AKA “Commander in Chief.” Some of the ATJ writers have compiled a long list of alternate titles, most of them unprintable here. (And no, K-Lo, they are not trailers, they are promos.) I haven’t seen it, but as it’s on ABC on Tuesdays I have to at least hope for good things.
The show’s writer seems to feel there’s room for two TV Presidents, meaning he is counting “West Wing” and ignoring “24,” which has depicted a sitting President for three of its four seasons. My first notion of the show was that we would see a woman President “balancing work and home,” trying to get the kids off to school while talking to the Joint Chiefs on the phone. (“No, General, I did not just tell you to eat your cereal.”) Then I realized that’s not a very good idea.
Then I read Lisa de Moraes’ piece today, and that seems to be more or less what they are doing, portraying “the East wing” side of life in the White House. Uh-oh.
Jonah, your take on the show is, “how much more difficult would it be for a woman?” My instinct as a writer would be to ask, “what can a woman do as a President that a man can’t?” What skills does she have, what abilities? Look for stories where she uses “emotional intelligence” to discover why a Senate leader is blocking an important bill, stuff like that. Not great, mind you, but something.
A final point: ABC President Steve McPherson ordered “Commander in Chief” almost immediately after seeing the pilot, not waiting until the traditional end of pilot screenings. He did that last year, too
– with something called “Desperate Housewives.”