What’s your go-to favorite piece of smart television these days?
I’m currently in the mist of binging “Somebody Somewhere,” which is … amazing. When a show wins Peabody Awards, that’s a “You need to watch this” bat signal for me, much like writers that are Iowa Writers Workshop alum — it’s an unspoken guarantee that what you are about to take in is just top notch stuff.
There are myriad others — then there are the series which I own the complete DVD set of, such as Homicide, The Larry Sanders Show, Seinfeld, Psych, SportsNight and … The West Wing.
“The West Wing” was appointment television for me back in the day. I loved it for all the obvious and not-so-obvious reasons — it aligned with my worldview, it included “Will they or won’t they” couples, and most of all, it featured super smart writing. Engaging storylines. A reason to believe there are in fact better angels out there.
So when I was gifted with Melissa Fitzgerald’s and Mary McCormack’s “What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing” at Christmas, I couldn’t wait to dive in. I don’t know that I would go so far as to call myself a Wingnut (aka superfan), but I knew there’d be something special to understanding how the show came to be and the service to community it continues to inspire even today.
The book breaks down the initial inspiration for the series, the casting, special episodes and overall production, along with detailed vignettes of nonprofit organizations dear to the cast and crew. It was just the call to action I needed to get up off my duff and find a place to volunteer again. It’s been a while since my kids aged out of all those baked in opportunities we get to make a difference when our kids are in school, and I knew that participating in some sort of community service might dull, even just a little bit, some of the D.C. cruelty that’s likely coming down the pike.
Should you read this? It’s likely only going to be tons of fun for fans of the show, so if that’s you, yes. And if you enjoy reading about the history of television shows, I’d also recommend “Live From New York” as we are only a couple of weeks away from SNL’s 50th birthday party.
Looking for additional recommendations? You can find all my reviews here.
LitzyDitz 