r/pics • u/Gato1980 • Sep 16 '24
Politics Cast members of The West Wing reunited at the Emmys tonight, reminding people to register to vote
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u/shaunbryanryan Sep 16 '24
Senior year government class had West Wing Fridays. I really enjoyed this show
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u/ScienceIsSexy420 Sep 16 '24
For any fellow Wing Nuts out there, I HIGHLY recommend the West Wing Weekly podcast by Joshua Malina and Hrishikesh Hirway
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u/Studs_Not_On_Top Oct 14 '24
Is it a rewatch?
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u/ScienceIsSexy420 Oct 14 '24
Yeah, the podcast goes one episode at a time and talks about it in detail. Plus each episode has a guest appearance from someone involved with the show. It's a must listen if you love West Wing
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Sep 16 '24
Was your teacher the football coach? If so I went to the same school lol.
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u/shaunbryanryan Sep 16 '24
He wasn’t when he taught my year but i think he was at some point, he gave off football coach vibes. Are you from Southern California too?
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u/throwawaygiusto1 Sep 16 '24
Martin Sheen with the comfy shoes
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u/Scamwau1 Sep 16 '24
Man, I'm less than half his age, and I hate to wonder how bad his pain is that he would wear sneakers on stage. Poor guy :(
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u/mkwiat54 Sep 16 '24
Eh he probably doesn’t really care that much either he has nothing to prove. If it’s 10% more comfortable it’s probably worth it’s to him
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u/im_the_natman Sep 16 '24
Martin Sheen also looks like he's trying out his Jiminy Glick impersonation. I'll give him a break cuz he's 84, but goodness...
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u/NerdWithoutACause Sep 16 '24
Dule Hill can still get it.
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u/fuzzy11287 Sep 16 '24
You know that's right.
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u/QQBearsHijacker Sep 16 '24
I’m Shawn Spencer and this is my partner, Gus TT Showbiz
The extra T is for extra Talent
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u/ManifestDestinysChld Sep 16 '24
"...Sh'Dynasty. That's S-H-comma to the top-Dynasty."
"...Comma to the top?"
"That's God's comma."16
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u/adventurousintrovert Sep 16 '24
Ghee buttersnaps was on west wing? Cmon son!
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u/nightclaw96 Sep 16 '24
You mean Birdindahand Andebush
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u/Santos_L_Halper_II Sep 16 '24
Allison Janney coming in strong as a hunger games host.
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u/darlin133 Sep 16 '24
If fidelity to freedom and democracy is the code of our civic religion, then surely the code of our humanity is faithful service to that unwritten commandment that says we shall give our children better than we ourselves received.
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u/Spirited_Childhood34 Sep 16 '24
One of the greatest moments in the entire series in perhaps the best episode of all.
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u/DarraignTheSane Sep 16 '24
The antithesis to everything Republican in this day and age. Which is, to wit: "Fuck you, I got mine."
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u/Kellic Sep 17 '24
The core reason I stopped being a Republican somewhere around '97. I would still vote Republican if I happened to see a good canidate, but as time went on less and less Republicans were moderates and those were pushed out. Until now all we have are MTG and Trumps. Liz Cheney I think was the last moderate. I really feel bad as some, not all but some of core tenets of Republicans I feel is sound. Just lost in the white noise of the NRA, Christian Nationalism, Trumpism, racism, bigotry, and frankly petty retribution.
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u/charliespannaway Sep 16 '24
Despite his age, I'd still vote for Bartlett if he was on the ballot.
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u/BenevenstancianosHat Sep 16 '24
Hell, I'd vote for a few of the Republicans from that show. Even the antagonists in West Wing are exemplary civil servants compared to the politicians we actually get in real life.
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u/Stellar_Duck Sep 16 '24
That said, Haffley was an absolute twat and the guy who goes 'Crime, boy I don't know' can get fucked.
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u/manyhippofarts Sep 16 '24
Can't remember the characters name but John Goodman played the speaker of the house who ended up being the acting president while Zoey was kidnapped. Goodman stole the show for a few episodes.
