I will say before going any further than I enjoyed "The West Wing." It is a fun series that combines a number of great actors with the writing of the witty Aaron Sorkin. The plot progresses well from episode to episode, and no other television series has captured the reverence that so many people have towards the American presidency as "The West Wing." Bradley Whitford is lovable in his role as Joshua Lyman, and his relationship with Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) is my favorite part of the series. Martin Sheen does a wonderful job as President Josiah Bartlett as well.
However, to add a caveat, much of the series often seem more like liberal wish fulfillment than good storytelling. Josiah Bartlett is a Nobel laureate who never talks about economics and who speaks four languages. He, like many other characters on the show, seems more like a archetype generated by elements of the American left rather than a flesh-and-blood character. His neoconservative stripe is a nice reminder of the political culture of the early 2000s though.
The show's repeated attempts to make a right-winger part of the central group of characters are consistently failures, and its greatest success, Alan Alda's Arnold Vinick, is perhaps the most left-wing Republican presidential candidate in postwar American political history.
It is therefore a success, but not an unqualified one.
(I have watched this several times, most recently binging on it in April 2017)
However, to add a caveat, much of the series often seem more like liberal wish fulfillment than good storytelling. Josiah Bartlett is a Nobel laureate who never talks about economics and who speaks four languages. He, like many other characters on the show, seems more like a archetype generated by elements of the American left rather than a flesh-and-blood character. His neoconservative stripe is a nice reminder of the political culture of the early 2000s though.
The show's repeated attempts to make a right-winger part of the central group of characters are consistently failures, and its greatest success, Alan Alda's Arnold Vinick, is perhaps the most left-wing Republican presidential candidate in postwar American political history.
It is therefore a success, but not an unqualified one.
(I have watched this several times, most recently binging on it in April 2017)