History Series / CommanderInChief

* HollywoodLaw: In one episode, Mackenzie debates over whether to spare a mentally disabled Texan woman on death row for murdering a cab driver, and she eventually does so. However, the US President cannot grant pardons or reprieves to state prisoners, only federal ones.

* AlternateHistory: the universe of ''Commander in Chief'' branches off from real history at some point. There are references in the first episode to the Clintons ([[UsefulNotes/BillClinton Bill]] and [[UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton Hillary]]), UsefulNotes/AlGore, and Dick Cheney, all as having held the offices that they did in real life. So the show happens sometime after UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush's first term. More than that is never clearly explained.

* GenderBlenderName: Mackenzie "Mac" Spencer Allen

* ManipulativeBastard: Templeton
* NeverASelfMadeWoman: Invoked when Mackenzie, upon assuming the Presidency, can't have her husband as her chief of staff because she knows that if she did, a not-insignificant number of people would assume that ''he'' was actually the one calling the shots. Though Rod isn't happy about it, their marriage is strong enough that it doesn't shake them as a couple. (And he knows she's right.)

* OldShame: InUniverse, President Allen gets hold of an old tape from 1965 of Templeton advocating segregation in order to secure election in the South. Templeton is horrified, saying that at the time, he was willing to say whatever needed to be said in order to get elected, and that it's not really what he believes.

* ShoutOut: Ami's halloween costume included [[WesternAnimation/TeenTitans Starfire's clothes and Raven's cape]]. Also, her Dad once carried her to give her the sensation of flying. He said [[{{Superman}} She's a bird! She's a plane!]]

* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: In the fourth episode, President Allen is disgusted with herself after Nathan Templeton congratulates her on her ability to "understand the burden of the necessary evil" after she accidentally orders a terrorism suspect tortured for information, thinking that she was finally showing the backbone to get the job done. (She told the Attorney General, "I don't want to hear about any torture", and the Attorney General interprets this to mean "go ahead and torture him, but don't tell me about it" when she meant "torture is out of the question").

* OldShame: President Allen gets hold of an old tape from 1965 of Templeton advocating segregation in order to secure election in the South. Templeton is horrified, saying that at the time, he was willing to say whatever needed to be said in order to get elected, and that it's not really what he believes.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Critical praise and Emmy nominations led to a hiatus for the Winter Olympics and an unannounced time slot change, then a quiet cancellation.

* MissingEpisode: An episode where Horace and Stacy have sex that would have also impregnated her was filmed but never aired.

* CastingGag: President Allen's mother is played by Polly Bergen, who played a female president in the 1964 comedy ''Kisses for My President''.

* Expy: Vice President Warren Fitzgerald Keating is clearly meant to be one for former presidential candidate General Wesley F. Clark.

Episodes would generally trace a political problem and one or more family ones. The cast list is split between staff (Allen's chief of staff, the speaker and his chief of staff, and a few others) and family (the First Gentleman [i.e. the President's husband], their three children, and even the president's mother). Political plot lines in the show include things such as torture, hostages, and so on. Family plot lines involve the First Gentleman's difficulty with his wife being the leader and their teenage childrens' sexuality.

There were, of course, many comparisons with ''Series/TheWestWing'', that other TV series about a U.S. president (which was enourmously popular, critically acclaimed, and tied for most Emmy-award-winning show of all time). ''Commander in Chief'' focused more on the president's family, which was an occasional theme on ''The West Wing'', and there were numerous other differences. However, the comparisons were generally not favorable. ''The West Wing''was ending its run the same time ''Commander'' started, and many viewers were probably just disappointed that ''Commander in Chief'' was not, technically, ''The West Wing''.

* FoxNewsLiberal: Or rather "ABC Conservative" in this case. Mackenzie is mentioned as having been a moderate Republican before becoming an independent. Despite this, she is never seen to have many (if ''any'') particularly conservative/libertarian traits. And although she's mentioned as clashing with the Democrats sometimes, it's rarely ever at the forefront, and we see her having rather pitched and heated battles against the Republicans instead (and indeed, the main Democrat on the show--Keaton--is portrayed much more favorably than the main Republican, Speaker Templeton). It gets to the point where it starts to feel like Mac's former Republicanism is merely an InformedAttribute that was given to her so that the presumably liberal writers could hold her up as an example and say "See? Any ''reasonable'' Republican would eventually leave the party and crusade against it on every issue!"

''Commander in Chief'' was a show about a fictional president of the United States that [[ShortRunner ran from September 2005 to June 2006]] on Creator/{{ABC}}.

The show centered around Mackenzie Spencer Allen (Creator/GeenaDavis), the first female president, and her family. Allen begins the pilot as vice-president, and becomes president when the president (Republican Teddy Bridges) dies. Allen is an independent (she had been a moderate Republican during her brief congressional career, but had left the party), and Bridges asks her to resign so that the extremely ultra-conservative Republican Speaker of the House (Nathan Templeton, played by Donald Sutherland) would become President when he dies. Allen refuses, becomes president, and then has all those pesky problems that come with the office.

