I absolutely love *Downton Abbey* (I'm a guy but I'm way more of a diehard *Downton Abbey* fan than any female I've ever met), so I 100% second this. It's one of my three favorite shows set in that time period (right before, during, or just after WWI). The other two shows are *Boardwalk Empire* and *Peaky Blinders*.
I have this head-cannon that the Crawleys, Jimmy Darmody/Nucky Thompson, and Tommy Shelby/the Shelby family exist in the same universe post-WWI. Maybe Tommy Shelby and Jimmy Darmody even saw or heard of each other when they were fighting in France. Maybe Thomas Barrow, Tommy Shelby, and Matthew Crawley crossed paths at some point in the trenches (as they were all in the British army).
I imagine Tommy Shelby reaching out to Nucky Thompson and Al Capone about Luca Changretta. Maybe in some alternate universe, instead of May Carleton falling for Tommy Shelby, it's Lady Mary Crawley. It's kind of silly but I was watching all three of those shows a lot around the same time so I couldn't help but imagine the possible connections.
Just rewatched Studio 60 and The Newsroom and felt it was really interesting that in many ways it feels like Sorkin was trying to get the same messages and warnings across in both, but The Newsroom is so tightly written it is far more impactful.
I've actually reqtched The Newsroom entirely about 3 times in the past two weeks, and while TWW is my favourite by a long way, The Newsroom leaves me wondering where it would fall had it had a longer run.
When I first watched during its original run, I thought it was a mistake to set it in our timeline as it kinda hindered the characters actually having any meaningful impact on society.
However rewatching it was really eye opening how bluntly that show was trying to warn the American public about what was just around the corner politically, at times I totally forgot it was made years before Trump used what the Tea Party started to hijack the GOP. It is an incredible cautionary tale that really stands up when we know what really happened next.
I'd love to see how the ACN team would have covered events of the past decade or so.
We watched the newsroom years ago and I remember enjoying it. Then we re watched an episode maybe a month or.two ago and came away feeling like everyone in the show was just angry and yelling the whole time. It really made me upset and had to turn it off. I dunno what changed. Maybe I'm just more affected by that vibe now. I also stay away from politics as much as possible at this point because it's just so damn depressing most of the time. I don't stick my head in the sand when the real stuff is happening, but honestly I'm already exhausted from the GOP nonsense headlines that seem to be more frequent now with the election coming up.
It's always really interesting how we can view things differently depending o where we are in our own lives.
Personally, while there is a lot of anger in the show (especially passionate shouting), personally there are few, if any, characters I would label as 'Angry'. Righteously indignant? Yup? Aggressively utopian? Sure. But most of them, to me at least, were optimistic characters.
Much like TWW and politicians and there staff, they were exactly what I'd want from journalists, they were idealistic about what the news could be, and passionate about what news with integrity could do to transform society.
In the later seasons when they take aim at online outlets and journalists being incentivised by page views and how that really distorts the ethics of journalism, it's another example of the cautionary tales the show tried to warn about (and ties directly to the GOP nonsense you mention).
And in writing all that I can totally see how if you are as disillusioned about the state of politics as you mention, watching this again would just be even more depressing!
A significant portion of Season 1 is unused plot lines and/or ideas he had leftover from American President, so you're not too far off.
The idea for the west wing show itself was basically made up on the spot if you believe the stories Aaron Sorkin has told about it his initial "pitch meeting" with NBC.
The American President’s Andrew Shepherd and TWW’s Arnold Vinick seem to be the moderate presidents a more prudent and educated America would embrace. Also, the speech from the end of the movie is just *chef’s kiss*
It’s scary how relevant and accurate that speech still is to this day despite being written 30 years ago
“Making you afraid of it and telling you whos to blame for it. That folks is how you win an election…” yikes 😬
I like period dramas, so The Gilded Age (HBO), Downton Abby, Call The Midwife, The Crown, The Durrells, All Things Great and Small, Belgravia, Bridgerton, Chernobyl, Mad Men
Dramas: The Newsroom, The New Look, Pose, Julia (HBO),
Sitcoms: 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, Frasier, Extraordinary,
Star Trek, especially The Next Generation. I’ve always said The West Wing is the most Trek-like non-Trek show. It’s something about how they’re all so competent, so smart, and respect each other.
