Give me just a little more time...

Don't you sometimes wish the day had more then 24 hours? I most certainly do. There are so many things I need to get done during the day, of which none are really of any true importance. I need to watch another episode of a fave show, I need to relax, I need a power nap, I need to study for my finals (that one is pretty important) etc...

Speaking of having more time, here's a catchy tune which most certainly does not speak of the subjects I need to fit into my daily schedule, but the title fits. And that's enough, cause it's a great tune, which a friend of mine shared with me many, many years ago. True story.


Give Me Just a Little More Time - Chairman of the Board




Anyway, I've recently started watching an old favorite of mine when it comes to TV-shows. The West Wing ran for 7 seasons between 1999 and 2006, and even though one might think a drama about politics seems like a boring premise, it certainly isn't. In my opinion, there are several reasons why this show must be considered one of the greatest TV-shows to date.

1. The brilliant writing of Aaron Sorkin.

Even though I'm not usually a fan of fast-paced dialouge in TV-shows, this show is the exception to the rule for me. The dialogue is smart and witty, and the "hey, let's just talk while we are walking around in the building" works quite brilliantly. (sidenote: a funny scene where Sorkin's love of this kind of dialogue is shown when the characters Josh Lyman and Sam Shepard stop up after a chat realizing they've both just followed the other character without having any idea or plan about where they are actually going)

2. The characters.

The characters in the show are written wonderfully. They are far from one-dimensional. They are also very likeable, in that although they have their flaws, they still strike you as pretty normal (and at often times, very funny) people.



3. The actors.

And this is a big one. Rarely have I seen such wonderful casting for a TV-show as is the case in The West Wing. Martin Sheen is arguably the biggest name in the cast, and he does a wonderful performance as the President of the United States, but he is in my opinion not a stand-out in this show. Bradley Whitford might be my personal favorite as Josh Lyman, with John Spencer (Leo McGarry), Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler) and Allison Janney (C.J. Cregg) pretty much up there with him. Also the chemistry between Bradley Whitford and his secretary Donna Moss (played by Janel Moloney) is amazing. According to trivia I've read on the show, Donna Moss wasn't supposed to have as big a part in the show as she ended up having, but the chemistry was too good not to take advantage off. The rest of the cast are also pretty much perfect in their roles, notably Rob Lowe (Sam Shepard) and Dulè Hill (Charlie Young).




Obviously, as the seasons pass by, lots of new characters are introduced, but this is written on the basis of the first 2 seasons. Also worth mentioning is the appearence of Elisabeth Moss, whom you might know as Peggy Olson in "Mad Men", currently in it's 4th season.

Josh Lyman screwed up in a press conference. Josh Lyman is cool. Fact.





I'll pretend to be IMDb (or amazon) for a little bit, and to the whole "If you like this, then you might like..."

Like I said, Aaron Sorkin's writing is brilliant in this show, and if you like The West Wing, I'd recommend another show he's created. Unfortunatly it only lasted one season, but reunion of his writing and Bradley Whitford, in addition to Matthew Perry (which forms a great duo with Bradley Whitford, is still more then good enough reason to check out "Studio 60 at the Sunset Strip.

Here's a little sample:

Promo for Studio 60



Matt Albie trying (without much luck) to explain that he writes the show...




That's it for now.