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

When he asked C.J. (Allison Janney) out on a date, Danny said, "I enjoy movies, I enjoy music, I'm not wild about ice-skating, but what the hell, I'll do it." Allison Janney trained throughout her childhood to be an Olympic figure skater.

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Goofs

During much of the series, characters refer to "battle carrier groups" as the group of ships that are grouped with an aircraft carrier. The real term for this is "carrier battle group".

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Quotes

Reporter: Would the White House care to comment on the expected contrast between the high degree of organization and discipline in the Republican Convention and the Democrats' anticipated free-for-all?
Annabeth Schott: I believe the American people will be the beneficiaries, in that they will be presented with a clear choice: do they want to be governed by people who are animated, or animatronic?

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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 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Grissom Versus the Volcano (2003)

User Reviews

Long Live the Big Block of Cheese!

As mentioned in a couple of episodes, Andrew Jackson kept a two-ton block of cheese in the foyer of the White House for the public. It was to remind everybody that The White House belongs to the people, and that their voice should always be heard and represented. Well, "West Wing" is a love poem to the ideals of a portion of America that has not had a voice in a long, long time. Be forewarned, this show is not a docudrama watered down or dumbed down in order not to offend the sensibilities of the mainstream. It is unabashedly - dare I say in these reactionary times - ultra-liberal and proud of it. President Bartlet and his staff represent the spirit, courage, depth and imagination that many (but obviously not all) faithful Americans feel this country was founded on: a spirit that they would like to see in their political candidates, but rarely find anymore. It is the stuff of dreams. Check that twice; this isn't reality TV so don't go ballistic if certain "facts" about the official processes of White House machinery are incorrect. The show isn't meant to provide documentation of life in the west wing. It's meant to give us an idea of the complexities of the political process, as well as a look at the dedication and personal sacrifice most politicians and staffers have to endure. Most importantly though, the show is meant to be a springboard for ideas and values. Is President Bartlett in any way realistic? Hell, no! He's a wild composite of every liberal politician and scholar that ever positively influenced this country, as well an authority on antiquated history, philosophy, mythology, national parks, chess, and virtually every nation in the world. What makes him especially endearing is that all of these qualities are rolled up in a homespun charm that could make Garrison Keillor positively green with envy. Some people don't seem to get the joke: he has every single element that has been absent in politicians - Democrat and Republican alike - for a longgggg time. The fact that he is so unreal is THE element of social satire that this program propagates. Frankly, I find it thrilling because as much as I love other political satires like "Bob Roberts" and "Wag the Dog", it seems wonderfully refreshing to see satire being directed from politicians rather than at them. There will never be a real president like Jed Bartlet in the White House, but every American can get a healthy dose of inspiration from fictional Jed Bartlet, 'man of the people'. [I'd include other nationalities in that statement, but there's something about Bartlet that is quintessentially American. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I visualize it along the lines of reading the Constitution while eating a bowl of chili. Other nationalities will have to come up with their own particular mixture of homespun idealism.]. I should include his staff in that statement too, since any of those in the West Wing (with the exception of Ainsley Hayes, sweet as she is) would make a fantastic president.

As for the other elements of this show... On first watching it, I was very aware of the fact that the White House staff seemed to spend more time holding conversations while walking in corridors, than actually sitting in their offices. I was also aware of how the cameras twirled around them unceasingly. And I often found the dialogue in both quality and delivery to be something along the lines of Spalding Gray meets Gore Vidal; i.e. extremely quick, witty and brilliant, but how many people really talk that way? Well, by the third episode I became so attached to the fascinating qualities and idiosyncrasies of each character that in my ears, their dialogue seemed to flow quite naturally. By the forth episode I was tickled pink to follow them anywhere. And by the fifth episode, my inner gyroscope finally synched up with the show's steadicam. I'm hooked- what else can I say! All the characters/performers of "West Wing" are excellent, and the "what if" scenarios in each show cleverly cover situations that we're all familiar with, with just the right touch of emotional depth (or in some cases, levity. The show's humor is always delicious!).

`West Wing' is simply brilliant through and through. The only bad thing about it is when it's over, we all have to face reality once again. Damn!