes quick, but that makes it really good because you have to follow it and find out where it is going. The characters never turn into schmulzville - they are sensitive yet not over the top.
Some have criticised it - calling The Left Wing, but I think it showed Arnold Vinick the right wing candidate as a decent person, a fair and balanced character who had great motives and an outstanding character.
For me, I like to think of it as "literary television" and if I was employed by a magazine I would write an article on this, (being a journalist, maybe I should).
However, I will mourn the loss of The West Wing - it was a light in the darkness of mindless, unintelligent, senseless, gratuitous television. It was for me a literary sanctuary where I could see some great characters, watch some complicated and engaging plots and marvel at the writing and acting ability of those involved.
I don't know why they are not continuing, but - maybe they think it had its life. Anyway, I will stop now, because I do not want to be considered loopy about this.
If anyone else has a similar opinion on west wing, please drop me a line, I'd appreciate it.
3 comments:
You've all but convinced me to get the DVDs and watch the whole thing properly from the beginning; I only ever watched bits and didn't get hooked enough. I have a rather naughty love for Boston Legal (so vulgar, yet so classy) - perhaps you could go there? Six Feet Under was a fabulous bit of television writing too, although almost a different genre from the other two. Did you ever watch any of that? regards Barbara
No, I never watched six feet under or Boston Legal. Thanks for your condolences...ha ha...
I mourn West Wing as well and even watched it when it was commercial. My fairly deaf husband uses subtitles on our TV and I found these marvellous for picking up on bits of information related at high speed in American accents.Great writing,contemporary storylines, and characterization so true that one has difficulty remembering the actors' real names.
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