I was hoping that this could take on the mantle of the gap I know "The West Wing" will leave after the final series: something to stimulate, challenge and educate me, not to mention making me laugh. After watching 4 episodes I'm pleased to say that it might. It's intelligently written, doesn't pander to the audience and the performances are excellent. Geena Davis is incredibly believable and you can sympathise with her being torn between home and family and the most important job in the US. There are a couple of drawbacks - the enemy character of Nathan (and I've always liked Donald Sutherland). It's just that the paranoia and backstabbing is getting a bit tiresome. And to a lesser degree, I really want to slap the teenage daughter who's a real brat (the character, not the actress). I'm looking forward to more, I want to see exciting plot lines and I'm hoping it doesn't go down the route of "I'm out to get you in every episode": the same rehash every time, because as much as that might reflect reality, I'd like to see more of her governing and doing the job, rather than being thwarted in her attempts.
96 Reviews
Hail to the Chief
consortpinguin28 September 2005
Warning: Spoilers
**Contains spoilers if you haven't seen the first episode yet** The series premiere of any show has to "hit a home run." It has to establish the story, the background, and the characters, and at the same time grab viewers who will watch again and tell their friends. "Commander in Chief" did all that in one short hour.
A lot like "The West Wing," this show chronicles the first Woman President of the United States, Mackenzie Allen. It starts with President Teddy Bridges on his deathbed, asking Vice President Allen to resign, much to her surprise. The scene flashes back to the day when Bridges asked his Nobel Laureate friend "Mac" to run. Was it really just a political stunt to have a woman on the ticket? Donald Sutherland as the Speaker of the House also urges Allen to resign. He doesn't even try to mask his own Presidential ambition as the next in line -- "People who don't crave power don't know what to do with it." But she perseveres. Mackenzie Allen takes the Oath of Office and quickly makes the transition to the Oval Office. Although some of the former President's staff don't want to stay on, Bridges' widow offers the new President much needed encouragement. Allen handles her first Cabinet Meeting with the required strength, and engineers the US Military on a daring international political prisoner rescue.
An interesting sub-plot is the President's husband Rod being coaxed into his role as "First Lady." His Chief of Staff explains exactly what role the First Lady plays as she shows him around the White House. She repeatedly advises him against doing things that Hillary Clinton did.
Geena Davis is perfect for this role. She's a very good actress who has not received the recognition she deserves for her many other roles. Geena Davis became Dottie in "A League of their Own," and in this program she makes Mackenzie Allen come to life.
It's amazing how often life imitates art for example, "The First Monday in October," a movie about the first woman Supreme Court Justice, no sooner premiered in 1981 than Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to the Court. Someday there will be a woman president, just as there will be an African-American president. More than one pundit has drawn analogies to Hillary Rodham Clinton, although I see few parallels with Mackenzie Allen. I find it interesting that "Citizens for Rice" aired a commercial on the show this committee wants to draft Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice for president in 2008.
This premiere succeeded. I will watch next week and tell my friends.
A lot like "The West Wing," this show chronicles the first Woman President of the United States, Mackenzie Allen. It starts with President Teddy Bridges on his deathbed, asking Vice President Allen to resign, much to her surprise. The scene flashes back to the day when Bridges asked his Nobel Laureate friend "Mac" to run. Was it really just a political stunt to have a woman on the ticket? Donald Sutherland as the Speaker of the House also urges Allen to resign. He doesn't even try to mask his own Presidential ambition as the next in line -- "People who don't crave power don't know what to do with it." But she perseveres. Mackenzie Allen takes the Oath of Office and quickly makes the transition to the Oval Office. Although some of the former President's staff don't want to stay on, Bridges' widow offers the new President much needed encouragement. Allen handles her first Cabinet Meeting with the required strength, and engineers the US Military on a daring international political prisoner rescue.
An interesting sub-plot is the President's husband Rod being coaxed into his role as "First Lady." His Chief of Staff explains exactly what role the First Lady plays as she shows him around the White House. She repeatedly advises him against doing things that Hillary Clinton did.
Geena Davis is perfect for this role. She's a very good actress who has not received the recognition she deserves for her many other roles. Geena Davis became Dottie in "A League of their Own," and in this program she makes Mackenzie Allen come to life.
It's amazing how often life imitates art for example, "The First Monday in October," a movie about the first woman Supreme Court Justice, no sooner premiered in 1981 than Sandra Day O'Connor was appointed to the Court. Someday there will be a woman president, just as there will be an African-American president. More than one pundit has drawn analogies to Hillary Rodham Clinton, although I see few parallels with Mackenzie Allen. I find it interesting that "Citizens for Rice" aired a commercial on the show this committee wants to draft Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice for president in 2008.
This premiere succeeded. I will watch next week and tell my friends.
Command Me, My Chief!
ian-purnomo30 June 2006
At first I didn't really want to see this series, since it looked like a West Wing rip off only with a female Bartlet. However, but then my mate told me that Geena Davis won a Golden Globe for her role as the first female leader of the free world. Although it's not a guarantee, but being considered and won a major award should mean something about the series. Then, I decided to see it and after seeing a couple of episodes, my opinion was changed. I found it's pretty good.
I'm not saying that this series is the best TV show available right now, but I can say it can be compared with all the best ones available. The plots are quite simple. I must say it's a bit too soap opera-ish. However, with current TV series who are trying to be smart, it is good to have some escapism in quite an intelligent way with a political background.
I'm not saying that this series is the best TV show available right now, but I can say it can be compared with all the best ones available. The plots are quite simple. I must say it's a bit too soap opera-ish. However, with current TV series who are trying to be smart, it is good to have some escapism in quite an intelligent way with a political background.
Request renewal of program
schmidtrr2 May 2006
We think Commander in Chief is an excellent program and think it should be renewed for next season. Our children should see a positive female role model in a very responsible position. There are not enough show on television that encourage a young girl to further her aspirations.
The plot line is realistic and very true to life, the characters are engaging and very dynamic. We love the strife between Donald Sutherland and Geena Davis. The side plots are also pretty good.
