# Why am I watching Law & Order and not West Wing?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-watching-law-order-and-not-west-wing/207693>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 16, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-watching-law-order-and-not-west-wing/207693 "2003-10-16T01:13:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![chestnutmare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d6d6ee/32.png) [@chestnutmare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chestnutmare)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-watching-law-order-and-not-west-wing/207693/1 "2003-10-16T01:13:03Z")

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It is 9:20 on the East Coast, I am watching NBC and yet I do not see Martin Sheen on my TV!!

TV Guide online says that I should be watching West Wing instead of L&O: Criminal Intent. I want to be watching West Wing, even in it’s current Aaron Sorkinless state, but I can not.

Who can explain why I am being deprived?

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-watching-law-order-and-not-west-wing/207693/2 "2003-10-16T01:25:28Z")

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Why did you post this in IMHO instead of Cafe Society?  
Let me move it for you.

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**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-watching-law-order-and-not-west-wing/207693/3 "2003-10-16T16:12:08Z")

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Blame it on baseball. They didn’t want to run a new episode against the pennant race.

See, the Super Bowl is one game, winner takes all. It’s over in one night, and doesn’t drag on for weeks…

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**Author:** ![Angler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Angler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angler)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-watching-law-order-and-not-west-wing/207693/4 "2003-10-16T17:45:15Z")

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In recent years it seems “TV Guide” magazine makes more and more mistakes. You turn on what you think will be your favorite program – and there’s an info-mercial or an “I Love Lucy” rerun …again!  
Years ago when TV was really boring there were no program listing mistakes. That was because there was no cable — and only three networks … so each TV market had three network channels and a few independents. Most shows were terrible … but you knew what time they were on. (That’s like making great time even though you’re lost.)

Now, thanks to cable … there are more channels than Clinton had affairs. However half the people you talk to aren’t sure which cable channels they get, what shows are on them, or what time they were supposed to tune in for “whats-is-name.”

RF

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**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-am-i-watching-law-order-and-not-west-wing/207693/5 "2003-10-16T18:13:19Z")

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TV Guide wasn’t wrong. NBC yanked West Wing at the last minute due to the baseball game. They didn’t want to put new episodes against the pennant.