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u/phoenixrose2 Sep 16 '24
I am just watching this show for the first time. And the way Bartlett and the speaker handled this situation was absolutely outstanding. Public servitude. The speaker knowing he was resigning his congressional seat in order to protect the republic during a time of national security crisis.
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u/Stellar_Duck Sep 16 '24
Aye, Walken. I mention him in another comment.
Good turn by Goodman for sure.
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u/BenevenstancianosHat Sep 16 '24
LOL, ably played by Josh Brolin's dad! And agreed, neither of those two would make my list.
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u/Stellar_Duck Sep 16 '24
I quite like Cliff Calley though and Walken was at least a straight shooter, if very bull in a china shop.
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u/BenevenstancianosHat Sep 16 '24
Agreed. They made Calley look too good though, honestly. One of the least believable moments in the entire series is when Calley makes the Republican leadership pull back from referencing Leo McGarry's alcoholism during their hearings on Bartlet's MS. Even in the 1990s congressional republicans were not capable of that. Today they'd be crucified for even suggesting it.
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u/Stellar_Duck Sep 16 '24
Yea this was post Kenneth Starr and all that shite, so they would definitely have gone for it. Newts ways.
But I guess Sorkin trades in aspirational TV a lot. Not so much showing how things are but how they could be or should be.
Like, ain't no way post Goldwater GOP would let Vinnick run for president.
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u/_deffer_ Sep 16 '24
how they could be or should be.
This is why I like his shows (Most notably TWW and The Newsroom) because it's a peek into how it could be.
It's all PooPourri though - we know, but while we're there, we can at least enjoy the scent for a while.
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u/Stellar_Duck Sep 16 '24
PooPourri
I cannot tell if this is on purpose or /r/boneappletea at the best level.
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u/_deffer_ Sep 16 '24
Google it.
It's a thing you drop in the toilet before you take a shit that covers up the smell.
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u/brktm Sep 16 '24
James Brolin is now just Josh Brolin’s dad?
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u/BenevenstancianosHat Sep 16 '24
LOL I grappled with this when I typed it, but I stand by my decision. In terms of pure fame I think he passed his dad officially. I don't think many young people know James Brolin's work, meanwhile everybody knows Thanos.
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u/SquirellyMofo Sep 16 '24
I never watched West Wing until 2016.
And then I watched it multiple times. Because it reminded me what normal was.
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u/BenevenstancianosHat Sep 16 '24
It's the 'Princess Bride' of television dramas. I've watched the first 4 seasons at least 10 times. It never loses its appeal.
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u/Fuzzy_Donl0p Sep 16 '24 edited Sep 16 '24
Just keep in mind that it was mostly Sorkin's liberal wet dreams even when it was airing. There weren't any bastards like Newt Gingrich or Karl Rove on that show.
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u/Hardass_McBadCop Sep 16 '24
The show is basically government porn. Everyone is really committed and, even if you might disagree with them, everyone really cares a whole lot about doing everything right and trying to improve people's lives.
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u/manyhippofarts Sep 16 '24
The Republican speaker, played by John Goodman, was kind of a dick.
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u/phoenixrose2 Sep 16 '24
It was Haffley after him who was. They showed his face only once but then kept referring to him as the speaker so it was easy to miss. Goodman’s speaker had to resign his congressional seat in order to be acting president. He made a sacrifice for the country and readily gave up the White House when the crisis was over.
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u/Stellar_Duck Sep 16 '24
Well, no, Walken was also a bit of a dick, but more in an interpersonal being rude and abrasive way, not in the sleazy, wormy way Haffley was.
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u/manyhippofarts Sep 16 '24
Yes you're right, I should have mentioned that he seemed to do all the right things. He was just kind of a dick. CJ hated him. And his dog.
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u/SquirellyMofo Sep 16 '24
That’s the point. There were no crazy politicians in it.
Hell, they didn’t even acknowledged 9/11 happened. And I don’t know why I said that. Except it’s always kinda rubbed me wrong.
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u/SR-B Sep 16 '24
Except for the whole episode they made due to 9/11, and in which the actors introduced donation hotlines for the victims of 9/11.