We look forward every week to this show.
Please keep this show on.
Thank you.
The plot line is realistic and very true to life, the characters are engaging and very dynamic. We love the strife between Donald Sutherland and Geena Davis. The side plots are also pretty good.
We look forward every week to this show.
Please keep this show on.
Thank you.
Too much of a threat?
ryfjstc4713 February 2006
WHY IN THE WORLD HAS THIS EXCELLENT TV PROGRAM BEEN SHELVED? Pretty good chance it was because of political reasons. This series of stunning presidential decision-making opened a door. Viewers could become more politically astute---could realize there are political alternatives. To some people, this show may seem too idealistic, but it told how things could be done "another way"---with savvy and vision, and a real concern for the people---all people. Spilling blood certainly did not take precedence. '
You have to admit, getting it shelved is one way of inflicting invisible censorship---nothing to do with poor ratings.
I, my whole family, neighbors and much of my community were regular watchers of this show. We finally saw people we could refer to as good role models.
Shelved for six weeks pretty well means a death knell, unless enough people speak up. I've written to ABC, but it will take lots of people.
You have to admit, getting it shelved is one way of inflicting invisible censorship---nothing to do with poor ratings.
I, my whole family, neighbors and much of my community were regular watchers of this show. We finally saw people we could refer to as good role models.
Shelved for six weeks pretty well means a death knell, unless enough people speak up. I've written to ABC, but it will take lots of people.
If you liked "West Wing", you'll like this ... but not nearly as much.
catuus24 April 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I new know what some fool might consider a "spoiler", so I always say my review contains one. Make of that what you will.
It's hardly likely to elicit any argument if I note that "Commander in Chief was deliberately planted in ground already prepared by "West Wing". Unfortunately it was only a good show, not a great one. It was certainly better than to numerous dreary sitcoms infesting the small screen these days, not to mention the even drearier "reality" (there's a laugh!) shows, and the utterly drearier quiz and contest shows. In the end, however, even the considerable presence of Geena Davis and the brilliant (but challenged) malevolence of Donald Sutherland couldn't save the series. "Commander in Chief" disappeared in mid-1st season, after 18 episodes.
The premise of "Commander in Chief" is this: a Republican candidate for President chooses a progressive Independent woman (Mackenzie Allen) to be his Vice President in order, as one character puts it, "to get the soccer mom vote". Vigorous and athletic, he gets his just desserts in the form of a massive heart attack. On his deathbed he orders her to resign so that the terminally ambitious Speaker of the House, Nathan Templeton. She agrees, but ultimately rejects this course and takes the oath of office. Allen and Templeton are of course Davis and Sutherland, and their struggle for power forms the core of the series. Although every episode or couple of episodes contain one or more subplots, everything relates to the Allen-Templeton feud and this makes the series fundamentally a soap opera. It's a very high-tone soap opera, but still .
Allen brings into the Residence with her a husband, Rod Calloway, and 3 children: teenage fraternal twins (boy and girl) and a much younger daughter. They are played by decent, but not well-known, actors. She also inherits the former President's cabinet and staff. Among the latter is the Chief of Staff, Jim Gardner, played with effective gravitas by the very talented Harry Lennix.
The series proceeds with President Allen dealing doggedly with one crisis after another international, domestic, administrative, whatever. Templeton (the name of the rat in "Charlotte's Web", by the way) is always lurking, trying to sabotage Allen's efforts, or to take advantage of her difficulties, or at the very least to gloat and all this despite her repeated demonstrations of kindness and good will toward him (which seem to touch him at the time). In spite of seemingly intractable difficulties, Allen always seems to choose the road less traveled and wins through.
And that is the real difficulty of this fine but flawed series. Although the various crises differ in detail, the basic plot outlines are very much the same. She is such an honest, well-meaning goody-goody, so enthused about doing right, that the palm of victory seems virtually to drop in her lap, willy-nilly. We don't expect these astounding successes at the beginning, but after a half-dozen or so episodes we simply expect them.
Overall, "Commander in Chief" is an interesting diversion, and it's not half-bad and, as I said, better than so much else. But alas, it's not a patch on the sophistication, complexity, and sheer brilliance of its inspiration, "West Wing".
It's hardly likely to elicit any argument if I note that "Commander in Chief was deliberately planted in ground already prepared by "West Wing". Unfortunately it was only a good show, not a great one. It was certainly better than to numerous dreary sitcoms infesting the small screen these days, not to mention the even drearier "reality" (there's a laugh!) shows, and the utterly drearier quiz and contest shows. In the end, however, even the considerable presence of Geena Davis and the brilliant (but challenged) malevolence of Donald Sutherland couldn't save the series. "Commander in Chief" disappeared in mid-1st season, after 18 episodes.
The premise of "Commander in Chief" is this: a Republican candidate for President chooses a progressive Independent woman (Mackenzie Allen) to be his Vice President in order, as one character puts it, "to get the soccer mom vote". Vigorous and athletic, he gets his just desserts in the form of a massive heart attack. On his deathbed he orders her to resign so that the terminally ambitious Speaker of the House, Nathan Templeton. She agrees, but ultimately rejects this course and takes the oath of office. Allen and Templeton are of course Davis and Sutherland, and their struggle for power forms the core of the series. Although every episode or couple of episodes contain one or more subplots, everything relates to the Allen-Templeton feud and this makes the series fundamentally a soap opera. It's a very high-tone soap opera, but still .
Allen brings into the Residence with her a husband, Rod Calloway, and 3 children: teenage fraternal twins (boy and girl) and a much younger daughter. They are played by decent, but not well-known, actors. She also inherits the former President's cabinet and staff. Among the latter is the Chief of Staff, Jim Gardner, played with effective gravitas by the very talented Harry Lennix.
