Department of Entertainment

I am always mindful that the main reason people read PostWatch is to learn what I think about.. The New Fall Season! Television critic Lisa de Moraes has an entertaining piece about Commander in Chief, which is The West Wing with pumps:

"Commander in Chief" -- starring Geena Davis as a political independent who somehow winds up vice president to ultra-conservative Teddy Roosevelt Bridges, who dies but not before telling her to step down so the ultra-evil speaker of the House (Donald Sutherland) can be named to replace him, only she ignores him because that's what we women do and, honestly, what did he expect? -- copped 16.4 million viewers at 9 p.m. Tuesday...

The same as The West Wing's debut. Speaking of which, I know lots of people have written off that program but its debut this season was excellent. I understand the show's producer, Lawrence O'Donnell, is a certifiable maniac.  Too bad, another crazed artist falling by the wayside. The show is as sane as he is not. The new season continues to explode and reassemble relationships on a very human level; watching former Master of the Universe Leo McGarry stumbling like a newborn as a vice-presidential candidate while being swatted aside by Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) .... brilliant. And Josh Moss figuratively slapping his former assistant Donna Moss.... Josh, you two crazy kids are in love! And frankly your campaign could use a little party unity, I don't care what you say!

I couldn't watch more than the first 30 minutes of CinC. They're wasting good actors there, including Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland. There was one good moment early in the story where vice-president Davis informs the President's chief of staff (I think) that he's "not in a position to demand what I take in my coffee," putting an operative in his place, and smartly.

But I flipped away after a bizarre scene in which Sutherland, playing the evil Speaker of the House and president-in-waiting, moronically insults VP Davis by referring to an imprisoned Nigerian woman who could risk war with the U.S. (it's complicated) because "she couldn't keep her legs together." Now there's a smooth operator--you can see how he maneuvered his way into the leadership.

Biggest problem: The main premise seems to be that everyone is amazed even with the idea of a female president. Folks, most of us were ready for that years ago, as long as it isn't Gov. Blanco.