I’ve been watching the West Wing a lot recently. It kept coming up in conversations with friends, but I didn’t pay much attention to it when it was on the air originally. I decided to go ahead and give it a try, and I’ve been watching it more than I’d like to admit over the last few months.
I just finished Season 5, Episode 8 (“Shutdown”). I rated the episode a 7, matching the lowest rating I’ve given to an episode of the series so far, and I fear that trend will continue. I knew going into Season 5 that it was the first season of the show without Aaron Sorkin as showrunner. I enjoyed the start to the season, which included the conclusion of the Zoey Bartlet kidnapping storyline, but “Shutdown” didn’t seem to click with me like it was supposed to.
The government shutdown is presented in an overly dramatic way, even with the ominous, progressively louder “dun, dun, DUN” sounds at the end of the previous episode’s cliffhanger (which make a return in this episode too). It seemed to be too focused on moving the plot forward for my taste, especially after the satisfying heights the show reached in previous seasons.
Usually when I finish a season of a show, even one I thoroughly enjoy, I move on to something else and pick it up again later. With the West Wing, I just kept right on through to the next season, and the next, and the next … and now I’m in the middle of Season 5. That’s unique in my history of watching shows that have been off the air for years. Justified is a show that’s become a favorite of mine, but after finishing a season I don’t feel compelled to continue on to the next one right away.
Since I’ve watched so much West Wing (97 episodes so far) in such a short amount of time, it’s shot all the way up to my second highest ranked drama behind Lost and my seventh highest ranked show overall. It’s currently at 11.14 in my total rating and recently jumped ahead of Breaking Bad (10.97) and Friday Night Lights (10.96).
While I’m talking ratings, it’s been a while since I’ve looked at my overall ratings. Here’s where they stand as of Nov. 16, 2018:
Dramas:
- Lost: 12.41
- The West Wing: 11.14
- Breaking Bad: 10.97
- Friday Night Lights: 10.96
- Battlestar Galactica: 10.77
- Game of Thrones: 10.70
- Chuck: 10.27
- Veronica Mars: 10.05
- Dollhouse: 10.03
- Better Call Saul: 9.96
Comedies:
- The Simpsons: 13.28
- The Office (NBC): 12.73
- South Park: 11.41
- Parks and Recreation: 11.23
- Modern Family: 11.16
- Futurama: 10.88
- King of the Hill: 10.79
- Arrested Development: 10.47
- It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia: 10.20
- The Good Place: 10.11
And after putting that list together, I realize I haven’t written a post about my most recent change to the formula behind the total rating. I guess that’ll be the next blog post.
What I’m Listening To:
- The Daily (11/16/18): What Facebook Knew and Tried to Hide
- Pistol Shrimps Radio (11/13/18)
- Statcast Podcast (11/15/18): The Next Chapter for Seattle