The series proceeds with President Allen dealing doggedly with one crisis after another international, domestic, administrative, whatever. Templeton (the name of the rat in "Charlotte's Web", by the way) is always lurking, trying to sabotage Allen's efforts, or to take advantage of her difficulties, or at the very least to gloat and all this despite her repeated demonstrations of kindness and good will toward him (which seem to touch him at the time). In spite of seemingly intractable difficulties, Allen always seems to choose the road less traveled and wins through.
And that is the real difficulty of this fine but flawed series. Although the various crises differ in detail, the basic plot outlines are very much the same. She is such an honest, well-meaning goody-goody, so enthused about doing right, that the palm of victory seems virtually to drop in her lap, willy-nilly. We don't expect these astounding successes at the beginning, but after a half-dozen or so episodes we simply expect them.
Overall, "Commander in Chief" is an interesting diversion, and it's not half-bad and, as I said, better than so much else. But alas, it's not a patch on the sophistication, complexity, and sheer brilliance of its inspiration, "West Wing".
The "Absolute Best " New Show on Television
jsmcwhirk28 April 2006
This series is the best that I have seen in a long, long time. The acting is superb, although hubby could be less visible, and the format is unique. A Female president! I would certainly vote for this one and I hope that she remains in office for many years. I have heard, though, that the network, dummies they are, are thinking of pulling it off the air. For what? Another "reality" show? Please! They've already damaged it's support of viewers by pitting against that perennial giant, Without a trace. A sad day indeed, if this show is not renewed for at least another year in a better time slot. How are viewers supposed to remain loyal to a network when that network habitually pulls off the shows that rate the best. Commander in Chief was tops in the ratings the first few weeks and then, for some inexplicable reason, the show went on "hiatus", I guess to allow viewers to "forget" this show. Then when it returned, it was pitted against the aforementioned giant on a different network. Almost as if this show is meant to be doomed. Well, If it is, this network will not have the pleasure of me watching anything else it provides. Why would I? It will only get yanked when it becomes another show that i love as much as the Commander in Chief. Blind Justice was another, that I believe was on this network and it also got pulled. What's the sense in it all?
About making sure the 2 hour movie happens
debnew_1125 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I too thought the show was a bit slow. I however liked the way Davis came out the victor. I also would have liked to see more of how she could get out of real trouble. I thought she was great. We need a real person like that. It will not happen overnight. Right now we need to stand up more for what is correct. Such as more Electric cars etc and hold our real politicians accountable for all this mess. I for one hope they make the 2 hr. movie and maybe get the show back. The producers do however need to make the show more realistic. Maybe have her almost lose one time. If the people who have really watched the show then they know that it is not modeled after any real person. It is what government should be all about and we have to stand up and fight for it.
Excellent Programming
scorpio_18_0412 May 2006
This show is an excellent program that gives light of how the first female President of the United States would work out. It brings a lot of ideas into the main spotlight, and it really gets people thinking. The issues within the show are current for todays standards and are relevant to the present time. I would recommend this show to anyone and everyone. It also shows how the First family deals with the crisis that comes into their everyday lives. It has an excellent cast, good script, and it is just plain good entertainment. Geena Davis was an excellent choice for the first female President. She really shows her character in a good light because she is so regal, and very eloquent. All in all after seeing this show I would definitely vote for Geena Davis if she ran for President!!
An average political TV drama.
OllieSuave-00728 February 2017
Commander in Chief is not too bad of a TV political drama, starring Geena Davis as President Mackenzie Allen, the first female to assume America's highest office. Geena played that role with grace and charm as she tackled the country's problems like a dignified statesman.
Unlike the U.S. Presidency in reality, President Allen is an Independent and tries to work with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, but is met with the scorn and resistance of Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland). Not surprisingly, unfortunately, Republicans were portrayed as the villains in the show, while the Democrats were merely sequestered to the sidelines.
There is not a whole lot of action or suspense going on in the show - just a lot of political theater and talk. Much of the characters weren't too memorable, but I did like Secret Service Agent Greer, who provided some exciting and hectic scenes in trying to protect the President's typical-teenage daughter, Rebecca. The President's husband Rod Calloway (Kyle Secor) was probably the most annoying character in the show as all he really did was whine endlessly how he doesn't like to assume the role of "First Gentleman" and , as a result, should take on a more important role in the President's Administration (pretty big ego trip).
Overall, an average show - Geena Davis was the series' main saving grace.
Grade C+
Unlike the U.S. Presidency in reality, President Allen is an Independent and tries to work with both Democrats and Republicans in Congress, but is met with the scorn and resistance of Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland). Not surprisingly, unfortunately, Republicans were portrayed as the villains in the show, while the Democrats were merely sequestered to the sidelines.
There is not a whole lot of action or suspense going on in the show - just a lot of political theater and talk. Much of the characters weren't too memorable, but I did like Secret Service Agent Greer, who provided some exciting and hectic scenes in trying to protect the President's typical-teenage daughter, Rebecca. The President's husband Rod Calloway (Kyle Secor) was probably the most annoying character in the show as all he really did was whine endlessly how he doesn't like to assume the role of "First Gentleman" and , as a result, should take on a more important role in the President's Administration (pretty big ego trip).
Overall, an average show - Geena Davis was the series' main saving grace.
Grade C+
Commander in Chief: a West Wing in Santa Barbara
velijn8 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The problem with Commander in Chief is that, whatever you may think of "The West Wing", it did set a certain standard. We have to blame the script for that, especially in the Sorkin years. Whatever the ups and downs of individual story lines, you did get a real impression of the West Wing's White House, also thanks to a brilliant production design and a very good cast indeed. We may have smiled (or yawned) with all those tracking 'walkabout' shots through endless corridors and rooms, but this was a White House stuffed to the gills with people. When Leo (or Sam or Josh or CJ) boasts of "nearly 1,100 people working for us" you're inclined to believe them. This was a beehive, an overcrowding mass of people "doing things". And it surely set the tone of a believable White House.
