Commander in Chief

The short-lived evening drama, Commander in Chief, lifted the glass ceiling from the White House for President Mackenzie Allen, played by Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis. As the standing vice president of the United States, Mackenzie Allen is promoted to the oval office following the death of President Bridges, played by Will Lyman. Mackenzie Allen's ascent is marred by controversy as the dying president and Allen's entire party ask for her resignation. The pilot focuses on the difficult decision Allen must make: to comply with the wishes of her own party or take the oath of office. Episode plots are driven by numerous events that explore potential problems often associated with women in leadership positions and potential concerns political constituents may have with respect to women in high-level political positions. Many of the episodes explore the challenging roles President Mackenzie faces serving as the commander in chief, mother, and wife simultaneously. In addition, her family must adjust to their new roles as the children of a standing president and the First Gentleman. The drama explored in this series questions the conflicting roles, stereotypes, and assumptions the characters, and general public, may hold about women in leadership positions.

The pilot aired on September 27, 2005, and the final episode aired on June 6, 2006. Commander in Chief opened with rave reviews a large audience. It drew national attention to the possibility of a woman being elected to serve as the commander in chief of the United States, and particularly to the political viability of Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice. The early episodes of the show attracted an audience of 14.7 million viewers, and these high numbers were attractive to advertisers. Geena Davis received a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama. Donald Sutherland also received acclaim in the role of the president's constant antagonist, the Speaker of the House in the series. Although the series practically exploded onto the air, it quickly lost an audience and was plagued by production and directorial changes. The show received high initial ratings from a select audience during its short run and was considered by many to be a potential counterpoint to the popular West Wing series on NBC. Rod Lurie, responsible for the writing and directing of the first three episodes (exclusively and in partnership with others) was replaced by numerous executives, which also affected the continuity and viability of the series.