The West Wing
Shares rank 52 of 60 TV series by recommenders
Recommended as one of the best shows of all time, with competent, respectable political characters. Common caveat: it can disappoint on rewatch, and some dislike its soft-focus Netflix picture.
Recommended as one of the best shows of all time, with competent, respectable political characters. Common caveat: it can disappoint on rewatch, and some dislike its soft-focus Netflix picture.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 50%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1 recommender for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
One of the best shows of all time
“one of the best shows of all time”
Comment from 10 Dec 2025 in “Rahm Emanuel says U.S. should follow Australia's youth social media ban” Competent, respectable political characters
“The presidential candidates from both parties on the show were competent, respectable individuals.”
Comment from 29 Oct 2026 in “Patrick Stewart has died” Exemplifies its category
“The West Wing exemplifies that category.”
Comment from 29 Oct 2026 in “Patrick Stewart has died”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Soft-focus picture on Netflix
“I wish Netflix could go back and remove the hideous soft-focus filtration from The West Wing”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix’s AV1 Journey: From Android to TVs and Beyond” “hideous soft-focus filtration from The West Wing”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Netflix’s AV1 Journey: From Android to TVs and Beyond”
Other TV series people recommend
The four most recommended other TV series, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halt and Catch Fire | 166 | 20 | 89% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Babylon 5 | 86 | 21 | 80% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Silicon Valley (TV series) | 52 | 1 | 98% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Andor | 52 | 5 | 91% | 9 | — | Approved |
| The West WingThis page | 5 | 5 | 50% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
8 of the 10 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“knew nothing about leadership that wasn’t on Star Trek or in an episode of The West Wing”
“The presidential candidates from both parties on the show were competent, respectable individuals.”
“West Wing is so great and disappointing when you watch it now.”
“The clips that the channel puts out... are... let's say interestingly timed.”
“The West Wing exemplifies that category.”
“one of the best shows of all time”
“I wish Netflix could go back and remove the hideous soft-focus filtration from The West Wing”
“hideous soft-focus filtration from The West Wing”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.