But what has the Commander in Chief to show for her people? An Oval Office, a Cabinet Room, a small and dark office for the chief of staff (one of the most powerful politicians in Washington? Go figure), and a couple of corridors which certainly looked more at home in "Good Housekeeping" than showing corridors of power. What about the Hill? It is almost exclusively represented by the Speaker and his chief of staff. You don't get any feeling of two powers - White House and Capitol - clashing with each other, but only about two people - a decent president (decently played by Geena Davis) and a totally over-the-top malevolent Speaker (hammed up by Donald Sutherland). While West Wing's Josh and Toby and Leo and C.J. were wheeling and dealing with a host of characters, this White House used the telephone (and lots of extra's working as messengers). The Speaker was almost entitled to a bedroom in the White House; he seemed to be shown more in the Oval Room than doing his job on the Hill. And the rest of the Senate and the House? Well, they must have elected to reside in Santa Barbara, for we don't see them at all.
In fact, the whole tone was already set and stamped with the first episode. We, gullible couch potatoes, are quite willing to set aside our unbelief and enjoy a good time. But even a dimwitted viewer would have asked himself if a vice-president in a foreign country doesn't have at least a core staff with her? That the White House - reputed to have the most sophisticated communication system in the world - needs to send people all the way to France to tell the VP that the president has had a stroke? That a president and a Speaker even consider to ask the VP to resign? You may use all the fantasy you can muster to conjure up a lot of improbable situations (and West Wing did exactly that), but there are lines you simply can't step over without falling into a science fiction scenario. There is a Constitution and a slew of Amendments, and when you play with those you're losing a lot of viewers. So, what about a VP - still not confirmed as the de facto president! - who commands carriers around as if they were shopping carts? Or showing the ambassador of a hostile nation the innards of the Temple of Secrets, the Situation Room? And finally, we really have to believe that a Republican president has gone for an independent VP? How gullible must we be?
I honestly think that "Commander-in-Chief" never recovered from that first episode. The new president was a fine lady, and Davis is a fine actress, but she simply couldn't fill the shoes of any president. Her press conferences and many of her talks with "important" people were devoid of any personal impact. Remember the first episode of West Wing, where Bartlet only had the last five minutes? But oh, what a minutes they were! You may or may not agree about that particular religious subject, but when he ripped apart the bigotry of the people involved you knew there was a president in the room.
President Allen's chief of staff Gardner also was too nice to believe in. You knew from the first episode onwards that, in spite of all those times he conferred with Evil Emperor Ming on the Hill, he would give his life and limbs for his president! And Donald Sutherland himself - a great and accomplished actor - killed the whole series almost singlehandedly by playing it up to the rafters. Yes, politics will always have its share of pettiness, but not on kindergarten level. Remember that episode that he was president for just a few hours? Gods, it was embarrassing - not only because they stole that plot line from the West Wing, but also because Sutherland looked every inch an emperor without any clothes. Remember that other Speaker, John Goodman, in the West Wing? Now THAT was threatening. Nuf said.
The reason why I'm climbing in my pen is that The West Wing, 24, Buffy, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Wired and handful of other shows did let us, Europeans, believe that in the middle of so much mediocrity and downright awfulness there was still room for genuine original or professional TV-making. Ron Lurie had made an intriguing little movie about power play in the Capitol & White House - The Contender - so we did expect at least an intelligent approach to yet another White House drama. Unfortunately, this White House stood in Santa Barbara. And even the incumbent inhabitant of the real White House deserved a better series.
But what has the Commander in Chief to show for her people? An Oval Office, a Cabinet Room, a small and dark office for the chief of staff (one of the most powerful politicians in Washington? Go figure), and a couple of corridors which certainly looked more at home in "Good Housekeeping" than showing corridors of power. What about the Hill? It is almost exclusively represented by the Speaker and his chief of staff. You don't get any feeling of two powers - White House and Capitol - clashing with each other, but only about two people - a decent president (decently played by Geena Davis) and a totally over-the-top malevolent Speaker (hammed up by Donald Sutherland). While West Wing's Josh and Toby and Leo and C.J. were wheeling and dealing with a host of characters, this White House used the telephone (and lots of extra's working as messengers). The Speaker was almost entitled to a bedroom in the White House; he seemed to be shown more in the Oval Room than doing his job on the Hill. And the rest of the Senate and the House? Well, they must have elected to reside in Santa Barbara, for we don't see them at all.
In fact, the whole tone was already set and stamped with the first episode. We, gullible couch potatoes, are quite willing to set aside our unbelief and enjoy a good time. But even a dimwitted viewer would have asked himself if a vice-president in a foreign country doesn't have at least a core staff with her? That the White House - reputed to have the most sophisticated communication system in the world - needs to send people all the way to France to tell the VP that the president has had a stroke? That a president and a Speaker even consider to ask the VP to resign? You may use all the fantasy you can muster to conjure up a lot of improbable situations (and West Wing did exactly that), but there are lines you simply can't step over without falling into a science fiction scenario. There is a Constitution and a slew of Amendments, and when you play with those you're losing a lot of viewers. So, what about a VP - still not confirmed as the de facto president! - who commands carriers around as if they were shopping carts? Or showing the ambassador of a hostile nation the innards of the Temple of Secrets, the Situation Room? And finally, we really have to believe that a Republican president has gone for an independent VP? How gullible must we be?
I honestly think that "Commander-in-Chief" never recovered from that first episode. The new president was a fine lady, and Davis is a fine actress, but she simply couldn't fill the shoes of any president. Her press conferences and many of her talks with "important" people were devoid of any personal impact. Remember the first episode of West Wing, where Bartlet only had the last five minutes? But oh, what a minutes they were! You may or may not agree about that particular religious subject, but when he ripped apart the bigotry of the people involved you knew there was a president in the room.
President Allen's chief of staff Gardner also was too nice to believe in. You knew from the first episode onwards that, in spite of all those times he conferred with Evil Emperor Ming on the Hill, he would give his life and limbs for his president! And Donald Sutherland himself - a great and accomplished actor - killed the whole series almost singlehandedly by playing it up to the rafters. Yes, politics will always have its share of pettiness, but not on kindergarten level. Remember that episode that he was president for just a few hours? Gods, it was embarrassing - not only because they stole that plot line from the West Wing, but also because Sutherland looked every inch an emperor without any clothes. Remember that other Speaker, John Goodman, in the West Wing? Now THAT was threatening. Nuf said.
