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| Commander In Chief - 2005 |
Coming up on this addition of TV Tuesday is the first episode of 2005's "Commander In Chief", a short-lived series that chronicles the life of Mackenzie Allen, who becomes America's first female president after the surprising death of her predecessor.
The episode's cast includes Geena Davis, Donald Sutherland, Harry Lennix, Kyle Secor, Ever Carradine, Caitlin Wachs, Jasmine Jessica Anthony, Anthony Azizi, Matt Lanter, Mary Page Keller, Kristen Shaw, Talia Balsam, Ato Essandoh, and Will Lyman.
In Paris, France, the Vice President of the United States, Mackenzie Allen, is told some shocking and unexpected news. The president has had a massive stroke and she needs to return home.
The president's staff wants her to step down so that it will give someone with more experience (the Speaker of the House, Nathan Templeton) the chance to lead the nation.
White House Chief of Staff Jim Gardner questions Mackenzie's choices on the way home. He butts heads with her husband, Rod Calloway.
Mackenzie's goes to visit the president in the hospital. He tells her that he will be at least a year in rehab, and he would like her to resign so that Nathan Templeton can take office.
Before Mackenzie has a chance to make up her mind, the President unexpectedly dies, throwing the situation into chaos.
Nathan Templeton arrives at the Vice President's home along with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. He asks for a moment with Mackenzie. During their talk, he tells her all of the reasons he believes she should stand down. It was initially her intention to step aside. However, her talk with Templeton has made her change her mind.
With a sour faced Nathan Templeton looking on, Mackenzie Allen takes the oath of office as the first female president of the United States of America.
The next day, Mackenzie arrives at The White House and goes directly to the Oval Office, where she feels a little bit overawed.
Problems with the outgoing president's staff have made her realize how against her a lot of people are. She sits at the president's desk and contemplates the monumental task ahead of her.
Elsewhere in The White House, the new First Gentleman, Rod, finds himself ill at ease with the idea of inhabiting a role traditionally assumed by women. He's got a lot of decisions to make about his role in the administration, and he's cautioned about previous holders of the office who did things that "didn't go over very well".
In the family quarters of The White House, Mackenzie greets the late president's widow, Grace, and finds herself an unlikely ally in the former first lady. Mackenzie invites Grace to stay at The White House for as long as he would like.
Meanwhile, a humanitarian crisis in Nigeria results in the first real trial of Mackenzie's presidency when she has to send in the military to extract a woman who has been unjustly sentenced to death.
Later, Mackenzie addresses a Joint Session of Congress and vows to lead the country the best she knows how. "God knows you and I have shed tears these past
days. And more tears are to come. But soon, we must return to the future. And I will do my best to
take you there. I am with you," she says as the assembled gathering erupts into applause.
As she turns to greet the Speaker of the House, Nathan Templeton whispers a caution in her ear that he will always be right behind her. Mackenzie again faces the crowd and smiles at her family, who are watching proudly.
Cast rundown:
Geena Davis.......................................President Mackenzie Allen
Donald Sutherland...............................Nathan Templeton
Harry Lennix.......................................Jim Gardner
Kyle Secor..........................................Rod Calloway
Ever Carradine....................................Kelly Ludlow
Caitlin Wachs......................................Rebecca Calloway
Jasmine Jessica Anthony.......................Amy Calloway
Anthony Azizi......................................Vince Taylor
Matt Lanter.........................................Horace Calloway
Mary Page Keller..................................Grace Bridges
Kristen Shaw......................................Norah Woodruff
Talia Balsam.......................................Ruth
Ato Essandoh......................................Manute Obama
Will Lyman.........................................Teddy Bridges
And that's it for Commander In Chief. When it first debuted, this show was the #1 new show of the season. However, two changes in showrunners and a timeslot change contributed heavily to the fall in ratings, and the show was canceled after just one season. It's such a shame. It was really good. Geena Davis was phenomenal, and the show earned her a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Television Series, Drama.
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