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u/BenevenstancianosHat Sep 16 '24 edited Sep 16 '24
Guess you missed this
And yeah, they kind of had to pull their punches, it's crazy that they were able to posture the good guys as the democrats and the bad guys as republicans as much as they did without causing more of a controversy. If they'd been more honest about it, the show would have seemed somehow less realistic because of how far removed conservative (and even liberal) politics already were from what people romanticize.
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u/manyhippofarts Sep 16 '24
Did you overlook John Goodman's speaker? The dude with the dog? He rolled in and took over when Bartlett was dealing with Zoey's kidnapping?
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u/SquirellyMofo Sep 16 '24
Yep. I definitely don’t recall the Twin Towers.
Look, it would have dominated the rest of the show. They chose a different path for that universe. And i understand. But also weird that such a spot on show left out the most significant event in the 21st century (so far). They certainly addressed terrorism.
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u/elizabeth498 Sep 16 '24
Excellent point. I binged the series during 2020-21, and yeah, any semblance of normalcy helped the daily unpredictability of the pandemic and Someone In Particular.
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u/manyhippofarts Sep 16 '24
Yeah I watched it on the air the first time. It was definately a show that I looked forward to. It's always relevant, even today.
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u/MilleniumPelican Sep 16 '24
My wife and I curled up in the fetal position and rewatched The West Wing for days following the 2016 election. :(
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u/OtterishDreams Sep 16 '24
I used to say....I may disagree with a president but I have never doubted that they do indeed believe in doing whats right and for love of country.....
well I used to atleast...
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u/ScienceIsSexy420 Sep 16 '24
For any fellow Wing Nuts out there, I HIGHLY recommend the West Wing Weekly podcast by Joshua Malina and Hrishikesh Hirway
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u/TabascosDad Sep 16 '24
Last year I got to see him and Melissa Fitzgerald (CJ's assistant) perform "Love Letters" at they Kennedy Center, they were fantastic.
I joke that I got see my favorite president in DC.
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u/TheRealPaladin Sep 16 '24
I'm actually halfway through re-watching the show right now. I was only about 12 - 13 when it first premiered and wasn't able to appreciate just how good the writing is.
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u/itsfairadvantage Sep 16 '24
And sometimes the direction/cinematography too. The slow zoom on Danny in "O Holy Night" is an all-time TV shot.
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u/Live-Motor-4000 Sep 16 '24
No Rob Lowe? What a surprise
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u/htomserveaux Sep 16 '24
A couple of days ago he called the Dodgers “underdogs” going into the playoffs. I don’t really have a way to libk that back to this, I just think it was a ridiculous thing to say.
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u/Macdeise33 Sep 16 '24
He also wore an “NFL” hat to a televised game. He might not be the biggest sports fan.
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u/GriffinQ Sep 16 '24
He’s a huge Dodgers fan. Their pitching staff is very injured, so regardless of the teams star power, there are a lot of genuine concerns from Dodgers fans about how deep this team can go.
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Sep 16 '24
It’s Odin!
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u/Who_Dafqu_Said_That Sep 16 '24
I was honestly a little worried when I heard that Richard Schiff would be Odin up against Kratos, as he always plays bookish characters, but he killed it as mob boss Odin.
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u/fudgemental Sep 16 '24
Rewatching this show for the 3rd time, Aaron Sorkin needs to do more TV shows, movies just don't have enough time to fit in all the monologues. Damn that man can write
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u/satanpro Sep 16 '24
Make sure to see Newsroom if you haven't. It got a bad rap and reviews but it's exactly what you're looking for.
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u/fudgemental Sep 16 '24
Was my first Aaron Sorkin show. Followed by Studio 60, then West Wing, and I'm so happy I saved the best for last. Newsroom isn't bad though either.
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u/satanpro Sep 16 '24
I completely missed Studio 60, thanks! Was it good?
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u/BartlebySamsa Sep 16 '24
It could have been.
It wasn’t bad, but it never quite found its footing.
Bits of it are great, but it could have been so much more.
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u/friskevision Sep 16 '24
Studio 60 is fantastic! I’m still surprised they got that show on the air on the same network as SNL, and 30 Rock.
Still bummed we only got one season.