The reason why I'm climbing in my pen is that The West Wing, 24, Buffy, Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Wired and handful of other shows did let us, Europeans, believe that in the middle of so much mediocrity and downright awfulness there was still room for genuine original or professional TV-making. Ron Lurie had made an intriguing little movie about power play in the Capitol & White House - The Contender - so we did expect at least an intelligent approach to yet another White House drama. Unfortunately, this White House stood in Santa Barbara. And even the incumbent inhabitant of the real White House deserved a better series.
Absolutely Brilliant!
david-299112 April 2006
I have seen two episodes of this new drama and I am already hooked! The show's premiere in the UK was the start of April in 2006 on ABC's UK sister channel, ABC1. The first episode when the base for the entire storyline is gripping, it kinda reminds me of another favourite film of mine, Air Force 1. I find it interesting to see how Mac Allen (Gina Davis) will cope with being a mother, a husband and the President - I also think it will be interesting to see what happens in the future, if we will see much more on the views of Mrs Bridges (the former first lady) and Nathan Templeton (Mr Speaker). I just wish that ABC1 would show more than one episode a week as I am now very hooked! Keep it up producers! I have to also say that Gina Davis was the best selection for this character, she fits the role perfectly.
Not Bad, Not Good It Does Improve - But Happens Too Late
PartialMovieViewer26 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Political dramas, for the most part, are boring. When PC is offensively overshadowing a good story, you can count on that program tanking. Happily, this show is not as bad as the more recent fiascoes, at least Geena Davis is not clad in leotards, colorful super-cape and she has real acting chops. I guess the directing is just as good (maybe better because of later episodes) as any other show on TV. The writing begins slow in order to emphasize (and re-emphasize) this victim's tale (too bad - that just isn't needed.) I will say the show really started getting interesting later-on in the saga's progress, but I think it might have been to late to resuscitate this suffering drama. That is too bad, since I really started to like this, "Command in Chief." I think the stopped might have been dealing with all that 'Poor Me - I'm a Victim Garbage.' The cast grew on me and I began to like them all. I guess the bad had to be weeded out. It was also nice to see Geena Davis finally stop chewing on her cheeks when she was trying to be really, really, really serious - I guess she had to get comfortable in the roll). Donald Sutherland is excellent - being the deviously evil Speaker of the House. All in all, this is a show should have gotten a little more time. The potential was there - it just showed up too late in the progress of the program. It is worth a watch.
Potential But Weak Story Lines and Underdeveloped Characters
bondgirl678114 August 2006
I started seeing the show out of curiosity and kept watching hoping that the stories will be more in depth, but alas the show was too weak. Here they had the most interesting and wonderful premise: a female president and the political conflicts involved, but weak story lines and two-dimensional characters. A lot of critics compared "Commander In Chief" with another great (and my favorite) political drama "The West Wing" and there are huge differences: the characters were not two-dimensional and were well-developed, the stories and plots of each episode are complex and very in depth to the political world, and smart dialogue. "Commander In Chief" has all of the potential and all of the great ideas, but the writing was weak. I especially didn't care too much for the children of President MacKenzie (Geena Davis) because I felt that they were so one-sided. Donald Sutherland who is always amazing is too underdeveloped and stereotyped as the conservative villain who plots to destroy the MacKenzie administration alongside with his gorgeous chief of staff played by Natasha Henstridge (who would have been a perfect Hitchcock Blonde). It doesn't surprise me that the show was cancelled and it wasn't from the idea of pitching a show about a female president, but it has weak writing. The stories make audiences fall asleep and become bored with it everyday. It's too bad. If only the creators of "The West Wing" were to have written the episodes then maybe the show would have had a chance.
If you can get past that "Chief" is essentially a poor man's "West Wing", it is a solidly entertaining contemporary political drama
liquidcelluloid-124 June 2006
Network: ABC; Genre: Drama; Content Rating: TV-PG (adult content and language); Available: DVD; Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 - 4);
Seasons Reviewed: Series (1 season)
When the president of the United States suddenly suffers a stroke and dies, the most powerful office in the world then goes to Mackenize Allen, who will make history as America's first female president, but is fought at every turn by a scandal-hungry media and power-hungry Speaker of the House Nathan Tempelton (Donald Sutherland).
Right off the bat, the smartest thing "Commander-in-Chief" does is cast Gina Davis in the role of President Allen. Her brief foray into the sitcom world forgotten, Davis possesses all the class, stature and dignity to make a show that is essentially based on a "so what" gimmick utterly believable. For years and years men have had to sit and suffer through the self-promoting rhetoric of women who say that if there was a women president there would be less war, more talking and general peace and harmony in the world. "Chief" puts that to bed in the first episode where Mac doesn't flinch to call for a surgical military air strike on the heroine crop of a terrorist sponsoring country.
"Chief's" lighter tone and improbable situations makes it hard to shake the idea that we are seeing a poor man's "The West Wing". Compared to the big, regal inside-politics juggernaut that was "Wing", "Chief" makes itself more instantly accessible to drive-by viewers. Dare I say, dumbs itself down. Where "Wing" was about issues, history and civics, "Chief" treats the national scandals and political wrangling as if it where another office drama situation - just transplanted into the oval office. Cameras roll when husband Rod (Kyle Secor) trips and appears to grope a young intern. Mac gets political ammunition that could destroy typically evil Republican Tempelton but is just too classy to use it. "Chief" has all the intensity of office gossip.
It's always refreshing when a show can bring you something completely original. One of the most interesting elements is the redefinition of the spouse's role now that his wife has become the president, Rod becomes the First Gentleman. I've honestly never heard that phrase before. But, the show handles Rod like a winy school boy who wants his parents to listen to him. Steven Bochco protégé Mark Paul-Gosslar makes a very good turn as a brilliant political strategist that drags Mac into the game against her will.
