‘West Wing’ hopes live debate will boost ratings

These aren’t heady days for the president.

His administration is a mess with scandals aplenty. A major security leak has emerged from a high-ranking official at the White House, and with an upcoming election that could easily shift the political power structure in Washington, he’s doing his best to appease his own party while trying to stand firm on choices made from his gut, not based on popular opinion.

Oh, you’re talking about the Bushes? That’s old news. It’s President Bartlet whose legacy hangs in the balance.

And it’s not just how Bartlet will be remembered by fans of “The West Wing,” the whole series — in what might be its final season — is getting a thorough inspection.

With ratings sinking faster than W’s poll numbers, NBC’s “West Wing” will be pulling out the big guns Nov. 6 in nothing less than a fight for its own survival. The show is staging a political debate, broadcast live, between Democratic nominee Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Republican candidate Arnold Vinick. It’s an enticing gimmick but seemingly too little, too late.

Alda as Nixon, Smits as JFK?
In our televised age of style and not so much substance, this showdown has all the makings of another Nixon-Kennedy rout. For 18-34 demos with no sense of history, in 1960, the two candidates for the nation’s top job participated in the first presidential TV debate.

Those who heard the exchange on radio believed Nixon — who was vice-president and had far more political experience — was the clear winner. But while he might’ve had a grasp on foreign affairs, Nixon was clueless about the importance of image. Standing at the podium with a 5 o’clock shadow and sweating profusely, he went directly in the tank.

The reason this is relevant in Sunday’s tussle is that Smits is boyish, good-looking and a natural charmer. Alda is a bit haggard-looking, creasing around the face, and has all the sex appeal of Kansas Senator Sam Brownback.

It’s not the first live broadcast in recent times, and — with ratings in jeopardy — certainly won’t be the last. Actually, NBC did this just a few weeks ago in the season opener of “Will & Grace,” another series teetering on extinction.

And while more viewers will most likely tune in than on a typical Sunday night, it won’t be enough to derail the runaway ABC locomotive. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” the 8 p.m. foe of "The West Wing," is too feel-good for regular “EM” watchers to miss. People, it seems, need a good cry before heading back to work Monday morning.

The only non-“Wing” watchers who might check out this episode are the same who watch NASCAR for the possibilities of a crash. Maybe someone will flub a line? Miss a cue? Fat chance. Smits and Alda are pros, too polished for a major miscue.

It’s actually quite sad that “Wing” has to succumb to this kind of cheap stunt. The show won the Emmy for best drama four times in a row. We’re not talking “Cop Rock” or “Manimal” here.

The first few years of “Wing” were brilliant — even on its off days, it was still head and shoulders better than most everything else. It was an HBO-type show not on HBO.

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