Revival?

Allison Janney dives into a new 'West Wing'

After tearing into John Wells for more than a year regarding his hatchet job on my former favorite show, I have to now give him credit for making the show more interesting this season. Maybe it's the fact that all my other appointment shows are on hiatus or off the air, leaving WW on a Sopranos- and Six Feet Under-less playing field, but I think this season, and especially the most recent episodes, has been the best for the show since before Aaron Sorkin's departure, perhaps since Rob Lowe was on.

Promoting Allison Janney was an inspired move; she's been the conscience of the White House for at least three years and now she gets to see what it's like to have to make the decisions rather than try to spin them. (Of course, I have a soft spot for the idea of putting the reporter-in-chief in charge of the whole operation.) And while I cringed at every cast addition, so far this year every actor they've paraded through has worked in a way that the stunt casting of Matthew Perry never really did. Kristin Chenowith's brief appearances as Toby's adviser were pitch-perfect, and Jimmy Smits is playing his new role with aplomb. And who could complain about the return of Tim Matheson? Say this for the show: They've figured out how to amp up the drama this season, put all of the characters in new situations, and ease the audience into all sorts of transitions. Dule Hill got to talk and got a new job, and there appears to be something brewing again between his Charlie and Zoe. Leo's heart attack has finally freed him and us from his perpetual crankiness. Donna's response to her newfound fame and notoriety has been interesting; I only hope they deal with it more fully in the future. And the prospect of Josh leaving the team to help Hoynes run for president, while Will pushes Bingo Bob and even Al Bundy and Hawkeye get in on the act, should make for a delicious February sweeps arc of episodes about the primaries. I'm a bit concerned about the return of MS, a possibility raised in the last moments of this week's episode and heightened by seeing Martin Sheen on a stretcher in the preview for next week, but my reaction tells me this:

A year ago, I'd have been worried that Wells was about to destroy the show. Now, I'm willing to give this new direction a chance. I only hope my newfound confidence--or at least lack of derision--for Wells proves well-founded.