But Sutherland is almost comical. He grimaces, narrows his eyes, laughs maniacally and plots diabolically with his sidekick (Nattasha Henstridge). An over-the-top caricature, Sutherland's bad guy is a notch below "The Simpsons'" Mr. Burns. You'd think at any moment we'll see him laughing at a construction worker hanging for dear life from a broken scaffold just outside his window. But despite that, the show hones in on what it does well and begins to have a lot of fun with the rivalry between Mac and Tempelton. Particularly in a late series episode in which a burst appendix puts Mac in the ER and gives Tempelton a taste of that office for a few hours.
Despite not possessing a pronounced liberal voice-box on the issues, "Chief" was immediately taken out to the woodshed by the political right which claimed it to be a Hollywood work to ready the public for Hillary Clinton's run for the White House. There is no evidence of that in the show at all. The right's paranoia toward Hollywood matches the left's paranoia toward, well, everything else.
I understand "Commander in Chief's" motives perfectly. It isn't about the fact that Mac is a women that makes her such a dangerous force of nature in the political world, it is that she is an outsider in a world ruled by archaic traditions, useless decorum and ruled by those rigidly trapped in themselves. (If you'd like, pretend I'm the usual hysterical internet critic and insert a Bush-bashing reference here) While the show runs from any real political satire, episodes often climax with Mac slamming home a speech or idea that makes common sense and upsets the applecart of the career politicians. (here) The theme is never pronounced, but runs pervasive through the series. (here)
Still, the show failed to connect with the viewers, and like Hillary Clinton, it has nothing to do with her being a women. (here) In a sense, this show is yet another insufferable regal portrayal of politicians sitting in lofty seats in the shadows of great men carrying out historical precedent just trying to do what's right for the people. Oh please. Nobody believes that politicians are really like this and unfortunately "Chief" comes at a time when the public's anti-government sentiment is at a high. (here) We could go for it in "The West Wing", which pitched itself in an Capra-esquire fantasy world, but "Chief" puts itself in our not-to-distant future, globs off real events and comes off as just another big, wet politician ass-kiss. (here).
Early on, the show went through a changing of the guard after the network objected to creator Rob Lurie's idea to involve Mac's daughter in a (get this) graphic sex scene with a secret service agent. ( and here). I can't imagine how that would have fit in, but I liked new show-runner Stephen Bochco's interpretation for once. It is almost a guilty pleasure to say this, but yes, "Commander-in-Chief" isn't rocket science, but it is solidly entertaining nonetheless. It deserved better. Maybe ABC should have changed up their advertising just a little bit. How about: "Watch this show or you hate women". Guilty them, like a real politician would.
* * ½ / 4
Seasons Reviewed: Series (1 season)
When the president of the United States suddenly suffers a stroke and dies, the most powerful office in the world then goes to Mackenize Allen, who will make history as America's first female president, but is fought at every turn by a scandal-hungry media and power-hungry Speaker of the House Nathan Tempelton (Donald Sutherland).
Right off the bat, the smartest thing "Commander-in-Chief" does is cast Gina Davis in the role of President Allen. Her brief foray into the sitcom world forgotten, Davis possesses all the class, stature and dignity to make a show that is essentially based on a "so what" gimmick utterly believable. For years and years men have had to sit and suffer through the self-promoting rhetoric of women who say that if there was a women president there would be less war, more talking and general peace and harmony in the world. "Chief" puts that to bed in the first episode where Mac doesn't flinch to call for a surgical military air strike on the heroine crop of a terrorist sponsoring country.
"Chief's" lighter tone and improbable situations makes it hard to shake the idea that we are seeing a poor man's "The West Wing". Compared to the big, regal inside-politics juggernaut that was "Wing", "Chief" makes itself more instantly accessible to drive-by viewers. Dare I say, dumbs itself down. Where "Wing" was about issues, history and civics, "Chief" treats the national scandals and political wrangling as if it where another office drama situation - just transplanted into the oval office. Cameras roll when husband Rod (Kyle Secor) trips and appears to grope a young intern. Mac gets political ammunition that could destroy typically evil Republican Tempelton but is just too classy to use it. "Chief" has all the intensity of office gossip.
It's always refreshing when a show can bring you something completely original. One of the most interesting elements is the redefinition of the spouse's role now that his wife has become the president, Rod becomes the First Gentleman. I've honestly never heard that phrase before. But, the show handles Rod like a winy school boy who wants his parents to listen to him. Steven Bochco protégé Mark Paul-Gosslar makes a very good turn as a brilliant political strategist that drags Mac into the game against her will.
But Sutherland is almost comical. He grimaces, narrows his eyes, laughs maniacally and plots diabolically with his sidekick (Nattasha Henstridge). An over-the-top caricature, Sutherland's bad guy is a notch below "The Simpsons'" Mr. Burns. You'd think at any moment we'll see him laughing at a construction worker hanging for dear life from a broken scaffold just outside his window. But despite that, the show hones in on what it does well and begins to have a lot of fun with the rivalry between Mac and Tempelton. Particularly in a late series episode in which a burst appendix puts Mac in the ER and gives Tempelton a taste of that office for a few hours.
Despite not possessing a pronounced liberal voice-box on the issues, "Chief" was immediately taken out to the woodshed by the political right which claimed it to be a Hollywood work to ready the public for Hillary Clinton's run for the White House. There is no evidence of that in the show at all. The right's paranoia toward Hollywood matches the left's paranoia toward, well, everything else.
