That’s the kind of speech George Bush should have given after 9/11 or Hurricane Katrina. That’s the kind of speech I wish any politician could give. It’s the type of speech that seems cheesy in peace-time, but in a time of crisis (the speech takes place after a pipe bombing in The West Wing universe), we are reassured that everything will be all right.

I’ve mentioned The West Wing in posts several times before, but I’m a huge fan, so a mention was not good enough. The West Wing was television at its best. It was smart and funny; it wrestled with the same issues that politicans face today. The show, for those of you who don’t know, was carried by NBC from 1999 to 2006 and the name comes from the West Wing of the White House, which contains the Oval Office and the offices of the president’s senior staff. Aaron Sorkin (my favorite writer) created the series and wrote every episode in the first four seasons. After Sorkin’s departure, the show’s ratings declined until it was cancelled by NBC. Incidentally, as The West Wing’s ratings fell, so did the success of network as a whole (but I can’t attribute this exclusively to the fall of The West Wing).

When I say that I love The West Wing, I’m probably understating. It sounds a bit odd, but my personality was probably molded, at least in part, by the influence of The West Wing. I suppose that’s not the worst inspiration one could have in life, and I seem to be doing just fine. In every episode, there’s a healthy dash of comedy, but always a confrontation with the most complicated issues of policy and morality.

The comedy is seen in teasers like this:

The main title sequence is one of the best I’ve seen. I also enjoy the occasional smackdown of crazy interpretations of the Bible.

The cinematography is outstanding. Thomas Schlamme and Aaron Sorking developed the “walk-and-talk.” Much of the show is filmed with a Steadicam, like parts of this section from the pilot. It enhances the tension in a show that could be viewed as boring, since most of it does take place in an office.

I’ll stop throwing illegaly posted YouTube clips at you. I can’t convey the series in the course of a few short clips. For me, it was amazing because I have an idealistic view of how government could be. If I write a pilot script (which I want to do, not to shop it around, but for practice writing in a different style), I hope it can be half as good as The West Wing. Television today is occupied by trash and I wish we could return to intelligent television.

I did a Summize search, and people are still raving about The West Wing on Twitter. As I said, it’s hard to convey the storylines and plots because of the complexity of the show. Download a few episodes from iTunes (do it in order; the best episodes are the ones that are most intertwined with every episode before). Let me know when you become a fan!