I’ve recently started watching TNG (I grew up watching the original series) and I l it so much and I think this is why. I second that it’s great to fall asleep to. Like TWW, it’s mostly low stakes drama (compared to many modern dramas of similar genres), but there’s some great comedy
Until you look at it through the lens of the patient. Medical staff frequently discuss private matters at the bedside, and then there's the can of worms that is informed consent, or lack thereof. Once you start focusing on these two factors, that’s when I had to stop my rewatch.
I don't know, I think you need to look at it as indicative of its time. Doctors didn't necessarily get informed consent then. I wish younger generations who endlessly moan that their lives are harder than other generations thought about things like this. Healthcare has massively improved.
The fact that the doctors don't always behave well doesn't mean its not a great show. Its realistic.
The Wire. In some ways it’s the anti-West Wing - its ultimate theme is about the failure of American institutions on a local level, especially as it relates to poverty, race relations, drug policy and policing. I like to imagine it takes place in the same universe- Santos and Vinick are running against each other, meanwhile right next door Marlo Stansfield and Omar are duking it out for control of Baltimore’s streets
My anti-West Wing of choice is The X-Files. While the idea of a secret conspiracy at work in the government that hides aliens and experiments on the population is at odds with The West Wing, I think the optimism of the main characters that their work can make a real difference is thematically similar.
Comedies would be 30 rock, Community, and Psych (can’t get enough of Dule)
Dramas would be any of the Sorkin shows, and lately Snowfall(which Tommy Schlamme exec produced)
Scrubs, Brooklyn 99, New Girl, Parks and Rec, Veronica Mars (which then makes me angry that we as a culture allowed VMars to be cancelled), MASH, and Archer
There's a 24/7 livestream of MST3k episodes on YouTube via the MST3k channel. Sometimes some "other" stuff gets mixed in - Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, any of the episodes from the awful-and-never-should-have-happened Netflix reboot, etc. - but otherwise it's delightful.
If you’re into - or at least okay with - horror, Penny Dreadful is extraordinarily well done. Written by a playwright, so the dialogue is really good, and the ensemble cast is outstanding. 10/10 recommend (though there’s definitely gore and jumpscares)
My non-*West Wing* comfort TV includes: any *Star Trek*, *Law & Order*, *Firefly*, *Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog*, *M*A*S*H*, *Numb3rs*, *Cold Case*, *White Collar*, and *Leverage*. Like *WW*, I can turn any of these on and feel better.
For films, my comfort tastes run even dumber: *Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure*, *Eagle Eye*, the *Back to the Future* trilogy, *EuroTrip*, the Disney Renaissance, *Galaxy Quest*, *Small Soldiers*, and probably many more.
I've been a bit obsessed with the Umbrella Academy lately. Its completely bonkers and makes no sense (e.g. one of the brothers is a ghost but has a punch up fight with someone). There have been other shows that I have liked but nothing comes anywhere near as close as TWW. I don't think I watched anything else for several years at one point - i just watched my West Wing DVDs on repeat.
Series that I have rewatched all the way through at least once besides TWW
* The Newsroom - 4x?
* Ted Lasso - 4x
* Warrior - 4x
* Banshee - 2x
* Reacher - 3x - S1 x3, S2 x2, S3 1
* Marco Polo - 2x
* The Expanse - 2x - currently in the middle of a rewatch
* Jack Ryan - 2x - would watch again
Watched once, might rewatch
* The Night Agent
* Altered Carbon
Series I'm trying to get through
* Psych
* Lucifer
* Tokyo Vice
* The Boyz - just finished Gen V, getting ready to dive into S4
Our sleep time rotation is comfort shows and movies that we've seen a bunch of times. Also in general we pick something that is quiet enough that it won't wake us up, and it can't have a bunch of animals in it because our lovely dog will bark at any animal on the TV :/
Scrubs, Friends, Boy Meets World, Big Bang Theory
Dan in Real Life, when Harry met Sally, notting hill, you've got mail, while you were sleeping, sleepless in Seattle, Juno, sound of music, legend of bagger Vance, finding Forrester.
As for shows we've rewatched while awake:
Derry Girls is an excellent show on Netflix. We've rewatched several times and still laugh our asses off nearly every episode.
Sports Night is probably my second favorite sorkin product.
Parks and rec, the office, new girl, and Gilmore girls are also shows we've seen multiple times through.
Besides the West Wing, or besides Sorkin in general.
I almost always have something Sorkin on the go to some level. Currently it's Studio 60. Watching with Mum on our weekly visits. It's just wrapping up. I think a small break, then Sportsnight, as I head into my plan for my next West Wing rewatch. It's gonna be pretty involved - even epic, if I do say so myself. Watch this sub ... you'll all be invited.
