The West Wing - The Complete First Season

Rating:
Summary: Great writing, great acting
Review: The first season of West Wing shows us how good television can be. If you've seen the movie The American President, the look, feel, and sound of West Wing will seem familiar to you, because Aaron Sorkin also wrote the screenplay for the movie.

The focus for the West Wing is mostly on the staff, though, and that's what makes the show so interesting. The character development is absolutely superb-- you care about the characters, so you care about the storyline. In addition, the writing is so clever, and you will find yourself busting out with belly laughs at points.

If you have missed the first two or three seasons, and have only seen it in the last couple of years, you may be extremely underwhelmed and not see what all the fuss was about. The first season will answer that question for you. You can now catch reruns on Bravo and sometimes in syndication, but it can be hard to jump in in the middle without knowing who everyone is and what they do. This set gives you the perfect opportunity to see it from the very beginning.

Rating:
Summary: Best Network TV Series in Ten Years
Review: This is the big one: certainly the best writing, acting, character development, execution, continuity, directing - just the best in ten years.

If you're bored by politics, you'll like this series anyway. Operating in a cynical system, the people of the senior White House staff are portrayed as fundamentally decent and idealistic people, above all incredibly intelligent. At times they're shown as falling victim to their own vanity, arrogance or insecurity. My favorite moments:

When press secretary learns her Secret Service code name.
When the president greets children for Christmas.
When a senior staffer arranges a veteran's burial in Arlington (you'll cry just like we did).
When we meet The First Lady for the first time (I've always been a sucker for Stockard Channing).
When the team pulls together and maximizes their incredible talent and wit.

The show refuses to apologize for being unsentimental and intelligent. That alone makes you so proud to have people like this leading our country.

I don't like politics, really. But I loved this show.


Rating:
Summary: Best Show Ever
Review: West Wing is my all-time favorite TV show, so I wasn't surprised that I enjoyed this collection. I was pleasantly surprised by just how good it was. After Aaron Sorkin left the show it seldom came close to the quality of the first few seasons. The writing, acting, lighting and attention to detail made this show great. Watching the first season after the first post-Sorkin season was quite a shock. The difference in quality made it seem like a completely different show.

This collection also has some great extras. There are interviews with cast and crew and some outtakes, but the best are the episodes with commentary from Sorkin, Tommy Schlamme and some of the other directors. Any fan of the show will enjoy this stuff. They talk about a lot of the little things, like the goldfish bowl on C.J.'s desk, which always has something in the bottom that is related to that particular show. The viewer normally can't even see it, but they did this to ammuse themselves.

This is what TV should be.

Rating:
Summary: head and shoulders above most television programming
Review: I hate politics and avoid the news... but I LOVE this show. These characters portray the noble people we wish our elected officals were. The show brings up complicated and sometimes emotional issues, often voicing both sides of it, and reveals the real life challenge of actually passing lesislation or providing political asylum or taking military action. It shows the 24 hour nature of the Presidency, the personal challenges of a person and his family in that role, how he depends upon good advisors, and the myriad of ways that a good intention from someone in power can be thwarted by another or exchanged for a greater good.

Another appealing aspect is the way that the characters are developed... they are likeable, have flaws, have histories and their relationships with each other interesting. It's tv for the head and heart. The education is presented in a very palatable manner and the emotional content is almost never sappy.

Rating:
Summary: Impossible to Compare
Review: If you don't own it yet, I highly suggest buying it. I got into West Wing around the start of season three and have been watching it with dedication since then. But through it all, my favorite episode is from Season One, "In Excelsis Deo" in which the episode mostly focuses on Toby, the humble giant, who deals with some issues. The finishing scene, with the music playing perfectly along with the gun salute at the funeral.
Buy it, you will not regret it.


Rating:
Summary: Enoyable television oxymoron no more!
Review: Best television drama ever produced in my opinion. Extremely engaging dialog, wonderful plot development/execution, believable characters. After watching the full first season in it's entirety, it's difficult to watch the "real" political world. This show is a testament that quality writing still exists. (Thanks Sorkin!)

Rating:
Summary: The BEST show on TV, hands down!
Review: The West Wing is one of the only shows worth watching on TV these days. Unfortunately, our citizens have become politically apathetic, and seem to be criminally ignorant of how our country's government works. And, while possibly not a 100% accurate, The West Wing is about as close as you are going to get to a real look at the goings-on inside Washington and, more importantly, inside the White House. What is unique about this show, is that, although it takes place (mostly) inside The White House, it does NOT focus on the President. Instead, it goes beyond any other attempt at political fiction, and focuses on the actions of the hard-working, and under-appreciated staffers that support the President and carry out his orders. This show has everything... romance, political drama, suspense, humor, fast paced dialog, and most importantly, deep, intelligent, and easy-to-like characters. Buy this for your collection and be sure to watch the hit on NBC!