A couple weeks ago I admitted that, thanks to Netflix, Hiram and I are addicted to the TV series, Lost. Today in the interest of full disclosure, I am making a clean breast of things by confessing my love of West Wing, the political drama that ran from 1999 to 2006. (For those of you wondering about the 10 year lag in our viewing habits, remember that thanks to the advent of digital television, we were left with one channel even though we installed a converter box. Our location didn’t allow us to get cable, and our daughter was in college, which left no money for satellite TV until last year. So we haven’t watched much TV since the millennium.)
Now, the conservatives among you may be gasping with horror to think anyone could like such a liberal leaning show. And the liberals among you may be gasping to think anyone could like a show that sometimes shows liberals in a less than favorable light. But my fascination with the show has nothing to do with politics. It has to do with the actors and their acting. Or to be specific, these actors and their acting.
- Alison Janney (C. J. Cregg) – She’s right up there with Meryl Streep.
- Janet Moloney (Donna Moss) – She does amazing things with what started as a bit part. No wonder the writers started giving her more lines.
- Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler) – Has anyone anywhere ever played the sad sack so perfectly?
- Stockard Channing (Abbey Bartlett) – Since her debut in Grease, she’s been worth watching. But back then, whooda thought she’d play the President’s wife.
- Martin Sheen (Josiah Bartlett) – In the same vein, whooda thought the President could look so much like Peter Parker’s (aka Spider Man) uncle?
- Dule Hill (Charlie Young) – Can he possibly be same actor who plays the comic sidekick in Psych? Now that’s amazing acting.
Those are the actors who draw me back to West Wing for episode after episode. How about you? Who are your favorite actors on that show or any other? Leave a comment.
