The only consultation with people outside the inner circle was Admiral Fitzwallis and he didn’t last long…

Maybe it comes from the facts that Hollywood is interested since a long time in the Presidency (so many movies on it or around it).

Remember the pitch: a serie on the political life in Washington. Apparently one executive TV board did not find it dry. SIX seasons!

Here, Europe: Nothing.
“Ho gosh, no, not politics at 20′ o’clock. And it’s complicated.” Good god: that’s the point! complicated, ridiculous, interesting or not: you have a strong feeling about it. That means it has potential.

BBC tried it once on a national level: Party Animals. Unfortunately: more about romance, less about politics and “behind the curtains” thing.

But they gave it a try!

No takers yet then for a full-fledged West Wing style effort. Frankly I can see why. But still, I can’t help wondering. Remember, the West Wing was about the politics and personalities but essentially via the staff, not so much the politicians. (Originally, the series concept was not even to have the President Jed Bartlett character at all, but to keep him off-stage…). Surely the Brussels environment has some dramatic – or, yes, comedic – promise when it comes to the mix of characters you might find, say, in a high-flying cabinet? The cynical old-hand, the glamorous press officer, the pushy young policy wonk, the political fixer, the devoted personal assistant, the pedantic legal adviser, the exotic intern… Plus, all different nationalities! C’mon, scriptwriters of Europe, it’s a gift.