A commanding role

ROD LURIE says he’s tired. Tired of making dramas that are praised by critics while audiences stay away in droves.

That’s a bit of an exaggeration, of course. The film-critic-turned-writer-and-director arrived on the scene in 2000 with “The Contender,” a political thriller about a U.S. senator whose past is used against her as she tries to assume the vice presidency. While it earned Oscar nominations for Joan Allen and Jeff Bridges, who played the president, it was hardly a box office blockbuster. That was followed by projects including the short-lived TV show “Line of Fire” and “The Last Castle,” a Robert Redford vehicle that earned some acclaim but was largely overlooked by moviegoers.

So Lurie has this to confess about his new fall drama, “Commander in Chief,” premiering Sept. 27 on ABC and starring Geena Davis as the nation’s first female president: “I set out to make a big piece of entertainment -- quality entertainment, yes -- but entertainment. I want people to have the time of their lives watching this.”

Indeed, at every step, from pitch to pilot, Lurie calculated what it would take to make a show that would imagine what the White House would look like if a woman were at the helm -- and that would pull in lots of eyeballs.

It remains to be seen whether “Commander in Chief” will hit that mark, especially given its 9 p.m. Tuesday time slot, where it will go against two bona fide successes, “The Amazing Race” on CBS and “House” on Fox. But it won’t be for lack of trying, Lurie said during a break in shooting at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, where the Crystal Ballroom was transformed into the East Room of the White House. (He has his limits, though. When a request for an on-air interview comes in from the E! channel, the 43-year-old Lurie turns down the opportunity to promote “Commander.” “I can’t stand to see myself on TV,” he explained.)

Casually dressed and given to talking in rapid-fire spurts, particularly when a topic catches his interest, Lurie said the idea for the show came about as he was noodling a simple concept: What would the nation look like under the control of a woman? (Yes, he admits, he has a thing for women in power.)

Although he’s left-leaning, he initially envisioned her as a Republican. But he said he couldn’t shake the feeling that it sounded like a predictable counterpoint to that other presidential drama, the unabashedly left-leaning “West Wing.”

That’s why President Mackenzie Allen is an Independent -- with a capital I.

“Political ‘independence’ gives us the best drama,” Lurie said. “It gives her so many enemies. As an independent, you don’t know where she stands. It opens up the story lines.”

So does the premise that puts her in office: As the nation’s staunchly Republican president lies on his deathbed after suffering a stroke, he asks Vice President Allen, whom he placed on the ticket solely to curry favor with female voters, to step aside so that the speaker of the house (Donald Sutherland) can become president and carry on his conservative agenda.

For reasons best not revealed here, Allen refuses.

Within hours of assuming the nation’s highest office she finds herself plunged into the political shark tank that is Washington, D.C., where she struggles to survive in a world where Democrats and Republicans alike are eager to see her fail. Lurie said the setup serves two purposes: casting President Allen in a sympathetic light and tapping into voters’ growing disgust with partisan politics.

“People are sick of it,” Lurie said. “They want solutions; they don’t [only] care about political affiliations. I think that’s a sentiment out there.”

There won’t be any soapbox preaching to turn potential viewers off, he said: “We’re not just nonpartisan. We’re anti-partisan.”

AT HOME IN THE WHITE HOUSE

NOT interested in a political show, however it navigates the partisan waters? Well, then, Lurie still aims to please. As he sees it, “Commander in Chief” is a family drama that just happens to take place at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Another central premise of the show is that Allen’s seat in the Oval Office creates turmoil on the home front. As an under-the-radar vice president, Allen managed work and three just fine. But now, her teenage daughter -- a Republican in the making who believes her mother should have resigned out of respect for the voters’ wishes -- is openly rebellious. And Allen’s husband, Rod (Kyle Secor), is none too amused to find that his wife’s promotion means he’ll need to carry out the traditional first lady role, overseeing menus and such matters.

Lurie defends the decision to place a woman in the world’s most powerful position and then weigh her down with the stuff of motherhood and wifedom.

