Commander-in-Chief is a television show that began broadcasting on ABC on Tuesday, September 27, 2005 at 9 P.M. It may have been inspired by The West Wing, a popular television show on rival NBC. It stars Geena Davis as Mackenzie Allen, the first female President of the United States, who ascends to the role after the previous chief executive, Teddy Bridges (played by Will Lyman), dies in office from an aneurysm which arose suddenly.
| Commander in Chief | |
|---|---|
| File:Castshot01.jpg Cast of Commander-in-Chief | |
| Created by | Rod Lurie |
| Starring | Geena Davis Kyle Secor Donald Sutherland Harry J. Lenix |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 3 (as of Oct. 2005) |
| Production | |
| Running time | Approx. 45 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ABC |
| Release | September 27, 2005 – present |
Primary characters
- President Mackenzie Allen (Geena Davis) - former Congresswoman and university administrator, a political independent chosen by President Teddy Bridges as his running mate. The first female vice-president and, upon Bridges' death, the first female president.
- First Gentleman Rod Calloway (Kyle Secor) - Allen's husband; formerly her vice-presidential chief-of-staff.
- Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland) - Republican Congressional leader; had been Bridges' choice to succeed him as president. Bears significant resentment towards President Allen.
- White House Chief of Staff Jim Gardner (Harry Lennix) - formerly President Bridges' Chief of Staff, asked by President Allen to continue into her administration.
- Press Secretary Kelly Ludlow (Ever Carradine) - brought into Allen's administration from her vice-presidential staff; formerly her communications director.
- Horace Calloway (Matt Lanter), Rebecca Calloway (Caitlin Wachs), and Amy Calloway (Jasmine Anthony) - Allen and Calloway's three children; sixteen year old twins and a six year old child. Rebecca resents her mother's choice to assume the presidency, and holds more right-wing political views than her mother.
The Commander in Chief Universe
The universe of Commander-in-Chief is based on real world facts. In the first episode, Vice-Presidents Al Gore and Richard Cheney are mentioned. President Teddy Bridges served four years as Vice-President and the show begins two years into his first Presidential term.
There are debates among fans about when the series takes place. Some viewers assume either President George W. Bush served only one term (2001-2005) or that Teddy Bridges was his Vice-President for the second term (2005-2009). They believe that President Bridges won the presidency in 2008 (since it is mentioned by his wife that he lived four years in the Vice-presidential Manor immediately preceding their time in the White House) and took office in 2009. The show mentioned that he died during the second year of his presidency, so these viewers believe the show to be set around the year 2011.
The years in which the show takes place and in which President Bridges took office have not been mentioned. The most likely intent of the show's writers and producers is that the show takes place more than a decade from now. It is expected the show itself will provide official information in future episodes.
Real countries like Puerto Rico, Nigeria and Iraq have been mentioned on the program. However, on the third episode, a fictituos country named San Pasquale was a major source of controversy for the Allen Administration.
Episodes
Pilot
Originally aired 27 September 2005.
- Written and Directed by Rod Lurie
While on a diplomatic mission in Paris, France Vice President MacKenzie Allen is told that President Teddy Bridges has suffered from an unexpected stroke. Returning to the United States, she meets with the incapacitated President, who asks her to resign so that Speaker of the House Nathan Templeton can assume the presidency should he die. Although she is reluctant to do so, being an independent and not of Bridge's political party, she has her staff reluctantly draft a resignation speech
When the President's condition worsens and he suddenly dies, Allen is again asked, this time by Speaker Templeton, to step aside, but as she observes his prejudice against Muslims and women, she chooses instead to take the oath of office and assume the presidency, and is sworn in by the Chief Justice.
After assuming office, she is faced with hostility from the Bridges administration, where she had been an outsider; the Secretary of Labor and presidential secretary offer their resignations, although Allen asks Bridges' Chief of Staff to remain in his post. She also confronts the Nigerian ambassador, telling him that unless they release a woman who is sentenced to torture and death for having sex outside of marriage, the United States military will rescue her by force.
Faced with skepticism from political insiders and within her own family (her husband, who had served as her Vice Presidential Chief of Staff, suddenly finds himself in the role of "First Gentleman"), she delivers an address to a joint session of Congress. In the middle of the address, the teleprompter fails -- whether on purpose or by accident is not entirely clear -- but Allen finishes the speech impromptu. While Allen is speaking, rather than risk US invasion, the Nigerians quietly handed their prisoner over to the US military voluntarily and we see her flown out of the country. The episode ends with Templeton expressing support for Allen, although his actions make his sincerity disputable.
First Choice
Aired 4 October 2005.
- Written by: Dee Johnson and Rod Lurie
- Directed by: Rod Lurie
Allen faces the first political crisis of her presidency as her selection of a new Vice-President is manipulated by Speaker Templeton. Templeton leaks incorrect information to the press regarding the nomination of a Republican former Governor of Oklahoma named Tucker Baynes to fill the vacant seat of the Vice-President. Meanwhile, The White House staff is still in disorder after the resignation of several other members of the Bridges administration, including the Press Secretary. Allen appoints her personal speech writer, Kelly Ludlow, to be the new Press Secretary.
Allen's daughter Rebecca is concerned when her personal diary disappeared from her posessions during the family's move to the White House. The Secret Service is summoned to by the President to help find the diary. It turned out the diary was not lost but had been mistakenly placed among the possessions of Allen's youngest daughter.
President Allen offers the Vice-Presidency to her former political rival Warren Keaton, a former United States Army General and Vice-presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket which was defeated by the Bridges-Allen ticket. The episode ends with Speaker Templeton watching the anouncement of the nomination and commenting that Keaton does not have a chance to be confirmed by Congress.
Guest starring Bruce Boxleitner as Tucker Baynes.
First Strike
Aired 11 October 2005
- Written by: Dee Johnson and Rod Lurie
- Directed by: Rod Lurie
President Allen faces her first international crisis when nine under cover DEA agents are killed in the fictitious country of San Pasquale. As she begins to ponder her options on retaliation, the President is distracted when the press begins to follow her son and daughter as they begin their new terms in public school. In the mean time, the First Gentleman begins coaching Vice-presidential nominee Warren Keaton for his upcoming confirmation hearings.
The President orders the Air Force and the DEA to destroy cocaine fields in San Pasquale and calls for the people of the country to ask for the arrest of General Sanchez, the Dictator of San Pasquale. Before the attack begins, the military of the country overthrows Sanchez. Juan Duran, Sal Pasquale's exiled President, is asked to return to power.
Trivia
- The characters of the President and Vice President were named after the two actors who played those roles in Rod Lurie's previous political thriller, The Contender. Teddy Bridges, named for Jeff Bridges who played President Jackson Evans, and MacKenzie Allen, named for Joan Allen who played Laine Hanson, his vice presidential nominee.
External links
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