''Commander in Chief'' was a show about a fictional president of the United States that [[ShortRunner ran from September 2005 to June 2006]].

* AlternateHistory: the universe of ''Commander in Chief'' branches off from real history at some point. There are references in the first episode to the Clintons ([[BillClinton Bill]] and [[HillaryRodhamClinton Hillary]]), AlGore, and Dick Cheney, all as having held the offices that they did in real life. So the show happens sometime after GeorgeWBush's first term. More than that is never clearly explained.

* MissingEpisode: An episode where Horace and Stacy have sex that would have also impregnated her was filmed but never aired.

There were, of course, many comparisons with ''Series/TheWestWing'', that other TV series about a U.S. president (which was enourmously popular, critically acclaimed, and tied for most Emmy-award-winning show of all time). ''Commander in Chief'' focused more on the president's family, which was an occasional theme on ''The West Wing'', and there were numerous other differences. However, the comparisons were generally not favorable. ''The West Wing'' had just ended before ''Commander'' started, and many viewers were probably just disappointed that ''Commander in Chief'' was not, technically, ''The West Wing''.

* [[HeyItsThatGuy Hey, It's That Gal!]]: Stacy (see MissingEpisode below) is [[{{Series/Heroes}} Claire Bennet]].

''Commander in Chief'' was a show about a fictional president of the United States that ran from September 2005 to June 2006.

The show centered around Mackenzie Spencer Allen (Geena Davis), the first female president, and her family. Allen begins the pilot as vice-president, and becomes president when the president (Republican Teddy Bridges) dies. Allen is an independent (she had been a moderate Republican during her brief congressional career, but had left the party), and Bridges asks her to resign so that the extremely ultra-conservative Republican Speaker of the House (Nathan Templeton, played by Donald Sutherland) would become President when he dies. Allen refuses, becomes president, and then has all those pesky problems that come with the office.

''Commander in Chief'' was cancelled before its first season was complete; it ran for 18 episodes. Changes in producers and time slots are evidence of some difficulties with the show and its audience. Interestingly, it was the #1 show on Tuesday nights until ''AmericanIdol'' took that honor, and the #1 new show of the season until ''Series/CriminalMinds'' took over that slot. Its direct competition in its time slot was with ''Series/{{House}}''.

The show centered around Mackenzie Spencer Allen, the first female president, and her family. Allen begins the pilot as vice-president, and becomes president when the president (Republican Teddy Bridges) dies. Allen is an independent (she had been a moderate Republican during her brief congressional career, but had left the party), and Bridges asks her to resign so that the extremely ultra-conservative Republican Speaker of the House (Nathan Templeton, played by Donald Sutherland) would become President when he dies. Allen refuses, becomes president, and then has all those pesky problems that come with the office.

There were, of course, many comparisons with ''Series/TheWestWing'', that other TV series about a U.S. president (which was enourmously popular, critically acclaimed, and tied for most Emmy-award-winning show of all time). ''Commander in Chief'' focused more on the president's family, which was an occasional theme on ''Series/TheWestWing'', and there were numerous other differences. However, the comparisons were generally not favorable. ''Series/TheWestWing'' had just ended before ''Commander'' started, and many viewers were probably just disappointed that ''Commander in Chief'' was not, technically, ''Series/TheWestWing''.

There were, of course, many comparisons with ''TheWestWing'', that other TV series about a U.S. president (which was enourmously popular, critically acclaimed, and tied for most Emmy-award-winning show of all time). ''Commander in Chief'' focused more on the president's family, which was an occasional theme on ''TheWestWing'', and there were numerous other differences. However, the comparisons were generally not favorable. ''TheWestWing'' had just ended before ''Commander'' started, and many viewers were probably just disappointed that ''Commander in Chief'' was not, technically, ''TheWestWing''.

There were, of course, many comparisons with ''TheWestWing'', that other TV series about a U.S. president (which was enourmously popular, critically acclaimed, and tied for most Emmy-award-winning show of all time). ''CommanderInChief'' focused more on the president's family, which was an occasional theme on ''TheWestWing'', and there were numerous other differences. However, the comparisons were generally not favorable. ''TheWestWing'' had just ended before ''Commander'' started, and many viewers were probably just disappointed that ''CommanderInChief'' was not, technically, ''TheWestWing''.

''CommanderInChief'' was cancelled before its first season was complete; it ran for 18 episodes. Changes in producers and time slots are evidence of some difficulties with the show and its audience. Interestingly, it was the #1 show on Tuesday nights until ''AmericanIdol'' took that honor, and the #1 new show of the season until ''Series/CriminalMinds'' took over that slot. Its direct competition in its time slot was with ''Series/{{House}}''.

* AlternateHistory: the universe of ''CommanderInChief'' branches off from real history at some point. There are references in the first episode to the Clintons ([[BillClinton Bill]] and [[HillaryRodhamClinton Hillary]]), AlGore, and Dick Cheney, all as having held the offices that they did in real life. So the show happens sometime after GeorgeWBush's first term. More than that is never clearly explained.