I understand "Commander in Chief's" motives perfectly. It isn't about the fact that Mac is a women that makes her such a dangerous force of nature in the political world, it is that she is an outsider in a world ruled by archaic traditions, useless decorum and ruled by those rigidly trapped in themselves. (If you'd like, pretend I'm the usual hysterical internet critic and insert a Bush-bashing reference here) While the show runs from any real political satire, episodes often climax with Mac slamming home a speech or idea that makes common sense and upsets the applecart of the career politicians. (here) The theme is never pronounced, but runs pervasive through the series. (here)
Still, the show failed to connect with the viewers, and like Hillary Clinton, it has nothing to do with her being a women. (here) In a sense, this show is yet another insufferable regal portrayal of politicians sitting in lofty seats in the shadows of great men carrying out historical precedent just trying to do what's right for the people. Oh please. Nobody believes that politicians are really like this and unfortunately "Chief" comes at a time when the public's anti-government sentiment is at a high. (here) We could go for it in "The West Wing", which pitched itself in an Capra-esquire fantasy world, but "Chief" puts itself in our not-to-distant future, globs off real events and comes off as just another big, wet politician ass-kiss. (here).
Early on, the show went through a changing of the guard after the network objected to creator Rob Lurie's idea to involve Mac's daughter in a (get this) graphic sex scene with a secret service agent. ( and here). I can't imagine how that would have fit in, but I liked new show-runner Stephen Bochco's interpretation for once. It is almost a guilty pleasure to say this, but yes, "Commander-in-Chief" isn't rocket science, but it is solidly entertaining nonetheless. It deserved better. Maybe ABC should have changed up their advertising just a little bit. How about: "Watch this show or you hate women". Guilty them, like a real politician would.
* * ½ / 4
Commmander In Chief-Shame on you for cancelling
spiralsue11 May 2006
To whom it may concern:
How dare the network cancel this show. It's all around the internet that people have been jerked around with this show FROM ITS INCEPTION that HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT A WOMAN BEING THE LEADER OF THIS COUNTRY. (What about the MEN who love Donald Sutherland?) You're a bunch of wimps. No guts. I forgot to watch it last week because I forgot you changed it to another day. In spite of the reasons you've been giving as to why it's been cancelled, there's no threat to our (p)resident, not like some of the male-dominated shows that make jabs at our administration on a weekly basis. Shame on you. You'd better bring this show back or women all over, and intelligent men, will never forget your cowardess. Why are you so afraid (and that's what this is really about) to air a show that's controversial?? I would LOVE some response.
spiralsue
How dare the network cancel this show. It's all around the internet that people have been jerked around with this show FROM ITS INCEPTION that HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT A WOMAN BEING THE LEADER OF THIS COUNTRY. (What about the MEN who love Donald Sutherland?) You're a bunch of wimps. No guts. I forgot to watch it last week because I forgot you changed it to another day. In spite of the reasons you've been giving as to why it's been cancelled, there's no threat to our (p)resident, not like some of the male-dominated shows that make jabs at our administration on a weekly basis. Shame on you. You'd better bring this show back or women all over, and intelligent men, will never forget your cowardess. Why are you so afraid (and that's what this is really about) to air a show that's controversial?? I would LOVE some response.
spiralsue
Great cast, lousy writing
mortlieb-14 May 2006
It's hard to watch this show after finishing up the West Wing next week.
It's a shame it was cancelled, especially after Donald Sutherland's performances, but hoo boy... I had to cancel my Season Pass two weeks before ABC pulled the show.
The writing is clearly not well-researched, and the family subplot made me grimace at times. I understand this was part of the CiC angle, but it seems it could have been handled (or written) so much better.
Maybe they could resurrect the show with former West Wing writers.
It's a shame, really -- I forgot which talk show mentioned it, but it was said that the United States isn't even ready for a fictional female president.
It's a shame it was cancelled, especially after Donald Sutherland's performances, but hoo boy... I had to cancel my Season Pass two weeks before ABC pulled the show.
The writing is clearly not well-researched, and the family subplot made me grimace at times. I understand this was part of the CiC angle, but it seems it could have been handled (or written) so much better.
Maybe they could resurrect the show with former West Wing writers.
It's a shame, really -- I forgot which talk show mentioned it, but it was said that the United States isn't even ready for a fictional female president.
Puzzled over a the Cancellation of a Quality Program!
Sylviastel17 February 2007
Okay, I wasn't much of a fan as I should have been. I think it's because dramas on television today have become more actor/actress driven than the writing etc. Anyway, this show should have been an easy slam dunk for the network who was known to making interesting decisions. First, Oscar Winner Geena Davis as a likable Vice President who becomes President was a great casting call. She was believable in the role. Second, the other cast members were equally perfect like Kyle Secor as the First Husband and Donald Sutherland as the President's friend and foe. I don't understand why the West Wing was such a hit but not this show. People were tuning in to see this show regularly. I guess the network didn't want the controversy of a female president. Think Hilary Rodham Clinton! Maybe they felt that women should just be resigned to playing mothers and wives like at Desperate Housewives or lovesick surgeons on Grey's Anatomy. This cancellation is appalling and the network executives should be ashamed of themselves for letting one of the good shows go.
Pretty good show a little sappy
dwpatter535 September 2021
Excellent ... Why Cancelled?
eceggers16 May 2006
Commander in Chief is an excellent TV series with an award-winning actress, Geena Davis. ABC should decide once and for all what night and at what time the show should air and then keep it that way. And show the series every week, not on and off like they did.
ABC messed up by showing the series a few times, then not showing it for a long time, then showing it for a few more shows. How can a TV show gain any audience when it's not run on a continual basis in the same time slot?
Write to ABC and complain. This is too good a show to cancel. Tell ABC to select one night and one time slot for Commander in Chief and keep it there. And advertise it. Let's put this show back on the air and let it gain some fans. I am one of them.
ABC messed up by showing the series a few times, then not showing it for a long time, then showing it for a few more shows. How can a TV show gain any audience when it's not run on a continual basis in the same time slot?
Write to ABC and complain. This is too good a show to cancel. Tell ABC to select one night and one time slot for Commander in Chief and keep it there. And advertise it. Let's put this show back on the air and let it gain some fans. I am one of them.
