As nation gets more political, so does TV

Before NBC's "The West Wing" made political wonks sound sexy, prime-time TV shows about politics were about as rare as, well, a female or black presidential candidate.

Despite such proof that TV drama can be both politically savvy and popular at the same time, only a handful of imitators have come and gone since the show debuted in 1999, most notably "The Court," about the Supreme Court, starring Sally Field, and possibly "Citizen Baines," about a former US senator.

But in the buildup to this fall's presidential election - the first since 9/11 - TV executives have discovered that politics can make compelling television.

They're trotting out a range of politically charged drama, comedy, and reality fare, including "The American Candidate," a 10-part, unscripted Showtime series searching for a "real person" candidate, which debuted this past week; Robert Altman's "Tanner on Tanner," a faux documentary about a presidential candidate; and "K Street," which concluded its latest season on HBO, among others. In addition, numerous documentaries about hot-button topics will air in the next few months, including "Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War" and "Afghanistan Unveiled."

Without a doubt, programmers are capitalizing on an election that media watchers are calling the most divisive of the past 30 years. "Many are engaged with politics now because of what's happening outside television, like the war and the economy," says Gary Edgerton, coeditor of the Journal of Popular Film and Television.

"There's a focus now on this presidential election and politics in general that we haven't seen in a good long time."

The political process seems ripe for Hollywood treatment. What people found with "The West Wing" is that the federal government is an inexhaustible source of material, says Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University. "It has scandals that can topple nations ... and it's this rich dramatic vein that's been so avoided that it's comparatively virginal. There are no formulas for the political shows the way there are for the doctor and cop shows."

Of course, politics and entertainment have always been mirror images of each other, with politicians eager to share the Hollywood limelight and movie stars eager to gain gravitas by association with important issues.

But in years past, Hollywood has shied away from overtly political shows to avoid offending either side - an attitude that seems almost quaint in these Bill O'Reilly and Michael Moore times.

Just like the breakout hit documentary movie "Fahrenheit 9/11," these shows are tapping the public's desire for information with an attitude. "This is the next stage in the great American drama," says Thompson. "We really need great storytelling that attempts to interpret our politics."

Not that this is a simple job, with politicians being more scripted than actors these days, says documentarian Alexandra Pelosi, daughter of Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D) of California. The young filmmaker's "Diary of a Political Tourist" airs on HBO this fall. Her story follows each of the candidates through the primary season. "The biggest heroine in my movie is Candy Crowley from CNN, who used to say all the time, 'There's no such thing as an honest moment in politics.' The candidates can't be real because if they're real [the media] will exploit it."

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