Editor's Rating
THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT proves to be a whirlwind ride as a series of unexpected events launch Abigail Adams straight into the oval office as the first female President of the United States. The series is a mix of drama and a bit of comedy. Viewers that have a great interest in a political type of show will definitely enjoy this series.
Imagine going about your daily routine and you’re completely content with life. Then, BAM! You have an enormous responsibility passed down to you. You didn’t ask for this. I mean, isn’t it already enough to have to wake up in the morning, pay the bills and go to work? Not for Abigail Adams. After a weird series of events, she has been forced into the office of President of the United States against her wishes. Wouldn’t want to be her, right? I’m telling you if the President, the Vice President AND the House Speaker all die in the same day and you’re suddenly next in line for office, then you have an incredible amount of bad luck. It almost sounds like a Game of Thrones episode.
THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT is a comedy series from Left Brain Digital, produced by Joe Thomas, Dixie Swanson, Raquel Thomas and Rick Wells. It was written by Joe Thomas. The series made its debut January 5th, 2015 and is now available to watch for the first time on YouTube. It is based on a series of books written by Dixie Swanson (who also serves as the show’s co-executive producer). The series follows its main character, Abigail Adams (Sarah Shoemaker), a physician with no knowledge of the world of politics, as she struggles with the new responsibility of being President of the United States.
Adams’ life becomes an instant, overwhelming whirlwind of events that lead her to this highly intimidating job position. She is informed that her sister, Priscilla, who is a powerful Senator of Tennessee, is dying of cancer. Priscilla’s last wish is that her sister, Abigail, take her Senate seat. Abigail doesn’t even try to hide her excitement when she is appointed to fill the position by Tennessee Governor Michael Malloy (Mike Shiflett). That’s almost too easy. There’s more!
After taking her oath of office, Abigail and the rest of the nation soon learn of the sudden death of the President of the United States. The Vice President dies from choking on his food before he is sworn in to office. The torch is then passed to the House Speaker, who has a heart attack while taking his oath of office. Adams is the only survivor of this crazy domino effect. She quickly becomes the next person in line for the job as her sister Priscilla was also President pro tempore or “president for a time”, while serving as a senator for Tennessee. Abigail becomes the first female President of the United States which stuns the nation and also encourages criticism from those vying for that same job title.
The series is filled with strong performances from a talented cast including Terry Kiser (as Adams’ chief of staff David Jericho), Rob Wilds (as Defense Secretary O’Neil) and Greg Standifer (Congressman Andy Katz) who is clearly the comedic relief in these first two episodes. It seems like this is a type of character Standifer has a talent of portraying effectively as he nails it in this series as well as in Left Brain Digital’s other series, MR. FROST. The guest stars in the series include Eric Roberts (as Vice President Barker) and Tommy “Tiny” Lister (as House Speaker Jernigan).
This series along with JOHNNY DYNAMO and MR. FROST – the three currently released series from Left Brain Digital – remind me of FX’s hit series American Horror Story when it comes to the casting. The viewers will see a lot of the same actors spread among these three series in sometimes very different roles. It’s an opportunity full of exciting challenges for the actors because they can experiment with range. For example, it was a joy to see Terry Kiser transform from a mob boss type of character in JOHNNY DYNAMO to Adams’ chief of staff in THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT. It was a pleasant surprise to see the range these actors were capable of.
It seemed a bit extreme in the first episode for the White House spokesman to pull out a gun and shoot the ceiling in order to regain the attention of the panicking, loud members of the press. That’s something I’ve seen used to sell absurdity to great effect in films like Network and Idiocracy. It wouldn’t happen, but nothing about this scenario exactly screams ‘likely.’ He calls Adams “some skirt from Tennessee” and “the next HBIC” which is explained in the episode. Hey, he was clearly asking to get fired. That wouldn’t be acceptable on live television or in front of the press, but it would be a wonderful day for the 24 hour news networks.
THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT featured some excellent cinematography (Ed Lamberg) which stood out as a great strength of the series. The use of captivating imagery worked effectively as transitions between scenes. The cinematography also served as a storytelling device and established location in a beautiful way. Some of my favorite transitions were of the airplane landing on the runway, the sunset view of the American flags and the shots of popular landmarks in Washington D.C.
Another interesting piece of information would be that this series along with JOHNNY DYNAMO and MR. FROST are closely connected to Nashville, Tennessee or Tennessee as a whole. It makes me wonder why Tennessee was chosen for all three series when there’s other options available to mix it up a bit. Overall, it seems to fit the three series just fine. It’s wonderful exposure for Tennessee as it allows viewers to see the Southern state’s scenery.
THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT is an engaging political drama with continuous doses of comedy scattered throughout this whirlwind ride surrounding Abigail Adams. There are currently two episodes available for Season 1. If you like political types of shows, then I recommend this series for you. It would be a fantastic break from the normal news broadcasts! Also, if you’re interested in seeing these actors featured in very different types of roles, then check out JOHNNY DYNAMO and MR. FROST.
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