I desperately missed Commander in Chief & thought that this show would fulfill that need, but Political Animals is more soap (drug addiction, anorexia, tragic gay man trope, lots of affairs & sex scenes) than political drama. With that said, getting to see Sigourney Weaver every week is a wonderful thing (I did see & enjoy Alien Resurrection for all the wrong reasons) & as a huge fan of Carla Gugino, who is actually a good actress despite the fact that whenever casting sees her, they are usually calculating how long until they have to wait to get her naked or at least in a bra, it was nice to see her working as at least the right kind of working woman. I was dismayed at how focused the script was on having characters remark on how these two women looked. It was usually complementary, but men were openly ogling the Secretary of State & grabbing her. I’m not saying that it can’t happen, but a viewer could have a drinking game it was so frequent. At one point, Weaver has a nooner. The show was at its strongest when dealing with political intrigue and the mutual manipulation of press & politics, but for the most part, the series lacked courage & became predictable as it unfolded, especially the last episode’s big plot twist (maybe only predictable if you saw Heroes). This Secretary of State’s only ambition & motivation is for her family’s well being. Le sigh.