[Adamc]

The West Wing's a great show, there are a few fans on here. Tends much more towards lofty idealism than the gritty realism of say, The Wire, but that's part of its charm. It shouldn't be too difficult to understand if you know a little bit about how the US political system is organised. The show actually assumes very little knowledge and when it deals with more esoteric subjects they tend to be explained within the show. It might help to read a few wikipedia articles on US government beforehand if you're interested in watching it.