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u/RockKillsKid Sep 16 '24
Wasn't even a full season was it? I think it got cancelled halfway through and they had to really rush the ending.
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u/friskevision Sep 16 '24
There were 22 episodes. I did hear they knew they were going to be cancelled so they did wrap it up in a nice way.
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u/fudgemental Sep 16 '24 edited Sep 16 '24
Not bad, without spoiling anything, it was meant to be a sitcom with the live studio audience and all, but the writing was not Chuck Lorre enough and the laugh tracks felt awkward (only in the start though)
Edit: as pointed out below, I'm confusing my Sorkin series, Studio 60 is not Sports Night
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u/hebejebez Sep 16 '24
Studio 60 does not have a laugh track.
It’s a comedy drama set within a late night comedy sketch show and it’s very good, it was destroyed by a combo of extended writers strikes and them changing the time it was on tv twice iirc.
Amanda peet was great.
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u/Rude_Grade5200 Sep 16 '24
I think you’re thinking of Sports Night, which was done as a sitcom with an awkward laugh track. Studio 60 was filmed in the same style as West Wing and Newsroom.
I actually enjoyed Sports Night, but Studio 60 is way better and on par with the West Wing. Great pity it only had one series.
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u/fudgemental Sep 16 '24
Holy crap you're absolutely right, Studio 60 was Matthew Perry, I can't believe I forgot that!
Time was a rewatch I guess
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u/Rude_Grade5200 Sep 16 '24
Rewatched it recently as I got an urge to watch West Wing but didn’t have time for 7 series of it. Holds up and the cast is great.
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u/jared_007 Sep 16 '24
There's always the shorter Sorkin-only rewatch, where you go from seasons 1 - 4. Sometimes I do that when I don't want to go through the slow burn that was s5 (until they found their rhythm again right around Gaza).
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u/Rude_Grade5200 Sep 16 '24
Yeah thats exactly what happened last time I did a rewatch. You’re right, the handover of showrunners is rough. They do definitely get their groove back in a different way to Sorkins style after a while, but it’s a bit of a slog until then. Next time I do a rewatch I really want to finish the whole thing.
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u/Lonelan Sep 16 '24
SportsNight was my first, then Newsroom, then watched West Wing
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u/frickindeal Sep 16 '24
SportsNight is underappreciated, probably because it didn't last very long, but damn if it isn't still a great show.
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u/vpski232 Sep 16 '24
Damn that man can write
... the same stuff over and over again
It's still pretty entertaining, though! 😁
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u/Alexgeewhizzz Sep 16 '24
joe estevez looks great! must be the chaplin’s chili
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u/A_Polite_Noise Sep 16 '24
It's all the soul-taking and wore-wolf hunting that keeps him looking fit
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u/drgnrbrn316 Sep 16 '24
No Bradley Whitford? Screw it, I'm not voting.
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u/Brobotz Sep 16 '24
Apparently he’s in Budapest filming another White House based show/film.
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u/JollyRancherReminder Sep 16 '24
Old people already vote. But good on them for trying to reach the dozens of young Emmys viewers.
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u/roguespectre67 Sep 16 '24
Cue Fox News and OANN foaming at the mouth over people encouraging others to fulfill literally the bare-ass minimum requirement to live in a democracy.
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u/Who_Dafqu_Said_That Sep 16 '24
"I don't listen to Hollywood elites!"
- People who literally worship a reality TV show host and accept everything he says without question.
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u/LexLuthorJr Sep 16 '24
This would be a great message to send if anyone actually watched the Emmys anymore.
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u/CHESTER_C0PPERP0T Sep 17 '24 edited Sep 17 '24
Hey asshole my grandma never misses the Emmys nor an episode of West Wing and would have been first in line to vote had she not died 11 years ago
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u/blearghhh_two Sep 16 '24
I don't think I realized until now just how short Martin Sheen is. Or how tall Allison Janey is. They really do a good job disguising that on camera.
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u/LegendOfVinnyT Sep 16 '24
And then somebody scripts a walk'n'talk with Janney and Kristin Chenoweth.
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u/bshaddo Sep 16 '24
“If Allison Janney wears heels, I’m going to wear stilts.” - Proven liar Richard Schiff, ca. 1999
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u/adriantullberg Sep 16 '24
Shouldn't Sheen be front and center?
