Post Gazette review

Political Dramas Excel

By Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

TV's two best political dramas, NBC's "The West Wing" and Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica," both serve up excellent episodes this weekend.

Tonight, "Galactica" (10 p.m.) ends its second season with a 90-minute episode that's explosive (literally and figuratively) as it upends the series' existing format. It's a surprising, makes-you-think season ender that examines the very nature of what's right and whether or not the ends justify the means. The finale also caps an uneven second half to the show's second season (those "woe-is-Starbuck," "woe-is-Apollo," gotta-fill-the-20-episode-order hours could have been done by any series).

By resetting the stage, the "Galactica" writers set the show up for a fresh start in season three, which will begin in October.

"The West Wing" (8 p.m. Sunday) returns after an extended Olympics hiatus with an episode that should give some satisfaction to fans who have long pulled for destined-for-each-other Josh (Brad Whitford) and Donna (Janel Moloney) to get together.

Additionally, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) calls the presidential candidates to the Oval Office for a briefing on a world crisis that makes winning the election -- for either candidate -- a lot less desirable.