Everything I know about tv, I learned from my friends. Sid lent me the box set of season 1, and I flew through it once I'd got going (and likewise with season 2). Trying to break down why I like the show, I've decided that it has a lot to do with the fantasy it offers - a liberal president surrounded by a staff of brilliant, idealistic yet hard-headed types making decisions motivated by a concern for social justice and left-wing principles rather than political expediency and abhorrent values. Also (in a rather different vein) the idea that such a small group of advisors - Leo, Toby, Josh, Sam and CJ - could exert such influence over national policy. It's very well-written - even though most episodes follow the same basic structure, it doesn't come anywhere near feeling formulaic, perhaps in part because of the number of continuing story arcs developing over multiple episodes (and, indeed, multiple seasons - season 2, like season 1, ends with a cliffhanger, argh).
Josh and CJ are my favourite characters (though I also like Ainslie Hayes and Joey Lucas, who both add some nice sparkle); I find myself wondering whether I would be able to keep up with all of them were I a member of the White House staff, and the answer is a fairly unequivocal 'no'. The show runs through one issue after another, and handles them all sensitively and seemingly realistically. Alright, I'm hooked.
