It seems to me the democratic process both in the UK and the US is in crisis: but for different reasons arising from the distinctly different systems.

From the outside and as portrayed in the media, the American system seems close to farce: all style, no substance. However, if you have the patience and an interest in understanding a pretty complex process first of electing Party Candidates and then on to the General election that picks a President from them – you could do no better than watch The West Wing. It will show you not only the political process in action but you will also see explored articulately and coherently, most of the key issues that appear to be dominating public debate as the Primary Season draws to a close and will no doubt lie at the heart of the Presidential election in the Fall.

I’m not sure what conclusion we should draw from the fact that almost all the most contentious issues currently dominating media coverage of the 2012 electoral process, can be found in the storylines of a 154 episode series that ended over a decade ago.

If any of you have never watched The West Wing – I envy you. You have such a treat in store. As is clear here on Writewords I watch an enormous number of films and rather more television than the general run of quality warrants. That said, I have no hesitation in saying that the sustained quality of writing, acting, characterisation, production values and intelligent, articulate narrative content of this Series are without parallel in Television either side of the Atlantic. Despite all these superb elements what makes The West Wing for me, the best Series-Based drama ever shown, and key for Writeworders, is that writing lies at the very heart of its artistic quality.

To parallel what the series can show you with the real current events in America I recommend Series 6 and the final series 7. From around episode 9 of series 6 as the second Administration of President Jed Bartlett (Martin Sheen) nears its end (Series 1-6) we first meet Congressman Matthew Vincente Santos (Jimmy Smits) of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity. Santos is a reluctant candidate for nomination by the Democratic Party and faces ethnic hostility if not the same as Barack Obama did and does, then certainly quite parallel. He eventually faces an impressive, established Republican opponent in Arnold ‘Arnie’ Vinnick played by an as usual, excellent Alan Alda.

These are just some of the issues you will find arising natural within the storylines of series 6/7.

• The fundamental ideological differences between Republicans and Democrats.
• Government intervention vs reliance on free market capitalism
• The problems of achieving bi-partisan cooperation between the parties on issues of national importance.
• The scandal of health care provision in the US for poorer citizens
• Christian fundamentalism
• Creationism, the argument from design, Darwinism
• Science vs Faith
• The trivialisation of the electoral process by the media circus of American elections
• The difficulty for a candidate to stick to the issues and not participate in a kind of beauty contest.
• Abortion and a woman’s right to choose
• Political manipulation of the media
• The importance of the US Supreme Court – politically as well as legally
• Unemployment and the transfer of jobs abroad chasing cheap labour
• Terrorism and the on-going problem arising from President Bartlett’s reluctant sanctioning of the assassination of a major Arab terrorist figure
• Women’s rights and equality
• The trivial nature of the TV debates between the candidates. (One debate in the programme threw away the rule book and though scripted, was shown live on prime time American TV – for the first time ever).
• Foreign affairs including the Israel/Palestinian conflict

These are just some of the issues around which the funny, articulate, dramatic, storylines of The West Wing 6/7 are written.

The DVD’s of The West Wing are now absurdly cheap. I bought The complete packaged set itself for £50 which equals about 30p/disc – or less than 5p/episode.

I would recommend this series to anyone who loves good writing, likes to be entertained, informed, challenged, think about serious issues. All the usual character loves, losses, intrigues, etc are there with characters that are credible and engaging. It is funny and informative. It is television for grown-ups. Several episodes are as good as any film I have seen on the cinema.

With most long-running series the quality falls off over time and the death knell is sounded once plot begins to drive character rather than character driving plot. Although the first few series are the best because written by the creator of The West Wing, the brilliant Aaron Sorkin (A Few God Men, Social Network), the overall quality of writing and characterisation is extraordinarily well-maintained to the very last episode.

There is no filmed work I have ever seen I could recommend more highly – whether to help you understand the present American election process or to just enjoy absolutely first rate writing and performance.

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I totally agree with you, Z. However, like any series, West Wing had it's duff bits. I once persuaded a good friend of mine, who's fairly allergic to TV, to watch it but the episode he saw put him off for good. It was the one where they've invited a Republican to work with them in the West Wing but she's feeling rather out of it, so the team, knowing she's a Gilbert and Sullivan fan, go down to her office in the basement and serenade her with a G&S classic. My friend thought this was not only cringe-worthy but totally unlikely.

That aside, the writing is fantastic, and a long way ahead of anything in this country. For me, Aaron Sorkin has that something-extra quality in his writing, where it's always more than the sum of its parts. Don't know how he does it but I think it allows him not to be hemmed in by classic plot structures - he can let the characters take it in unexpected directions. I think Joss Whedon has a similar touch. But harder to think of British writers with the same magic ability. Certainly Russell Davies tried hard to copy it but never really succeeded in my book. Tom Stoppard maybe has it, but he's not really a TV writer.

Terry

Interesting point about your friend. The whole point about series which is beginning to show to the detriment of traditional movies, especially those adated from books; is that youneed more than the 3 hour span of a movie to establish complex characters aeven before you put them in to interesting dramtic situations. This is one of the great features of The West Wing - every charcacter, from the leads down to tiniest one-off role is carefully cast, beautifully written, and superbly performed.

Thus to understand the G&S scene which was the first your friend saw you would a) need to know some of the characters concerned as especially Ainsley the Republican lady Lawer who had been asked to provide a genuine Republican persepctive from within a Democratic Administration. She had been treated like sh*t by hostile incumbents and the people who had had to accept Bartlett's argument that as Republicans represented 50% of the population they were trying to govern perhaps it would be a good idea to have someone close who who would challenge policy from a convinced Republican perspective. MAkes good management sense and shows an appreciation of genuine leadership.

In fact aprt from the G& episode that worked rather nicely if you knew the characters Ainsleyt became one of the most interesting characters snapping at the neels of easy Democratic assumtions to deepen the debate about policy.

And the Gilbert and Sullivan was no more unlikely than that a a President with no real singing voice should sing a few snatches of the blues with some of the foremost blues magicians in the world.

best

Z

PS I'm still gonna bang on about the coordinated release of linked movies - The Larssen trilogy would have been perfect.

Someone's gonna do it. But you heard it here first.