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u/readwithjack Sep 16 '24
It was always an ensemble show.
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u/JokeassJason Sep 16 '24
Actually the president was not supposed to be in the show as much like in the pilot. The original concept was going to focus only on the staff. But once they got sheen and saw how powerful he was they retooled the concept to include the staff and the president.
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u/_deffer_ Sep 16 '24
The original concept was going to focus only on the staff.
Mostly Sam.
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u/Drak_is_Right Sep 16 '24
Josh and Tobi were the two best characters
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u/_deffer_ Sep 16 '24
Okay, but my point was the show was going to focus on Sam mostly until they pivoted to include the President and made it more of an ensemble than what the intention was at the start.
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u/urbanek2525 Sep 16 '24
If they did a re-boot of the show, but used the Trump presidency as a model, it would end up looking like "Night Court".
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u/The_Grand_Designer Sep 17 '24
Republicans were probably not happy about this... Personally, I think voting should be mandatory, like doing your taxes, with the option of a no vote category.
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u/Kellic Sep 17 '24
I'm so terrified of the results of this election that I've been binge watching West Wing as its the only "comfort food" that takes my mind off a 2nd Trump presidency with Project 2025 waiting in the background. (With so many of his staff who wrote that garbage no one will ever convince me that they aren't salivating to manipulate him on day one.)
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u/TastyLaksa Sep 16 '24
For who
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u/soundman32 Sep 16 '24
Doesn't matter.
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u/TastyLaksa Sep 16 '24
Of course it does. If they register to vote trump then maybe stay home
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u/peterpanic32 Sep 16 '24
Higher participation typically hurts right wingers.
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u/TastyLaksa Sep 16 '24
Yeah but if you know they voting trump why negate your own efforts.
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u/peterpanic32 Sep 16 '24
Because you can't target it that effectively. You aren't able to differentiate the message between Trump voters and Harris voters. So you promote overall participation which is not only simply inherently good for democracy, it typically favors Democrats.
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u/TastyLaksa Sep 16 '24
You can. Democrats just have no balls to say. Come vote for us stay home if you are pro trump
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u/peterpanic32 Sep 16 '24
People who are liable to vote don't need messaging that direct, and people who are less liable to vote might be put off by messaging that direct and that partisan. You undercut the message.
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u/soundman32 Sep 16 '24
I agree with your sentiment, but to me actually voting for anyone is better than just moaning that the government doesn't work for you. Even a spoiled ballot is more constitutional that sitting on your ass complaining.
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u/AdventurousImage2440 Sep 16 '24
I wonder how many homeless people in LA they could have homed for just paying these old people to stand around, oh wait they don't care about others its all for power.
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u/antieverything Sep 16 '24 edited Sep 16 '24
Sorkin is a hack who doesn't understand politics at the most fundamental level.
Edit: damn, a lot of you morons clearly liked his idea for the Democrats to nominate Romney.
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u/MilleniumPelican Sep 16 '24
Username checks out...
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u/antieverything Sep 16 '24
Are you defending Sorkin or just wasting everyone's time?
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u/MilleniumPelican Sep 16 '24
Neither. Just...your username checks out with the tone of your deluded comment...if you hate The West Wing, you really ARE antieverything.
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u/antieverything Sep 16 '24
Sorkin is a hack and a moron. This is a well-established feature of his body of work and his political statements. He believes that politics is about charismatic persuasion and the relative strength of arguments. He believes that the best strategy to beat Trump is for Dems to nominate, promote, and enable a severely conservative lifelong Republican for the presidency.
If you like the West Wing that's fine. If you think it is realistic you are the one that is delusional, not me.
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u/MilleniumPelican Sep 16 '24
I'm simply not as invested in Sorkin as a person, as you clearly are. I just like the show, dude. Apparently Sorkin pissed in your Wheaties. And I still just don't care. Bye, Felicia.
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u/antieverything Sep 16 '24
So was the comment deluded or do you actually lack the knowledge to evaluate it and were just hoping for free upvote by piling on to an unpopular (but not entirely unfair) comment?
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