Includes bibliographical references (p. 121-128) and index.
Introduction: politics of quality U.S. tv: all the president's men and a few good women -- Politics of quality primetime tv: network politics and broadcasting context -- Politics of storytelling and the tv auteur: authorship, performance, and narrative -- Politics of the televisual form: aesthetics and sounds of power -- "Modern history is another name for television": representing historical relevancy and cultural memory -- Conclusion: "we had it good there for a while": The West Wing legacy.