I've been watching the DVDs of the first season of The West Wing imported from the United Kingdom. (The American release is coming out in mid-November.)
One of the first things I noticed about this British import is the warning: "Suitable only for persons of 15 years and over." Funny, because one of the things I've always liked about The West Wing is its lack of gratuitous sex and violence. Anyway, I assume that The West Wing must be pretty popular in Britain for it to rate a DVD release over there.
The first season is probably The West Wing's best season, not I hasten add because the quality went down, but because it started at the top of the quality curve so there was nowhere to go but sideways.
The first season introduced most of the recurring characters and had some of the most memorable story line arcs, including my favorite, the call girl story. Of course, it does have a few mis-steps; I never really believed the breakup of Leo's marriage, and the brazen sentimentality of the In Excelsis Deo episode is a bit over the top. Then again, there are some of my favorite moments, such as when CJ finds out what her Secret Service code word is.
It was a shock to view the second through fourth episodes because of the music. I remembered that the main title theme was only hinted at near the end of the pilot episode, but I had forgotten that the next few episodes used a tacky electronic version of the theme; it's not until the fifth episode that it receives the full orchestral treatment.
Other than that, watching the first season has been like renewing the acquaintance of some old friends.