The reality, he said, is that a female president would be more involved with her family than a male president. “No matter how far they rise, women never stop being the caregiver. At the end of the day, women bear the emotional responsibility for their families.”

PRESIDENTIAL MATERIAL

BUT perhaps his most calculated decision was casting Davis.

As a courtesy, Lurie ran the idea of starring in the show past his cinematic muse, Joan Allen, whose last name he gave to the show’s lead character. And there were other names tossed about, including Sigourney Weaver. The first offer, though, went to Davis.

At a ramrod-straight 6 feet, she has the regal bearing as well as the physical stature to pull off the role. The Oscar winner (best supporting actress for “The Accidental Tourist”) certainly has the acting chops. Off screen, Davis, who turns 50 in January, is juggling three children of her own (including 16-month-old twins), something that is sure to be highlighted by the publicity machine if the show gets any leverage in the ratings.

And then there’s the va-va-va-voom factor. No, Davis won’t be slinking around the Oval Office in miniskirts. But as evidenced on the set at the Biltmore Hotel, where President Allen was all but poured into a strapless ball gown with a beaded bodice for her first state dinner, the show won’t exactly play down Davis’ looks. Her beauty, though, is neither overly distracting nor off-putting. It’s clear why Lurie is betting that the audience would believe her as president and, more important, root for her.

During a break from shooting the state dinner scene, however, Davis’ character was looking anything but presidential. The actress had slunk out of view of the cameras to hoist up her dress and fiddle with the sound equipment strapped to her upper left thigh.

An assistant was soon at Davis’ feet to help with the task, as men and women alike standing nearby couldn’t help discreetly craning their necks for a view of the actress’ up-to-there legs.

“This is for the scene where the Russian president takes off my garter belt,” Davis purred in her best put-on sexy voice.

“That’s it. My knees just buckled. I don’t think I can work anymore,” said one of the crewmen who had a full-on view of the action.

Between takes, Davis said she had snapped up the role as quickly as she could. “It’s the role of a lifetime. How many opportunities do you get to play the first serious look at a female president?”

She said she’s been struck by the reaction people have to the show: “It’s like an awakening. People say, ‘Wow, that sounds really interesting,’ and then it kind of hits them, ‘Hey, why is that? Why is a woman in the White House such a big deal?’.”

Lurie is hoping that women and couples will tune in.

“I really want it to be the kind of show a man will watch with his wife,” Lurie said. “It’s a ‘You go, girl!’ show.” He purposely chose not to name the show “Madame President,” because at the same time he wants to distance it from being all about a woman. “Hopefully it will someday stop being a show about a woman president and start feeling relevant” to our political possibilities.

But first things first, Lurie said. “I want a hit. I want it to stay on the air.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

QUICK HITS: THE RETURN OF THE HEAVY HITTERS

Some producers with new series this season already have multiple shows on network schedules. Among the new rulers of prime time:

JERRY BRUCKHEIMER

New shows: “Close to Home” (CBS), “E-Ring” (NBC), “Just Legal” (WB), “Modern Men” (WB midseason)

Returning: “The Amazing Race: Family Edition” (CBS), “Cold Case” (CBS), “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” (CBS), “CSI: Miami” (CBS), “CSI: NY” (CBS), “Without a Trace” (CBS)

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MARK BURNETT

New show: “The Apprentice:

Martha Stewart” (NBC)

Returning: “The Apprentice” (NBC), “Survivor: Guatemala” (CBS)

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BRIAN GRAZER

New show: “Misconceptions” (WB midseason)

Returning: “Arrested Development” (Fox), “24” (Fox)

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DAVID KOHAN / MAX MUTCHNICK

New shows: “Twins” (WB),

“Four Kings” (NBC midseason)

Returning: “Will & Grace” (NBC)

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MIKE TOLLIN / BRIAN ROBBINS

New show: “Inconceivable” (NBC), “Crumbs” (ABC midseason)

Returning: “One Tree Hill” (WB), “Smallville” (WB), “What I Like About You” (WB)