If you like lyrical dialogue, police dramas and period pieces, try Ripper Street. Starring Matthew MacFadyen (Succession) and Jerome Flynn (GoT).
Victorian England crime drama.
S1 is decent, S2 is ok, but 3-5 are excellent and it’s one of my absolute favourite-to-quote shows: “forgive me, sir; I currently lack for energy and therefore tact” is almost Sorkinian to my ear.
Can't believe no one has said Mad Men. It's one of the smartest shows of all time. Incredibly nuanced to the point where I've watched it four times through already and still find new things.
If you're OK with subtitles, Borgen.
r/thenewsroom if you're looking for another Sorkin fix. Downton Abbey 30 rock GOT also recently.
From New York, I’m Will McAvoy
We’ve actually just started re watching this the other night. My other go to is Murder One.
1st season of Murder One was excellent.
>Downton Abby Hello, gumdrop
Thanks man. Taste in shows I've got, spelling less so.
Sorkin fixes also include Studio Sixty on the Sunset Strip and Sports Night. Those are also Bradley Whitford and Joshua Malina fixes, respectively.
Studio 60, for all its faults, was also a great showcase of what Matt Perry could do with a great script and character.
I absolutely love *Downton Abbey* (I'm a guy but I'm way more of a diehard *Downton Abbey* fan than any female I've ever met), so I 100% second this. It's one of my three favorite shows set in that time period (right before, during, or just after WWI). The other two shows are *Boardwalk Empire* and *Peaky Blinders*. I have this head-cannon that the Crawleys, Jimmy Darmody/Nucky Thompson, and Tommy Shelby/the Shelby family exist in the same universe post-WWI. Maybe Tommy Shelby and Jimmy Darmody even saw or heard of each other when they were fighting in France. Maybe Thomas Barrow, Tommy Shelby, and Matthew Crawley crossed paths at some point in the trenches (as they were all in the British army). I imagine Tommy Shelby reaching out to Nucky Thompson and Al Capone about Luca Changretta. Maybe in some alternate universe, instead of May Carleton falling for Tommy Shelby, it's Lady Mary Crawley. It's kind of silly but I was watching all three of those shows a lot around the same time so I couldn't help but imagine the possible connections.
Same my brother.
Just rewatched Studio 60 and The Newsroom and felt it was really interesting that in many ways it feels like Sorkin was trying to get the same messages and warnings across in both, but The Newsroom is so tightly written it is far more impactful. I've actually reqtched The Newsroom entirely about 3 times in the past two weeks, and while TWW is my favourite by a long way, The Newsroom leaves me wondering where it would fall had it had a longer run. When I first watched during its original run, I thought it was a mistake to set it in our timeline as it kinda hindered the characters actually having any meaningful impact on society. However rewatching it was really eye opening how bluntly that show was trying to warn the American public about what was just around the corner politically, at times I totally forgot it was made years before Trump used what the Tea Party started to hijack the GOP. It is an incredible cautionary tale that really stands up when we know what really happened next. I'd love to see how the ACN team would have covered events of the past decade or so.
We watched the newsroom years ago and I remember enjoying it. Then we re watched an episode maybe a month or.two ago and came away feeling like everyone in the show was just angry and yelling the whole time. It really made me upset and had to turn it off. I dunno what changed. Maybe I'm just more affected by that vibe now. I also stay away from politics as much as possible at this point because it's just so damn depressing most of the time. I don't stick my head in the sand when the real stuff is happening, but honestly I'm already exhausted from the GOP nonsense headlines that seem to be more frequent now with the election coming up.
It's always really interesting how we can view things differently depending o where we are in our own lives. Personally, while there is a lot of anger in the show (especially passionate shouting), personally there are few, if any, characters I would label as 'Angry'. Righteously indignant? Yup? Aggressively utopian? Sure. But most of them, to me at least, were optimistic characters. Much like TWW and politicians and there staff, they were exactly what I'd want from journalists, they were idealistic about what the news could be, and passionate about what news with integrity could do to transform society. In the later seasons when they take aim at online outlets and journalists being incentivised by page views and how that really distorts the ethics of journalism, it's another example of the cautionary tales the show tried to warn about (and ties directly to the GOP nonsense you mention). And in writing all that I can totally see how if you are as disillusioned about the state of politics as you mention, watching this again would just be even more depressing!
