Top 10 fictional presidents on television

Photo Credit: HBO

2. Veep – Selina Meyer 

Veep has gained notoriety recently as the current political state of America has begun to resemble satirical comedy. Starting off as Vice President, Selina Meyer’s ambition eventually take her to Commander in Chief position at the White House. However, she’s far from competent and relies far too heavily on the experienced staff around her. Despite being one of the worst people to ever populate Washington, Selina quickly won over the hearts of viewers with her fast-talking insults aimed at everyone surrounding her. It’s no surprise that the HBO comedy has gone on so long or that Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won six Emmy’s in a row for her portrayal of Selina.

Of course, her presidency ends up being a total failure and she ends up leaving office pretty quickly. This past season has been the weakest yet with Selina in the private sector being bankrolled by her daughter. However, it left off on a high note with the promised presidential run where she will once again try her hand at running the country. Of course, it will probably end up being another colossal failure, but Veep is at its most interesting when Selina is making a mess of things.

Photo Credit: Warner Brothers

1. West Wing – Josiah Bartlet 

The first show that springs to mind when talking about fictional presidents is West Wing, the show dedicated to telling a story about the leadership in the White House. Josiah “Jed” Bartlet is perhaps the most revered fictional Commander-in-Chief of all time in both film and television. The popular Democrat is consistently considered the ideal president by viewers and even real life politicians. In fact, Martin Sheen’s character became so popular that even The X-Files hoped to get the actor to reprise his role in their (first) series finale. While the cameo never actually happened, Sheen did walk away with a Golden Globe and two SAG awards for his portrayal.

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There have been some critics who complained that Bartlet represents the ideal liberal point of view and complained that the series as a whole is too bias. However, Bartlet really is the perfect model for any politician. A fierce family man who is never plagued by an affair, as many other fictional and real-life politicians are these days, and upholds the Constitution no matter what. With the country divided over what makes a good leader, Bartlet is a good example of someone who knows how to compromise to help his people.