"Commander in Chief", "Out of Practice", "E Ring" Follow-Up

"Commander in Chief"

From TV Squad:
"Things I like about this show: you don't have to be in the inner circle to pick up watching it. Every time they introduce a key character for the first time in the episode, they put up a little CNN-style caption. This is the political drama for the rest of us. (I mean, I used to love West Wing too - in the Alan Sorkin (SIC!) years - it just takes a lot of commitment.)"


From ETOnline:
"I have a feeling that many of the people watching 'Commander-In-Chief' tuned in out of curiosity because they may be disgruntled 'West Wing' fans looking for that political fix every week," TV Guide critic MATT ROUSH tells ET. "The early numbers are very promising, but it's going to take some time. Are they going to come back week after week? The election is not over."

Residing in an all-new Sunday night timeslot, "The West Wing" is struggling opposite such competition as "The Simpsons," "Cold Case" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The show may be in its final season and, plot-wise, it's definitely in a transitional phase, with an election going on and Bartlet (MARTIN SHEEN) a lame duck president. "If 'The West Wing' stays on Sundays, I'm not sure how it's going to survive," says Roush.
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"For now, it looks like America has elected a new commander-in-chief: her name is Geena Davis," says Roush, summing up the competition. "Of the two shows, I still think 'The West Wing' is one of the highest-quality shows ever made. The problem is 'The West Wing' is not 'The West Wing' anymore. 'Commander-In-Chief' has a lot of promise to it. It's a brand-new show; I don't see the possibilities in 'The West Wing' anymore. All I see is an exit strategy."

From Style Weekly:
"I liked “The West Wing” better when Clinton was in office — not because Rob Lowe was on it (though he was awesome) but because since 2000 the show has seemed more and more like political porn, “Demmys Do Dulles” for the half of the country that didn’t vote for George W. Bush.....Davis glows through her crises, relying on an almost visible reserve of inner strength to get her through what one presumes will be some eventful years ahead. Sutherland growls through his scenes impressively, making lines such as “I’ll always be right here behind you” seem not exactly supportive.
“Commander in Chief” is probably as close as big, loud American television —where swelling strings accompany every stirring speech and the audience is always urged to cheer an ass-kicking, verbal or otherwise — can get to a subtle examination of power. And power, as Templeton reminds Allen, is dangerous in the hands of people who don’t want it. The show’s sexual politics are almost a subtext.

If they get Rob Lowe in the cast, I’m hooked."

"Out of Practice"
From TV Squad:
"What happened to the poor, misguided Ms. Channing? She's so classy in her role as the First Lady on West Wing. She's understated, elegant, witty. She's won Emmy and People's Choice and SAG awards, and been nominated for numerous Tony awards. Here - she's a caricature of a terrible sitcom actor, as if she just wrapped up Acting 101 at some Staten Island community college. I'm confused. I'm bewildered. I'm hurt. It was on Channing's aura of good taste that lured me in. And oh, what a cruel trick it was. How could she have done something so awful? I just don't get it."

Cincinnati Post says "E-Ring" is "watchable".