1. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip -- Aaron Sorkin's next project after "The West Wing" was a little disjointed in terms of tone, which made it a little awkward at times to view...should we be laughing, crying, thinking those deep Aaron Sorkin political platitude thoughts? But when his writing was "on", the resonance was gripping. It didn't help matters that "30 Rock" came out about the same time and struck such a witty, comedic chord. But this show is definitely worth a view - it takes a few episodes to grow on you, and no doubt would have become even better if given the chance. Alas, this budding TV tree was chopped down too soon.
2. Commander-In-Chief -- Speaking of "The West Wing", this show came across a little bit like the cheaper-budget version. It aspired to be a bit more relational than TWW, and that distilled the potential power of the executive, military, presidential stuff. This was a compelling concept, born from a really good movie called "The Contender" with Jeff Bridges and Joan Allen. And with Geena Davis as the title character, the fantasy version of the first woman and independent president, in an awesome, perfectly-cast, grand-slam performance, this show could have been a crowd and critic favorite. Alas, this budding TV tree was chopped down too soon.
3. The Comeback -- And now for my personal favorite of the three, this Lisa Kudrow vehicle on HBO was her first big thing after "Friends", and Michael Patrick King's first big thing after "Sex And The City". So it doesn't get much hotter than that, except that the heat didn't translate to fan love. This creative, poignant, unorthodox, category-defying gem, with a superb leading lady comedic turn very worthy of "cherishing" (that's a take on the lead character's name), was just too smart for its intended audience. Its brilliance gets even brighter upon repeat viewings. Alas, this budding TV tree was chopped down way way way too soon.
http://www.tv.com/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip/show/58214/summary.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander_in_Chief_(TV_series)
http://www.hbo.com/comeback/
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