Was hoping for another West Wing
Nooshin_Navidi_MUSE6 June 2014
I wonder if I would have appreciated this series a little more had I not seen The West Wing in the '90s. But having done so, watching this was a bit like drinking watered-down wine. To me, what made The West Wing so great was a combination of a remarkable cast *and* outstanding writing, which included enough humor and wit to balance its intensity. I felt this show didn't quite manage to do that. With the exception of the formidable Donald Sutherland and a very likable Geena Davis, the cast is completely generic and forgettable. And sadly the writing also falls short. I can see why the show didn't reach the same heights as its predecessor. I'd love to see more shows of this genre, but of the same caliber as The West Wing. House of Cards is definitely one of them.
Bring Back Bartlett
Critical Eye UK2 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Until catching up with American posters here, I hadn't realised "Commander In Chief" had been axed.
Joy, oh joy.
We've just cleared our PVR of the unseen episodes that stacked up whilst we were away, having set the unit to make weekly recordings of CiC's first (and now, it would appear, only) UK season during our absence.
Tempting, though, to keep the pilot, through which we did manage to suffer, if only as an instance of the gulf that separates great US television (West Wing) from dross US TV (CinC).
Most tempting of all was to save the sequence where the President of the USA decides to invade Nigeria, a client state of China, in order to protect the right of women to have sex.
Well, there's one heady issue West Wing never managed to touch upon in all its careful, considered explorations of global realpolitik.
But it's the scene of the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff jovially informing the Nigerian Amabassador: "Hey, we're rather good at this!" which will long resonate.
As long as TV shows as dumb as this attract the kind of support seen on this board, it's no wonder Mr Bush has such a constituency of belief to draw upon when seeking to demonstrate in reality what Rod Lurie so clumsily sought to demonstrate in fiction -- that be it Nigeria or Iraq, America really is pretty good at this. . .
C'mon home, Jeb. America needs you now more than ever.
Joy, oh joy.
We've just cleared our PVR of the unseen episodes that stacked up whilst we were away, having set the unit to make weekly recordings of CiC's first (and now, it would appear, only) UK season during our absence.
Tempting, though, to keep the pilot, through which we did manage to suffer, if only as an instance of the gulf that separates great US television (West Wing) from dross US TV (CinC).
Most tempting of all was to save the sequence where the President of the USA decides to invade Nigeria, a client state of China, in order to protect the right of women to have sex.
Well, there's one heady issue West Wing never managed to touch upon in all its careful, considered explorations of global realpolitik.
But it's the scene of the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff jovially informing the Nigerian Amabassador: "Hey, we're rather good at this!" which will long resonate.
As long as TV shows as dumb as this attract the kind of support seen on this board, it's no wonder Mr Bush has such a constituency of belief to draw upon when seeking to demonstrate in reality what Rod Lurie so clumsily sought to demonstrate in fiction -- that be it Nigeria or Iraq, America really is pretty good at this. . .
C'mon home, Jeb. America needs you now more than ever.
A Pity it's canceled! Too controversial?
TheEmulator2314 June 2006
It is a real shame that ABC has canceled this show. I watched most of these episodes online at ABC.Go.com. I must say it grew on me very quickly. I have a feeling that ratings aren't the only reason this show has gotten canceled. This show looks and feels like it must be very expensive. I imagine that Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland are far from cheap. It also seems to have one of the largest regular casts on TV today. (Not counting "Lost" of course.) I think it is a well written show that sometimes may be too smart for the basic American audience. It seems that half of the good shows that are on, never make it out of their 1st season. This show will probably go down as a brilliant but canceled sometime in the future. I know I will miss it, and the premise of a female president is something that is interesting and someday may happen!
Commander in Crap
yeah_sure9 August 2008
The US are over 200 years old, but mentally and intellectually, its like a nation in its teens. Or maybe not even that. Watching the plot and speeches in this series, is like watching a story for children.
Freedom, democracy, we are so big, we are so great, god save America, bla bla bla... Thousands of movies and TV shows, always repeating the same mantra. Don't they get tired? Don't they know that only someone really insecure, needs to affirm himself over and over again? The rest of the world watches Commander in Chief, The West Wing, Air Force One, Behind Enemy Lines, etc etc, and thinks "what rubbish! who are these guys trying to fool?". Its impressive, to see so many millions of people, in such delusion.
If you want to get rich fast, I suggest you become a psychiatrist and move to the US. You'll make millions.
Freedom, democracy, we are so big, we are so great, god save America, bla bla bla... Thousands of movies and TV shows, always repeating the same mantra. Don't they get tired? Don't they know that only someone really insecure, needs to affirm himself over and over again? The rest of the world watches Commander in Chief, The West Wing, Air Force One, Behind Enemy Lines, etc etc, and thinks "what rubbish! who are these guys trying to fool?". Its impressive, to see so many millions of people, in such delusion.
If you want to get rich fast, I suggest you become a psychiatrist and move to the US. You'll make millions.
A Great Show!
caroldenise20022 October 2005
Commander in Chief: This was a great show! Geena Davis has a foreboding image on screen. She is confident, yet humble; she is healthy, yet not too thin and she looks like she is in control and is superb as the President of the United States.
Meanwhile, there is pressure from the old school boys, and there are games being played with teleprompter and there are loyalties to the dead president that have to be dealt with.
In corporate America, one would quickly be prompted to consult with the Human Resources department about Donald Sutherland and is cronies. But Geena is the President and she automatically understands the disenchantment of the old school boys and she handles it.
Additionally, the husband consequently, assumes a woman's role, and however reluctantly he becomes first man, he bites the bullet. At least he does five minutes before one of the most important speeches on television ensues.
Should Geena pull this off continually, Television just might have created a show for the nation that is truly worth really watching.
Meanwhile, there is pressure from the old school boys, and there are games being played with teleprompter and there are loyalties to the dead president that have to be dealt with.
In corporate America, one would quickly be prompted to consult with the Human Resources department about Donald Sutherland and is cronies. But Geena is the President and she automatically understands the disenchantment of the old school boys and she handles it.
Additionally, the husband consequently, assumes a woman's role, and however reluctantly he becomes first man, he bites the bullet. At least he does five minutes before one of the most important speeches on television ensues.
Should Geena pull this off continually, Television just might have created a show for the nation that is truly worth really watching.
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