It’s impossible to consider Political Animals, USA’s surprisingly ambitious limited series that premiered on Sunday, without mentioning its time-slot competitor, The Newsroom. Like Aaron Sorkin’s ode to the anchor desk, Political Animals is set in a familiar sidewaysverse, a very recent past or near-present in which a charismatic upstart has captured the White House, partisan rancor seems insurmountable, and, while smartphones exist, expository monologues remain the most popular form of communication. But if The Newsroom exists to show us how things should have been done, Political Animals cannily prefers to show us what they could be. Rather than primly sitting on the sidelines with those who once bought ink by the barrel (and now produce pink slips by the truckload), PA dives right into the messy, wholly imagined world of the headline-makers. This decision makes all the difference: It’s far more pleasurable to be asked a question than told the answers. And while it may be unfair to compare the two — especially considering that the soapy, silly Political Animals appears to be just the sort of frivolous indulgence that St. Will McAvoy would toss off his balcony in disgust — in politics, as within the fictional Hammond family, everything is relative.

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Hollywood Prospectus Podcast: Breaking Bad, The Dark Knight Rises, and Political Animals

By Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan at 4:29 PM ET

The Super Lab may have been destroyed, but that won’t stop Chris Ryan and me from getting back in our lab and cooking up some podcasts for our hungry audience. First up is the return of Breaking Bad (:50): We chop it up about the season premiere and what it means for the rest of these final 15 episodes. Then we take a look at the new USA series Political Animals (13:00), which features Sigourney Weaver, an insane performance by Ciarán Hinds, and a menacing bathroom of truth. Then it's off to the multiplexes, where we marvel over the strange beauty of Beasts of the Southern Wild (30:10) and preview our excitement over the imminent release of The Dark Knight Rises (38:05). (There may or may not also be a little crosstalk about America’s soon-to-be-favorite talking space raccoon.) Finally, the Double Down Book Club (49:35) marches on with the inevitable inclusion of John D. MacDonald and his immortal creation, Travis McGee. Check out The Deep Blue Good-by or, really, any of the 21 books in the series. Just don’t forget the cold beer.