TV serials, says Richard Beck, self-consciously set out from the very beginning to get us to take them seriously. From
Hill Street Blues to
The West Wing to
The Sopranos and
The Wire,
how the television series convinced us that it was art — and now, why
Lost's achievement of success via casual genre mixing and narrative derangement might signal that there's no future creative ground left within the old limits of serial drama.
posted by hat
on May 24, 2010 -
120 comments
"If that's what's on, then that's what they watch. It's either that, or a cricket match between Scotland and Bermuda. Now, I am an educated man, Charlie, but when someone tries to explain cricket to me, all I want to do is hit him in the head with a teapot."
Cricket Explained (An American Viewpoint) for those, following a recent cricket thread, that want to get it, but don't quite yet.
posted by nthdegx
on Aug 3, 2006 -
41 comments
The West Wing debunker. I have grown to hate this show even though I agree with its politics. The show occasionally brings up interesting topics but it is so goddamned sanctimonious. I worry that people think this is how our executive branch works. I hope this isn't a double post.
posted by McBain
on Oct 18, 2002 -
46 comments
West Wing is Fictional??? Just in case our friends in New Mexico are concerned, what happens on the West Wing this week cannot happen in New Mexico. "New Mexico has no tunnels" a press release, approved by state governor Gary Johnson, states. Whew...a load off my mind. Is this an example of government being very pro-active, or just plain insulting to the people of NM?
posted by JaxJaggywires
on Apr 3, 2002 -
14 comments
Cure for Cancer in 10 Years? Anyone else see
West Wing last night? Apparently, drugs called
signal transduction inhibitors (STIs) - such as
phenoxodiol, the drug referred to by Pres. Bartlet - are a reality, and
early studies have shown their effectiveness in striking cancer's Achilles heel. Furthermore, in the Law and Order episode which followed, Gleevec was mentioned as the key to curing a type of leukemia, which is in fact a remarkably potent STI recently FDA-approved. Perhaps Aaron Sorkin isn't spinning a fantasy tale as I initially thought -- any oncologists in the house?
[If Newsgurus doesn't let you in, try Google's cache.]
posted by padjet1
on Jan 17, 2002 -
27 comments
What did you think of West Wing last night? Beyond the fact that it was preachy and simplistic, did you think that it was a good or bad approach to handling complex issues through a show that is respected for presenting political dialogues in a pop culture format? Additionally, what do you think of the way in which pop culture seems to have returned to normal? This topic appears in both the
NY Times and
USA Today, today, as it becomes clear that prime time ratings are stronger than ever after the attacks.
posted by wsfinkel
on Oct 4, 2001 -
27 comments
West Wing Web War! Mickey Kaus shows you how to personally bother Aaron Sorkin and get him to reply to you. This particular pissing match is about writers' credits and compensation, but I'm posting it because it highlights one of the truly unique things about the net/web: It provides a way for celebrities to come out and interact with their fans (or foes) without giving up any of their privacy. Have you ever found yourself keyboard to keyboard with a Big Name? Or know where any of them hang out?
posted by aaron
on Jul 3, 2001 -
18 comments
The best president you'll never have, Martin Sheen of
The West Wing, has some interesting things to say
about George W. Bush's alcoholism.
Sayeth Sheen: "When it was revealed that he had a DWI [a charge of driving while impaired], he said he kept it a secret because he didn't want his daughters to know. That is so much horseshit… In the [twelve step] program, we say very clearly: The only things that hurt us are our secrets... I don't go after him because I think he lacks character. It's obvious to me how little character he possesses."
posted by tranquileye
on Nov 15, 2000 -
21 comments
