The West Wing

The West Wing is a political drama series that ran between 1999 and 2006. It features a Democratic President of the United States and his close political advisers as they face the complex joys of managing public opinion, dealing with the press, writing speeches, and pushing legislative bills. Side stories drop in some secretaries, a handful of folk from the lower ranks, and eventually a token Republican thrown into the mix. There is often some high-brow humor, debates over compromise versus idealism, and canonical and convenient Designated Bastards. Mixed all together, it makes an interesting show.

The first four seasons came from Aaron Sorkin, and most episodes have his name on the writer line of the credits. Later seasons had John Wells takes over, and there's a more varied writing team, as well as a greater emphasis on interpersonal problems over political ones and pragmatism taking over or catching up with idealism. Later seasons were also a bit darker, or had episodes where the central question was left unanswered.

Because it has more than one male cast member, and most of the more photogenic male cast members are not canonically openly gay, the continuum is at risk of some fairly bad slash. There's also a fairly large range for replacement!Sues and replacement!Stus, or plain bad characterization, simply because each character tends to have established viewpoints on which they are unlikely to change their minds based on the conversational capabilities of the average Mary Sue. The established cast do have a tendency to elaborate beyond what the historical record or existing law suggests, but wildly inaccurate statements that are not called out may be a charge for OOCness, since even the secretaries in this setting have near-encyclopedic knowledge.

Missions in this Continuum

 * Agents Alec Trevelyan and Kitty Callahan (DMS)
 * "Rhiannon Reborn: A Tale of West Wing Witchery"
 * "Halloween" (crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Wars)