K Street: The Complete Series (2003)

K Street is a documentary style, fictional series populated by real-life political figures in Washington DC, largely unscripted so filled with improvised dialog. Its story follows the fortunes of a bipartisan lobbying firm, headed by real-life bipartisan political operatives James Carville and Mary Matalin. (I have read the co-written story of their courtship and marriage.) Carville is a loud, cantankerous, Cajun country crazy man -- quite the loose cannon -- but Matalin knows how to contain him, so their verbal antics can be interesting, though your mileage may vary. Mary McCormack comes off as a placating professional who bobs her head to everything others say, while the two male staff members are inscrutably tight-lipped in how close they hold their cards to their vests. (John Slattery's wife discovers his new porn stash after marital counseling the previous year, and his weaseling denials say more than his words. Roger Smith is almost a complete cypher as to where he is from and what he is really up to, esp. in the face of an FBI investigation of the lobbying firm, so he may be the most watchable character. Elliott Gould appears as the reclusive agency owner who holds his secret leash.) The dialog is articulate, fast-paced, and dry as lobby lingo can be, so you need to be smart and politically savvy to appreciate this show, which ended suddenly (though with closure). I would have liked the series to continue. Enjoy! 4 stars. (9-14-2016)