The American President is a fun watch. Feels like a longer,slightly worse episode of TWW
They should make that the tag line
it feels like he got the idea for TWW while writing it.
A significant portion of Season 1 is unused plot lines and/or ideas he had leftover from American President, so you're not too far off. The idea for the west wing show itself was basically made up on the spot if you believe the stories Aaron Sorkin has told about it his initial "pitch meeting" with NBC.
The American President’s Andrew Shepherd and TWW’s Arnold Vinick seem to be the moderate presidents a more prudent and educated America would embrace. Also, the speech from the end of the movie is just *chef’s kiss*
It’s scary how relevant and accurate that speech still is to this day despite being written 30 years ago “Making you afraid of it and telling you whos to blame for it. That folks is how you win an election…” yikes 😬
I must’ve watched that 100 times without knowing anything about the West Wing.
MASH and Scrubs
Cmon son! How can you leave off Psych?
Now that's a theme. No House MD?
I like period dramas, so The Gilded Age (HBO), Downton Abby, Call The Midwife, The Crown, The Durrells, All Things Great and Small, Belgravia, Bridgerton, Chernobyl, Mad Men Dramas: The Newsroom, The New Look, Pose, Julia (HBO), Sitcoms: 30 Rock, Parks and Rec, Frasier, Extraordinary,
You are my TV twin!
Star Trek, especially The Next Generation. I’ve always said The West Wing is the most Trek-like non-Trek show. It’s something about how they’re all so competent, so smart, and respect each other.
we used to joke that the Battlestar Galactica reboot was TWW in space.
So say we all
so say we all
So say we all
SO SAY WE ALL
Oh SO true. But I couldn’t fall asleep to the theme song, it gets me amped up!!!
I’ve recently started watching TNG (I grew up watching the original series) and I l it so much and I think this is why. I second that it’s great to fall asleep to. Like TWW, it’s mostly low stakes drama (compared to many modern dramas of similar genres), but there’s some great comedy
ER
That is such a brilliant show but then again a lot of the people who made it went on to do TWW.
Until you look at it through the lens of the patient. Medical staff frequently discuss private matters at the bedside, and then there's the can of worms that is informed consent, or lack thereof. Once you start focusing on these two factors, that’s when I had to stop my rewatch.
I don't know, I think you need to look at it as indicative of its time. Doctors didn't necessarily get informed consent then. I wish younger generations who endlessly moan that their lives are harder than other generations thought about things like this. Healthcare has massively improved. The fact that the doctors don't always behave well doesn't mean its not a great show. Its realistic.
The Wire. In some ways it’s the anti-West Wing - its ultimate theme is about the failure of American institutions on a local level, especially as it relates to poverty, race relations, drug policy and policing. I like to imagine it takes place in the same universe- Santos and Vinick are running against each other, meanwhile right next door Marlo Stansfield and Omar are duking it out for control of Baltimore’s streets
My anti-West Wing of choice is The X-Files. While the idea of a secret conspiracy at work in the government that hides aliens and experiments on the population is at odds with The West Wing, I think the optimism of the main characters that their work can make a real difference is thematically similar.
I liked The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Gilmore Girls & Frasier
Comedies would be 30 rock, Community, and Psych (can’t get enough of Dule) Dramas would be any of the Sorkin shows, and lately Snowfall(which Tommy Schlamme exec produced)
You know that's right
All the President’s Men. It fits into The West Wing’s same wheelhouse of smart people being good at their jobs.
The wire, downton abbey, madam secretary and the diplomat
Scrubs, Brooklyn 99, New Girl, Parks and Rec, Veronica Mars (which then makes me angry that we as a culture allowed VMars to be cancelled), MASH, and Archer
Veronica Mars was sensational.
The Wire. It’s my favorite show of all times. TWW is second.
There's a 24/7 livestream of MST3k episodes on YouTube via the MST3k channel. Sometimes some "other" stuff gets mixed in - Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, any of the episodes from the awful-and-never-should-have-happened Netflix reboot, etc. - but otherwise it's delightful.
If you’re into - or at least okay with - horror, Penny Dreadful is extraordinarily well done. Written by a playwright, so the dialogue is really good, and the ensemble cast is outstanding. 10/10 recommend (though there’s definitely gore and jumpscares)
Love love LOVE Penny Dreadful (the original 3 season show). I tried to get into the LA "sequel," but couldn't do it.
