Also wanted to give an honorable mention to the "Yes, Minister" and its sequel "Yes, Prime Minister" series that showed the behind the scenes political machinations at No. 10 Downing Street during what was contemporary 80's Britain--very humorous but also probably spot on in terms of how the sausage gets made politically in ruling circles. The premise of a newbie PM who tries to shake things up and is shut down at every opportunity by the learned establishment types that creates the inherent tension in the show is definitely worth a watch, imho.