A short lived series that aired on NBC in 2003, and starred Josh Brolin as the eponymous Sterling. Bill Sterling is the son of retired Democrat Senator Bill Sterling Sr. A dedicated idealist working to improve conditions for prisoners, after a senator dies, he is appointed to fill in as a Senator for the remainder of his term. The leaders of the Democratic party want him to play ball and vote along their lines, but he quickly establishes himself as an independent, marking himself as a bit of a wild card in the Senate.
The show is somewhat of a Spiritual Successor to Mr. Smith Goes to Washington . Sadly, it was cancelled after ten episodes.
This series provides examples of:
- Broken Pedestal: In the series finale, when his father is accused of being an embezzler and corruption. Turns out he's clean.
- Corrupt Politician: A lot of the Senate. Sterling spends a lot of the episodes getting played because he doesn't realize others will be breaking their word.
- Eagleland: Mostly flavor 2, with Sterling and his staff mostly being flavor 1.
- Government Procedural: This is a series about the inner workings of the US Senate.
- Holding the Floor: Like it's inspiration, Sterling gives a filibuster for days on end to ensure that his point is heard.
- Nobody Poops: During the filibuster, Sterling really has to go, and his first order of business when given a break by his ally Senator Kate Robertson is to use the restroom.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Sterling, which causes him some headaches due to the rest of the Senate taking advantage.
