The mustache was immediately dubbed "the pornstache," and West Wing fan forums came alive with declarations that the mustache meant Whitford was no longer the least bit attractive. Did it cover his famous dimples? (No, as it turns out.) Was someone forcing him into this? (No, it was apparently his idea.) And the biggest question of all—could Whitford's fans bring themselves to watch this new show in which he was so definitively not Josh Lyman? I polled a group of self-described Bradley Whitford fans, and almost all of them told me that they would give the show a try. There are holdouts—a fan on Twitter baldly stated "My love for Bradley Whitford is gone until that mustache is." Some plan to watch, but only grudgingly; one tweeted "Not too stoked about The Good Guys, Bradley Whitford's upcoming cop dramedy w/ Colin Hanks. I love this man's talent so I'll give it a try." Even those who are looking forward to the show have some misgivings. I mentioned to one fan that Whitford kisses someone in promo videos for The Good Guys, and she said, "It is clearly not Janel [Moloney, who played Whitford's West Wing romantic interest], so . . . wow, I am going to have to get over that. It may be harder than I think."I watched a couple of seasons of West Wing in high school, but never quite fell into the ranks of the show's deeply dedicated. Maybe it was because in college I started doing local political work and the extent to which the show was unashamedly an escapist fantasy grated on me a bit. I do remember liking the way the show portrayed the characters' social lives and lives out in DC, though, and I think back fondly on the relationship between Whitford and Mary-Louise Parker's characters.
All of that said, I'm definitely excited for The Good Guys, which hits a number of my television sweet spots: set outside the LA-New York-Miami triangle, an unusual twist on the procedural (the Times says the show is part of the genre's mannerist phase, and I basically agree), and Colin Hanks, who I'm intrigued by. Dude got acted out of the water by Anna Faris in The House Bunny, but I think if he works with some good actors, he could be something. There's a market for restraint. We shall see.