Wednesday nights used to be filled with patriotic episodes of “The West Wing,” a show that managed to get viewers to care about what “happened” at the White House. When it was good, it was very very good, tackling
real issues and serious topics masked behind the clever and witty banter of a great ensemble.
But these days, the once self-righteous viewers of “The West Wing” find themselves stuck between a loyalty to a show that’s seen better days and a bigger and better show that revolves around trivial characters, a fabulous lifestyle and teenage angst: “The O.C.”
Unfortunately for NBC, these viewers are increasingly turning to that sly station of cheap shots and trashy TV, Fox, for their Wednesday night entertainment, becoming what I like to call “‘O.C.’ Converts.” (I can’ttake complete credit for that term. A certain “Cute and Fun to Date” sorority member first coined it.) These “O.C.” Converts secretly transitioned to Fox late this fall after getting addicted when “The O.C.” breathed fresh air into a summer of reruns and reality TV.
Whether the Converts first started taping “The O.C.” for later while watching “The West Wing,” or vice versa, they definitely care more about Ryan, Marissa, Seth and Summer then they do about Jeb, Leo, Josh and C.J., who have become mere shadows of the lovable characters they once were. With creator Aaron Sorkin’s departure from “The West Wing,” the show lost its wit, its banter, its sly sophistication. Without its core humor, “Wing” is dry, dark and depressing.
Just a clicker flick away is “The O.C.” with its perpetual party, glorious sun, beautiful beach bodies and slick sarcasm, doled out in heaps by cult favorite Seth Cohen, played by Adam Brody. It’s smart, soapy and completely mindless. Well, not completely. The show tackles issues of social class, poverty, infidelity, teenage alcoholism and depression.
Unlike previous adolescent soaps like “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Dawson’s Creek,” the adult characters on “The O.C.” have plot lines just as interesting as those of their younger costars. And after last night’s episode, it looks pretty likely that Mrs. Cooper, mother of the lovely Marissa, will be having a make-out session with her daughter’s ex-boyfriend. Interesting.
How can “The West Wing” possibly compete with that kind of shameless drama? After all, it is a show that deals with problems of national interest, and probably presents Americans with a better idea of what today’s issues are than White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan does. But our country is a very different place than it was five years ago when “The West Wing” premiered. When Americans see war, terrorism, scandals and elections every day on the news, maybe where they really want to go after work is “The O.C.” so for an hour they can lose themselves in that unbelievable existence and forget about reality.
Medill senior and PLAY TV columnist Katherine White would take California over D.C. any day. She can be reached at [email protected].