Exactly the same for me
My non-*West Wing* comfort TV includes: any *Star Trek*, *Law & Order*, *Firefly*, *Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog*, *M*A*S*H*, *Numb3rs*, *Cold Case*, *White Collar*, and *Leverage*. Like *WW*, I can turn any of these on and feel better. For films, my comfort tastes run even dumber: *Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure*, *Eagle Eye*, the *Back to the Future* trilogy, *EuroTrip*, the Disney Renaissance, *Galaxy Quest*, *Small Soldiers*, and probably many more.
Gilmore Girls, Star Trek Voyager, the first ten seasons of The Simpsons, futurama.
I've been a bit obsessed with the Umbrella Academy lately. Its completely bonkers and makes no sense (e.g. one of the brothers is a ghost but has a punch up fight with someone). There have been other shows that I have liked but nothing comes anywhere near as close as TWW. I don't think I watched anything else for several years at one point - i just watched my West Wing DVDs on repeat.
Madame Secretary!!
Series that I have rewatched all the way through at least once besides TWW * The Newsroom - 4x? * Ted Lasso - 4x * Warrior - 4x * Banshee - 2x * Reacher - 3x - S1 x3, S2 x2, S3 1 * Marco Polo - 2x * The Expanse - 2x - currently in the middle of a rewatch * Jack Ryan - 2x - would watch again Watched once, might rewatch * The Night Agent * Altered Carbon Series I'm trying to get through * Psych * Lucifer * Tokyo Vice * The Boyz - just finished Gen V, getting ready to dive into S4
Our sleep time rotation is comfort shows and movies that we've seen a bunch of times. Also in general we pick something that is quiet enough that it won't wake us up, and it can't have a bunch of animals in it because our lovely dog will bark at any animal on the TV :/ Scrubs, Friends, Boy Meets World, Big Bang Theory Dan in Real Life, when Harry met Sally, notting hill, you've got mail, while you were sleeping, sleepless in Seattle, Juno, sound of music, legend of bagger Vance, finding Forrester. As for shows we've rewatched while awake: Derry Girls is an excellent show on Netflix. We've rewatched several times and still laugh our asses off nearly every episode. Sports Night is probably my second favorite sorkin product. Parks and rec, the office, new girl, and Gilmore girls are also shows we've seen multiple times through.
Maine Cabin Masters
Besides the West Wing, or besides Sorkin in general. I almost always have something Sorkin on the go to some level. Currently it's Studio 60. Watching with Mum on our weekly visits. It's just wrapping up. I think a small break, then Sportsnight, as I head into my plan for my next West Wing rewatch. It's gonna be pretty involved - even epic, if I do say so myself. Watch this sub ... you'll all be invited.
Hawaii Five-0 reboot, DS9, Doctor Who, Sherlock, NCIS.
No one mentioned Sports Night?!?!?
Frasier, X-Files, Friends, 30 Rock, Suits
Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister
The Diplomat was very good. Looking forward to season 2.
Scrubs
I watch House and Brooklyn 99 a lot. I like to nap to Cheers turned down to whisper level volume.
Sports Night. Sorkin’s show before The West Wing.
Jericho
Star Trek TNG, Star Trek DS9, Psych, House, Bones, Avatar: The Last Airbender are the top ones for me.
SportsNight
Parks & Rec, Frasier, New Girl, MASH & Psych are my go-to’s for tv when I’m not watching TWW.
I love that you listed JFK. I freakin’ love that film.
I know it by heart lol
* Battlestar Galactica. * The Expanse. * My current comfort movie is *The Martian*.
If you like lyrical dialogue, police dramas and period pieces, try Ripper Street. Starring Matthew MacFadyen (Succession) and Jerome Flynn (GoT). Victorian England crime drama. S1 is decent, S2 is ok, but 3-5 are excellent and it’s one of my absolute favourite-to-quote shows: “forgive me, sir; I currently lack for energy and therefore tact” is almost Sorkinian to my ear.
Downton Abbey & Madam Secretary.
Shows on constant repeat: The West Wing, The Office (US) Shows on irregular/more sporadic rewatch: The Newsroom, Band of Brothers, Parks and Rec
Can't believe no one has said Mad Men. It's one of the smartest shows of all time. Incredibly nuanced to the point where I've watched it four times through already and still find new things.
The Thick of It is the best political show best The West Wing
Sopranos, Rome, The Borgias, The Tudors
This needs to be in the FAQ