West Wing - Probably the best drama ever to grace our TV

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For those of you who don't know anything about this series; The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast from 1999 to 2006.
It was produced/written by Sorkin (for the first four seasons) and also produced by Thomas Schlamme. The series is set in the West Wing of the White House, the location of the Oval Office and offices of presidential senior staff, during the fictional Democratic administration of Josiah Bartlet (played by Martin Sheen)

The show received positive reviews from critics, political science professors, and former White House staffers.
In total, The West Wing won two Golden Globe Awards and 26 Emmy Awards, a tie with Hill Street Blues for the most Emmy Awards ever won by a television drama series.

The thread about films that make you cry, reminded me of this scene and without knowing the series detail, it may mean nothing to allot of people but to West Wing afficionadoes this is probably one of the best 60 minutes of TV ever seen, here's a clip!

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A reprise for Dire Straits also!

If you are short of a Christmas Pressie, buy the first series on DVD, I guarantee, you'll buy the next 6!
 
This is one of those shows that I have never seen, although it is someting that I really should watch at least once. I was in the Nottingham branch of Zavvi at the weekend and noticed they were selling the complete box set (I think) for next to nothing.
 
That has to be one of the best 5 minutes of the entire show. He gets asked the question, is he going to run for a second term. Leo says "Watch this." and the President is just so calm and puts his hands in his pockets. The end framing with the President in focus, the flag flying in the face of a storm with his staff out of focus. Brilliant stuff. I only got into the WW around end of August.
 
I love the west wing got them all on DVD and must of watched them 10 times :D and i dont mind admitting it
would be interesting if they had carryed on with the new president but i suppose its good to end while you are at the top
 
Fabulous television which totally eclipses anything we've ever come up with here.We've got the whole series and every so often have WW fests and watch a series over the course of a few evenings.

I also choked up at the episode where they found an army veteran dead in a park and who was wearing a coat with Toby's name in it and it ended up with them burying him at Arlington with full military honours(the vet,not Toby).
 
JPS said:
This is one of those shows that I have never seen, although it is someting that I really should watch at least once. I was in the Nottingham branch of Zavvi at the weekend and noticed they were selling the complete box set (I think) for next to nothing.
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You should watch it at least once, best drama to ever grace our screens UK or US. Got some belting actors in it, but the writing is superb.


petemc said:
That has to be one of the best 5 minutes of the entire show. He gets asked the question, is he going to run for a second term. Leo says "Watch this." and the President is just so calm and puts his hands in his pockets. The end framing with the President in focus, the flag flying in the face of a storm with his staff out of focus. Brilliant stuff. I only got into the WW around end of August.
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It is a proper moment. There are a few others, but this has to be one of the best. I love the hand in his pockets moment and Bartletts look, pure Sheen class.

DeadlySmurf said:
I love the west wing got them all on DVD and must of watched them 10 times :D and i dont mind admitting it
would be interesting if they had carryed on with the new president but i suppose its good to end while you are at the top
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Likewise, have now watched them all at least 3 times. I think they might go back one day, but it has to be with Sorkin, the figures dropped after he left. Rob Lowe as the president elect would get my vote, it is even talked about during one episode.

Kiasmum said:
Fabulous television which totally eclipses anything we've ever come up with here.We've got the whole series and every so often have WW fests and watch a series over the course of a few evenings.

I also choked up at the episode where they found an army veteran dead in a park and who was wearing a coat with Toby's name in it and it ended up with them burying him at Arlington with full military honours(the vet,not Toby).
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So what's your record number of episodes in an evening then, think I've done 5!!
 
There is no probably about it this is the greatest drama series ever it contains the lot humour sadness immense drama and some of the finest acting performances ever seen on stage or screen.It seemed to bring out the best in every actor who was in the cast and was almost certainly the peak of theit careers whatever they had done before but its greatest claim to greatness has to be the way it dealt with tragedy from the death of Mrs Lanningham to that of CJ's secret service lover without any of the appalling sentiment that pervades so much television especially that from the USA.
I suppose the only time they chickened out and where reality was greater than fiction is that they went for the first Latino president whereas reality has given us Barack Obama
 
For pure comedy value the one where Josh, Donna and Toby get stuck because they miss the motorcade and are in the wrong time zone.

am sure there are many more i really like but cant think of any off the top of my head.
now if you have asked about Buffy thats easy last 2 in series 2 (its a 2 parter so you have to have both:-)

what's yours?
 
West Wing was good but, for me, the best drama is The Wire. There isn't a poor character in it and the writing is fantastic.
 
I must of seen them 6 or 7 times now and defo box of a series in 2 days easy :D
 
Toothie said:
4? 5? i've been known to watch almost a whole series in 2 days :eek: where's your stamina ?
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IIRC correctly I don't think we started to watch the first one till about 10pm,and that's really late for us larks:lol: so my stamina was already asleep somewhere cozy:D
 
I was the same.. always wondering what I had missed and didnt like watching a series half way through

It was recently started from series one on SKY so I watched it... never missed an episode up to CJ being made chief of staff.. I saw the one where he decided it was her but then missed the next two and havent watched it since.... would that be series 5 ?

Enjoyed it... was everything I thought it would be and more... I am a big fan of emerican humor.. they use a line as a throwaway where english comedy would make an whole episode from it.. I know its a drama but it does have the humor

Excellent series... too hard to catch up what I missed:(
 
She's made Chief of Staff in series 6 i think.

RIP John Spencer :(
 
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