The West Wing-Commander in Chief similarities topic

ABC is at TCA today. On Friday about 75 critics visited the set of the ABC show "Commander in Chief." Had a press conference with the cast and producer Steven Bochco. I forgot to ask about this letter I received Jan. 10 from reader Jeff Trout:

Here's tonight's listing for "Commander in Chief": "Sub Enchanted Evening" When a U.S. submarine on a covert mission off the coast of North Korea runs into trouble, Mac must find a way to diffuse the international crisis before things get out of hand.

Meanwhile, back on 11/14/2001 NBC aired the following episode of "The West Wing": A U.S. submarine has "gone quiet" off North Korea, putting the President into crisis mode. And he's not pleased to have to deal with a cantankerous State Department veteran (Hal Holbrook).

Seems strange that ABC is recycling West Wing Episodes in order to bolster its Tuesday Night lineup, while NBC is doing everything it can to bury The West Wing.     Is it any wonder NBC is 4th in the ratings???

Not that I would've gotten a straight answer to that one.

"Commander in Chief" has an impressive set, two soundstages long, and that's not counting the Air Force One interior, a football field long, that was the backdrop to our press conference on a third stage at Raleigh Studios. I have to say, though, that the twisty hallways of the West Wing had that oh-so-familiar, well, "West Wing" feel to them.

Aside from look-and-feel, how is "Commander in Chief" like "West Wing"?  Well, as of this week, they're both in big time ratings trouble.  "Commander" got pile-driven by the debut of "American Idol," which Hoovered viewers away from both ABC and NBC.  Though "Idol" will stop tormenting Geena Davis soon enough, it'll then be Hugh Laurie's and "House's" turn to keep the pressure on "Commander," which has been losing points steadily all season.

Want to know how bad things are? During today's press conference, Bochco revealed something about an upcoming episode: The president's son is going to knock up a girl. In our collective experience as critics on the bus back to our hotel, we couldn't remember happening Bochco spilling the beans since his last failing show (not counting "Over There," which vanished so quickly there wasn't really time to stage a promotional intervention).