I’m going to miss "West Wing". It’s been my fantasy show for years now and it goes off the air in a matter of weeks. I will miss it because it has offered a political climate I dreamed of, it offered amazing amazing dialogue writing, fantastic ensemble acting and it did not cater to the lowest common denominator. Sorry but I DO feel that too much television does exactly that; from talk shows which are simply Anne Landers on the air (and too damn many people who seek advice are so pathetic, with no common sense, no ability to think beyond tomorrow or whatever it’s not something I want to spend time hearing about) or mudwrestling with clothes on to watching people make fools of themselves on competition/reality shows (I still cannot comprehend and do not want to know why I should care if some stranger gets a job with a walking piece of mucus with a ferret on his head or wins money by eating grubs) to sit comes which All seem to use as their model “hey I know, let’s get a doofus husband – he can be fat, yeah, and clueless about everything – and give him a bright wife – oh, she should be skinny and attractive because all stupid fat men deserve skinny attractive smart wives and everyone will relate to that. And they’ll have kids. Lots of kids. Or inlaws. Or parents that live with them. . Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk.
and we can reuse every old stupid tired joke from Bob Hope or Reader’s Digest or whatever lame-o “my husband/wife is so dumb/skinny/fat/stupid” routine that we’ll save money on writers
Sorry if you like these shows, I know I’m harsh. Stu watches a lot of stuff and I just can’t. but then I have been known to run (as close as I get to running) out of the room at the slightest hint that “Seinfeld” is on. I hate it so very much that I have to put on headphones even for a minute if it’s on – I’ve come close I think to breaking teeth because of that show. And it’s apparently the funniest show ever to appear on television, according to polls done. And I hate hate despise fucking hate it. So I’m not normal.

Okay, yeah, there are crime shows and some of them show Real Science (but not really, because DNA profiles and blood typing and fingerprint matching is not instant poof a60 second in the microwave) but I can’t watch them. They’re too graphic (CSI) or they focus on the creepiest of crimes (Mandy Patinkin’s show – what is it Criminal Minds) or it’s a bit too formulaic or well, in the long run, not a big fan of prosecutors as tv heroes. Not that there aren’t some great ones blah blah blah but I’m not interested in that side of the law. I just can’t get into the crime shows.

When West Wing goes, there goes CJ Cregg. There goes well Charlie Young. Allison Janney and Dule Hill are two of the best – and I would not ever have known about them it if weren’t for West Wing.

Sam Seaborn’s been gone a few years, but at least we had Joshua Malina. Anna Devere Smith as Nancy McNally. Martin Sheen. Emily Procter as Ainsley Hayes. Marlee Matlin, well-cast as Joey Lucas. So damn many talented people. And goldfish.

And we lost the brilliant talent of John Spencer just a few months ago. And that just sucked. If I hadn’t known the show was ending, I would have assumed it had to end. The cast is brilliant, but without Leo McGarry, the show would not work for me.

But the show usually assumed people understood. Understood international issues, understood war, and political nuance and religious fervor and diplomacy. And secrets and political expedience and unspoken love and doing the right thing in the world today. I just saw an old episode about India and Pakistan and even in the 10 minutes I watched, I couldn’t remember a tv show ever putting it out there the way this show did.

I will miss being treated as a grown up with a brain. The only place I can spend time now where I still get that is on “Numb3rs” which except for the too-cute “you boys ought to date more” pay that is in creating a tad much, offers smart people who are attractive, successful and oh so interesting.

So hell, there goes one of the only reasons I bother with tv any more. I AM back to watching “Jeopardy!” because it used to conflict with “Newsnight with Aaron Brown”. Yeah. Right. Aaron Brown.

Then I got to the point of wanting to break something when Michael Weatherly as fucking DiNozzo said “probie” for the 73d time in the hour so there went NCIS.

There’s a new show coming. Oh please please please please. It’s a Sorkin show featuring Matthew Perry (who did a damn nice job in HIS appearances on WW – I don’t think I ever sat through an entire episode of “Friends” in my life) Bradley Whitford is signed on as is Timothy Busfield. None is my favorite but it’s early yet. I sure would like to see more women’s names involved. But the show is called “Studio 60” and it’s apparently a backstage look at a SNL type show (as Sports Night was a backstage look at ESPN type shows) and we all know how SNL suffers from the lack of female input- or atl east used to. The one actress Sarah Paulson I don’t know – and according to the write up ,she has a thankless job, playing a cast member who’s a devout Christian. I can’t see that working but….

But it may be enough for me. I do after all, own two collections of WW scripts, I’m so enamored of Sorkin’s writing. And Tommy Schlamme (the name you love to say) is involved at least directing the pilot and as exec producer with Sorkin.

But I sure will miss rapid fire dialogue and jokes that rely on tihngs like literature or politics, and people who acted like they believed and believed in something and in something GOOD.

And BOY will I miss CJ.