I love “The West Wing.” I really do. And maybe what they said last night will have an impact – that would be great. But it didn’t really advance the cause of those, like me, who defend the show when others call it preachy. That was the preachiest hour of TV I’ve about ever seen. It was even set up like a classroom, with the kids lobbing softballs at Josh Lyman and Toby Ziegler so they could hit them out of the park. (I would have enjoyed watching Stockard Channing’s first lady talk nonetheless, but I got a phone call from my brother in Florida.) I agree with Moira (who doesn’t even like the show) that the best thing they could have done is just gone on with the show’s regular arc. “Very Special Episodes” are for After School Specials – let’s leave them there.
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I agree. Their hearts were in the right place, but it just came off as horribly preachy.
This afternoon someone on NPR made a comment that anyone who watched West Wing was probably already familiar with the concepts they were trying to pound into us, and thus they were preaching to the converted. I agree… your average teenager, or the people who would commit racial violence, probably don’t watch West Wing.