The West Wing (1999–2006)

Inside the lives of staffers in the west wing of the White House.

Creator:

Aaron Sorkin

Stars:

Allison Janney, John Spencer, Martin Sheen

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 89 wins & 177 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Allison Janney	...	C.J. Cregg (154 episodes, 1999-2006)
John Spencer	...	Leo McGarry (154 episodes, 1999-2006)
Bradley Whitford	...	Josh Lyman (154 episodes, 1999-2006)
Martin Sheen	...	President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet (154 episodes, 1999-2006)
Janel Moloney	...	Donna Moss (149 episodes, 1999-2006)
Richard Schiff	...	Toby Ziegler (144 episodes, 1999-2006)
Dulé Hill	...	Charlie Young (136 episodes, 1999-2006)
NiCole Robinson	...	Margaret Hooper (105 episodes, 1999-2006)
Melissa Fitzgerald	...	Carol Fitzpatrick (100 episodes, 1999-2006)
Rob Lowe	...	Sam Seaborn (84 episodes, 1999-2006)
Joshua Malina	...	Will Bailey (79 episodes, 2002-2006)
Stockard Channing	...	Abbey Bartlet (69 episodes, 1999-2006)

Storyline

When the erudite Democrat Josiah "Jed" Bartlet is elected U.S. president, he installs his administration. He places confidants from his electoral campaigns in the White House. Each of these people play a significant role in the Washington power game: the Chief of Staff (Leo McGarry), his deputy (Josh Lyman), Communications Director (Toby Zeigler), deputy (Sam Seaborn, and later, Will Bailey), and press secretary (CJ Cregg). Also in key positions are the assistants of each of the power players. We follow these people through many political battles, as well as some personal ones. Also playing roles are the First Lady (Abigail Bartlet), the President's daughters (Elizabeth, Eleanor, and Zoey), and the personal aide to the President (Charlie Young). All make this series, which supposedly follows the political events (often paraphrasing historical reality) almost day by day, more than merely a political soap. The demands of office on each character show the personal sacrifice and the ...

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Plot Keywords:

president | white house | democrat | u.s. president | politics | 

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Taglines:

Jimmy Smits goes to Washington.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

NBC [United States] Warner Bros. [United Kingdom] (Flash only)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

West Wing

Filming Locations:

Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During one of the shootings in Georgetown, filming at about three o'clock in the morning, an irate lady reportedly came out in a bathrobe with a bunch of guys. She said: 'What the hell's going on? I have an early morning at the State Department. And, by the way, you people don't even have a Secretary of State on your show. And I think you should have one and it should be a woman.' The woman was Madeleine Albright.

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Goofs

First-season scenes shot on location in Washington D.C. show the Washington monument encased in the lighted scaffolding that was part of its renovation process. Aerial views of Washington shown in many of these same episodes (e.g., "Five Votes Down") do not show the scaffolding, indicating that these shots were taken from stock footage dating before the renovation.

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Quotes

Sen. Arnold Vinick: [closing remarks at Republican Convention] My commitment to strive to be worthy of the example of the great men who have gone before. Presidents walk in giant footsteps. They have magnificent legacies to uphold. I stand here on this day and put my name forth, as one who aspires to their example, who will daily make that sacrifice, who will honor not just the office, but the people that office serves. *Their* President of these United States of America.

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Crazy Credits

Episode titles are usually the first thing shown on screen (after recaps). This is one of the only American series to show episode titles before its opening credits.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Charlie Sheen/Nelly Furtado (2001)

User Reviews

Making real drama out of politics

So much political reporting seems to be an attempt to fake a drama out of little material. I missed the West Wing when it started, but am catching up now, and find that it turns the specifics of politics into gripping human drama with a fast pace.

The camera seems to move as quickly as the people, following one conversation, then picking up another as two corridors intersect, and going off after that conversation instead. It's a remarkably effective dramatic device, that helps generate a sense of many topics, issues and personalities all being constantly on the move in response to events.

The acting is uniformly good, and often not on screen, Martin Sheen's president remains a constant presence shaping every story.