The West Wing is one of my favourite shows of all time and, at the risk of being ridiculed for admitting it, I have watched every episode at least three times. I am also a bit of an Aaron Sorkin fan (and critic, at times).
But, despite having the full Blu-ray series set (and it being fairly easy to watch online, as well), I have not been able to bring myself to watch even a single episode since 2018.
I tried after Trump was elected, but I found that it had become depressing to watch. It is a very aspirational depiction of government, politics, and public service in general, as opposed to the likes of House of Cards, VEEP, or The Thick of It. And, I think it is reasonable to say it actually makes the show less realistic (though, in the best way), as politics has always been a very seedy profession, and people like Jed Bartlett and members of his staff tend to get nowhere near the top echelons of power in real life. And I watched it when it was still airing as a younger, more idealistic and optimistic person that had not yet been beaten down by experience.
And trying to watch the show now, many years later, after years of effort to affect positive change in various realms and locals with very mixed results, and during/after Trump’s presidency, is like watching videos of a close mate that has recently passed on: they don’t necessarily capture the whole reality of your friendship with them (most of the bad bits will have not been recorded for posterity), and most often represent an idealised version of them as a person, but they do generally reflect what you loved about them, what you desperately miss now that they are gone, and watching them just reminds you of the deep loss you feel.
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