A new series asks if the U.S. is ready for a female president but actually assumes that all but the most neanderthal among us are. Implicitly, it also asks whether Americans will rally around a political drama that, while more than capable by all traditional TV standards, falls well short of the gravitas and realism of "The West Wing," which lays claim to the gold standard of the genre. "Commander in Chief" stars Geena Davis as MacKenzie Allen, a university chancellor and a former independent member of Congress, who had been picked for the vice presidency mainly to enhance the chances of the head of the ticket, Teddy Roosevelt Bridges (guest star Will Lyman).

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