Watching West Wing reruns on Netflix

[nelsonmuntz]

First and second season are actually better than I remember, and I remember them as being pretty good.

One person that I had completely forgotten was Moira Kelly. She was listed right behind Rob Lowe in the credits in Season 1, and everyone else but Martin Sheen is listed in alphabetical order after Lowe and Kelly. She was essentially a co-lead of a show that would go on to be a huge hit, and then she just vanishes without explanation, and other than a supporting role on a CW series, her career was over.

Did she kick Sorkin in the nuts or something?

 

[temery]

I'm currently on season three.

This is a good read, if you are bored:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/west-wing-uncensored-aaron-sorkin-703010

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I am sticking with Moira Kelly kicked Sorkin in the nuts. You don't just yank a co-lead from a show without so much as explaining where she went. Something happened.

I though the last season was actually the best.

 

[temery]

I am sticking with Moira Kelly kicked Sorkin in the nuts. You don't just yank a co-lead from a show without so much as explaining where she went. Something happened.

I though the last season was actually the best.

I lost interest toward the end. Too many drama series let the sub plots take over the show.

 

[Waquoit]

I am sticking with Moira Kelly kicked Sorkin in the nuts.

I didn't watch the show, but I remember the spin at the time saying she wasn't a "fit". I had a thing for Moira Kelly since The Cutting Edge. She ended up on One Tree Hill, another show I never watched. To tie this into UConn one of the actors on One Tree Hill (Lee Norris) came to our tailgate at the Meinicke Bowl, but he was a Wake grad so I didn't have much to say to him.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Tim Matheson is one of those actors where you wonder why he didn't become a bigger star. He is a good actor, can do comedy and drama, has the looks, and he was involved in a lot of hits. I know he transitioned to a Director later in his career, but that was after his acting career had already flatlined.

I thought he was great in West Wing.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Into Season 6 now.

Sorkin is a great writer, probably one of the best of his generation, but it is hard to defend him against the charge that he is sexist. Donna screws up so often in the early seasons that she should have been fired every other episode, but she isn't fired because Josh wants to bang her. That is almost identical to the Maggie and Jim plotline of Newsroom. Young attractive women are allowed to screw up because they might be useful for sex later. Got it, Aaron.

He left in Season 4, and in some ways the show got better, if only because the women characters all got more interesting.

I stand by my earlier assertion that the last two seasons may have been the best of the show's run.

 

[Orkney]

Great info.... I'm going to start a West Wing binge on Netflix in the next week or two. Thanks.