The Girls on the Bus

Political dramas can be very hit and miss. The West Wing and Scandal are the only two I have ever really enjoyed.

Seeing that this was starring and produced by Melissa Benoist I decided to give this series a shot.

The show is well acted and produced, with some interesting plot twists and a look into the flaws of candidates, bringing their more bright-eyed supporters back down to earth.

There are a few very obviously parallels to certain real life politicians, though thankfully there are no signs yet of a character like T**mp.

So far I have enjoyed the writing, but having just watched episode 2, there still seems to be something missing to really give it the kick it needs. Hopefully this will change in future episodes.

I just watched the 10th and final show (of season 1. The showrunner hopes for a season 2 - which is unannounced as of now.)

I love this show. I had to go back to watch the first minute of the first show - because it foreshadows the very end of the last episode.

Some criticize the characters as being stereotypes - and yes - but I quickly came to care about each character, even though there was one I looked down on and another I disliked because her politics were different than mine, but - the show did a great job of humanizing each journalist, and developing their history and motivations.

The show is so relevant to politics today.

Don't miss this great show. It deserves your attention.

Watch the first episode for yourself. At first glance an overall rating of 5.3 at the time of this writing would suggest one of the worst shows of all time. Click on the rating number and you see a huge number of 1s. How can this be? Simple. Certain people don't want you to watch. And then you will miss something worth watching.

I've only watched the first episode but I plan on watching the rest of the season. If you like shows that involve the political process then you should find this interesting. But if you are triggered by seeing one sort of character or issue you don't agree with then maybe you only watch one episode.

However you feel, it would be nice to give an honest rating. Almost nothing ever produced has deserved a 1 (or a 10). The people who hand out 1s likely do so often and somehow thinking their opinion reigns supreme.

I am not a fan of political dramas so I honestly didn't have high expectations. I started watching because of the cast. My rule is to watch at least 3 episodes because a new series almost always needs to get going.

I was pleasantly surprised. The cast is solid, the chemistry between them is good, the character depth is clear, it has humor, it is thankfully not overdramatized, there are no ego roles, it deals with substantive issues, the story is satisfying and the production is good.

For me it's a pleasant breeze of fresh air.

I hope there will be a second season.

.........................

There once was a book - The Boys On The Bus by Timothy Crouse - about the wild road trip on the 1972 election. So now it's time for the girls to get on that bus, this one based on, Chasing Hillary by Amy Chozick, who also co-wrote and created the series.

This political satire (of some sort) gathers four women from diverse journalistic backgrounds for a bus tour on the democratic trail, where dirty silly games of getting that story at all costs will have one amused.

Don't fret, it takes a swipe at both sides of politics and journalism, with even the darlings of social media getting in the firing line. Enough to amuse one and all. It's no Aaron Sorkin or Julian Fellowes, but it has enough wit and snappy dialogue to carry the story along, revealing the true nature of political gaming and journalistic barbarism.

Most importantly, it has the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson who pops in for some words of wisdom, so it has my undivided attention!