I had this friend who I used to watch movies with almost every time we spent time together. At the time, one of my very favorite things was to watch a movie and then discuss it thoroughly afterwards. I liked the movies that were mildly controversial or had some deeper meaning that I was able to try it dissect after viewing. I liked the stupid funny ones, too, but it really was one of my favorite things to do dinner and movie, but the movie first. I was also super music obsessed at this point in my life, obnoxiously talking about artists I felt were far superior to the rest and always trying to find a new artist to tell my musician friends about.
So my friend who I always watched movies with once invited me over to watch a show with him called The West Wing. The whole reason he did was because it was a show that didn't use a lot of music and he wanted to make the point that television could be thought provoking and interesting without music. Ironically, it was an episode where a concert kind of happened in the background, but I did enjoy the new to me show.
Fast forward a bit and I'm living alone in Riverside again and staying up ridiculously late because that's what I did in my twenties, and I stumble across reruns of The West Wing and realize it's being aired on the weekends. I set up my VCR to record it, hoping to catch the pilot at some point. But I really love it even though I've started watching right in the middle of the series. Bravo, the tv network currently known for all shows being "reality" based, used to air like four episode in a row of The West Wing on Monday nights. It was the best! I move from all these reruns to watching the new episodes as they air.
This show was just so well written and interesting with characters that were flawed but trying to do good. Not in an earnest fake way, but in a deep meaningful, "I want the world to be better because ot this action" good. I loved the political manuevering, I loved the strong female characters, I loved that there really was a lack of music. It became my favorite show and I still watched all the reruns I could find because The West Wing universe was such a happy place to be. The show ended in 2006. I got a few of the seasons on dvd as gifts later on. Netflix added it to the lineup the first Christmas we had Netflix and I honestly considered it a Christmas present. I love The West Wing.
A few months back, Allison Janney had an opportunity to speak to the press room at The White House and started off pretending to be C.J. Cregg for a brief moment and it was a complete delight. I happened to see the clip someplace that had viewer comments and someone mentioned there was going to be a podcast starting soon called The West Wing Weekly.
I have to take a break from my longwinded story to tell you that I hate podcasts. I love music. Everyone got obsessed with Serial and my husband is constantly listening to the Joe Rogan podcast and I just can't. Blah. But, this is about The West Wing, so maybe it's worth checking out.
It's two guys who have known each other for ages, and one of them was actually on The West Wing for half of its run. I'm completely hooked from the first episode. They are watching one episode a week and discussing that episode with as few spoilers as possible. They encourage listeners to follow along, one episode at a time, and promise guests on the podcast ranging from actors to legislators. When I hear the first actor who had been on The West Wing gushing about what an incredible experience the show had been, I realized that podcasts don't suck. They can be uplifting and entertaining and completely wonderful.
If I designed a celebration of The West Wing, it wouldn't be nearly as perfect as the podcast is. I listen to the new episode every week with utter delight, probably looking like a giant weirdo in my mamavan as I drive, listening, laughing, tearing up, the whole nine yards. I don't even mind being stuck in traffic that much because it means more listening to it in one piece rather than in chunks.
Because of The West Wing Weekly, I am open to podcasts. I went to a conference at the beginning of September where a very successful entrepreneur suggested to me that I be more intentional with my time and listen to podcasts when I can to learn things and raise my personal potential ceiling. I still need to write about this conference, and I totally will, but this in particular was phenomal advice. I wouldn't have been that open to it if I hadn't have recently discovered podcasts could be really fun and interesting.
I have other favorite tv shows that I will watch over and over again, but none of them have had the deep and lasting impact on me or brought such interesting and worthwhile things into my life the way The West Wing has.
And that is my love letter to The West Wing, The West Wing Weekly, and Netflix.
No comments:
Post a Comment