CS Weekly Archive > DVD of the Day > 07/14/06

An Abbreviated Administration

by scott castle

Commander in Chief (2-Disc Inaugural Edition, Part 1)

Allison Adler, Richard Arthur, Steven Bochco, Steve Cohen, Anya Epstein, Joel Fields, Crystal Nix Hines, Dee Johnson, Rod Lurie, Stuart Stevens, Tom Szentgyorgyi, and Dahvi Waller

Created by Rod Lurie

Originally intended as a follow-up to creator Rod Lurie’s screenplay The Contender, Commander in Chief finds U.S. Vice President Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis) taking the Oath of Office upon the President’s unexpected demise.  Though politically naïve by the standards set over seven years of The West Wing, the series manages an intriguing blend of the private and the professional as the first female president attempts to adapt her family to the White House while dealing with partisan strife.  Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland) provides a worthy antagonist for the untried chief executive, but a greater drama brewed behind the scenes of the series as creator Rod Lurie’s tenure as showrunner gives way to veteran television talent Steven Bochco after seven episodes, resulting in a leadership change even Article 25 of the Constitution couldn’t predict.

Commander in Chief (2-Disc Inaugural Edition, Part 1)
Buena Vista Home Entertainment

Not rated; 427 min.

$29.99

Buy it now

Scott Castle is one thesis shy of a master’s degree in film.  He’s written two short films, four television scripts, and a handful of short stories. He lives in Los Angeles.

Commander in Chief (2-Disc Inaugural Edition, Part 1) courtesy Buena Vista Home Entertainment

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