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The West Wing WAS the show with some of the highest level discussions, the best "asides", and truly intelligent discussions of the issues of the day without being preachy. There was a moral to the story almost every week, and the victories and defeats were both enjoyable and painful.
Then things changed. Got stuck on the president being ill, this, that, the other... some characters left, others got added, and honestly, the spark went out.
This is sort of the pattern for another show I enjoy, CSI. First couple of seasons were brilliant! Amazing visuals, the stories and the criminals were the focus of the shows, and I was both entertained and challenged each week to try to actually put the clues together.
Last season was a total wash. Aggressive character developments, interoffice strife, personal issues, needless romance, alcohol, and re-arrangement threads took away from the nature of the show. In fact, you could actually see a shift where they moved from at least 2 crime scenes per week often down to a single crime set with all the characters working on the same situation. More time spent developing the personal lives of the characters, and less time actually working crimes and doing what made the show great.
This year they are back to solving crimes, less to do with the boss and much more to do with science, crime, and intelligent discussions, and the ratings are through the roof.
The West Wing would do well to stick to meat and potatoes and stay away from the fancy deserts. The debate show was a clear indication that the next man to occupy the fictional whitehouse will bring some interest to the show.
Alex
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