West Wing - The Complete First Season

Pros: Cast especially Sheen; Schiff; Spencer; Janney; Lowe; creative story-telling & crisp dialogue

Cons: A few places where they get caught-up in agenda/issues at expense of story

The Bottom Line: A decade after The West Wing's debut, the first season trials and triumphs of the fictional Bartlet administration still make compelling viewing.

Review: Greetings! So glad to see you with us today. I'll be your tour guide as we journey through the Complete First Season of The West Wing, the multiple Emmy-award winning television show that aired from 1999-2006. Originally created by Aaron ...

Pros: stories, script, acting, cast, good balance of humor & drama

Cons: that there aren't administrations like this one

The Bottom Line: One of the best series ever to be on television, and one of their finest seasons.

Review: One of my favorite shows while it was on television was The West Wing. The first season was one of the best, and I can remember looking forward to Wednesday nights quite a bit. Fortunately, I can now relive those moments as the series has ...

Pros: Exceptional acting, Character and character development, Stories, FUNNY!, DVD extras, Everything!

Cons: Um, it's not real.

The Bottom Line: In a perfect first season, "The West Wing The Complete First Season" sets an ambitious agenda and pace for the series about the staff of the White House.

Review: "The West Wing - The Complete First Season" on DVD is a perfect season that, try as I might, I cannot find genuine weaknesses with. There are very few first seasons that come out of the gate at or near their peak, "NYPD Blue" (first season reviewed at: ...

Pros: A look at thee American that ought to be.

Cons: NONE

The Bottom Line: The West Wing is television at its best. The writing, the acting its about as perfect as it gets.

Review: Most people can't stand politics. They find it chalk full of back and forth mud slinging that in the end gets us nowhere. They don't care about who's in charge because to them their all the same. Well for those partial right though cynical people ...

Pros: Excellent writing, great acting, and it's educational without being boring.

Cons: None really...

The Bottom Line: This show may be about politics about it's also a great show about people working together, and is very bipartisan.

Review: Martin Sheen stars as President Josiah "Jed" Bartlett. The show starts in the second year of Bartlett's first term. Yes, this show is sometimes hard to follow. It deals with politics as the main story line, and the staff's personal life and secondary ...

Pros: One of the greatest TV series of all time

Cons: Smudging and scratching on the new discs, unimpressive bonus features

The Bottom Line: I'd recommend this set to almost anyone. Just be aware of the potential of smudging or scratching of the discs when you buy the set.

Review: Departing from movie reviewing for a few days during the holiday season, I was debating how to tackle the review of an entire television series (though at the time I was thinking of writing about Alias Season 2). It's not as easy as you might think. How ...

Pros: Characters who grow on you

Cons: Cliched stories; weak storytelling; a bit of smugness to the whole thing

The Bottom Line:

Once I got into the show, I found it entertaining.  But I still don't see what all the fuss is about.

Review: Long ago, I wrote The West Wing off as left wing propaganda.  I've been surprised over the years at the conservative friends who have raved about the show.  But I've stuck to my guns.  That is, until my best friend gave me the first ...