NaBloPoMo Day 11: Aaron Sorkin is my Hero

I love TV, and the best thing I've ever seen on TV is still "The West Wing." My love of The West Wing is well-documented, long-standing, passionate, and unwavering.

Here's why I love it: like most things in life, it's serious and very very funny, both, simulatneously. I love how incredibly well-written it is. I also love how smart and just plain great it is, how the politics reflect the best thinking of the decade, how good a country this would be under a Bartlet administration, and also, my really sort of ridiculous crush on Josh Lyman.

Bravo TV is replaying episodes of "The West Wing" which is, of course, wonderful, although wholly unnecessary, since I own the series on DVD. This morning, it's the Pilot episode and "Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc," the episode in which the deputy communications director, Sam Seaborn, played by the funny and charming and handsome Rob Lowe, confesses to Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman and Communications Director Toby Ziegler that he has accidentally slept with a law student and very expensive call girl, and would now like to see her again.

Sam: It turns out that I accidentally slept with a call girl.
Toby: Accidentally?
Sam: Yes.
Toby: You slept with a call girl?
Sam: I didn't know she was a call girl.
Toby: It wasn't a clue when she charged you for sex?
Sam: She didn't charge me, Toby.
Toby: Accidentally--I don't understand...did you trip over something?

And later, when Sam goes to meet with Laurie, the call girl, they have the following conversation.

Laurie: You are aware that I make more money than you?
Sam: You and any kid with a decent paper route.

See? Funny. And smart. And totally a conversation I would have. Not that I'm a call girl, or dating one, but whatever. What I want to know is, why is everything on TV not this good? Why do we have things like "Cavemen" and "Survivor" and "CSI: Rapid City" or whatever sorry thing they've moved on to by now, when there are people who can write this stuff?

There's good TV out there. "The Office" is wonderful. Our friends have introduced us to a Canadian TV show called "Corner Gas" that is pure genius. But I am suffering through vast quantities of total awfulness every time I turn on the TV, and I can't even blame it on Dora the Explorer for once.

Quick, someone write some more good TV. My brain is growing mold.