The West Wing 

Inside the lives of staffers in the West Wing of the White House.

Creator:

Aaron Sorkin

Stars:

Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney

Top Rated TV #62 | Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 118 wins & 253 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Allison Janney	...	C.J. Cregg 155 episodes, 1999-2006
John Spencer	...	Leo McGarry 155 episodes, 1999-2006
Bradley Whitford	...	Josh Lyman 155 episodes, 1999-2006
Martin Sheen	...	Jed Bartlet / ... 155 episodes, 1999-2006
Janel Moloney	...	Donna Moss 150 episodes, 1999-2006
Richard Schiff	...	Toby Ziegler 145 episodes, 1999-2006
Dulé Hill	...	Charlie Young 137 episodes, 1999-2006
NiCole Robinson	...	Margaret / ... 106 episodes, 1999-2006
Melissa Fitzgerald	...	Carol Fitzpatrick / ... 102 episodes, 1999-2006
Rob Lowe	...	Sam Seaborn 85 episodes, 1999-2006
Joshua Malina	...	Will Bailey 80 episodes, 2002-2006
Stockard Channing	...	Abbey Bartlet 69 episodes, 1999-2006

Storyline

Presidential advisers get their personal lives hopelessly tangled up with professional duties as they try to conduct the business of running a country. Fictional Democratic President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet suffers no fools, and that policy alienates many. He and his dedicated staffers struggle to balance the needs of the country with the political realities of Washington, D.C., working through two presidential terms that include countless scandals, threats and political scuffles, as well as the race to succeed Bartlet as the leader of the free world.

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Plot Keywords:

white house | politics | ensemble cast | dialogue driven | social commentary | 

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Taglines:

What is Next ?

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

NBC [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

West Wing

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles City Hall - 200 North Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

John Wells Productions, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

On January 24, 2014, the Obama White House announced, that in the spirit of both Andrew Jackson, and this show, they would host a real version of the show's "Big Block of Cheese Day", in which White House officials would be available to answer questions from ordinary Americans (albeit online instead of in person, as the "cheese day" meetings were on the show). This announcement was kicked off by a video, posted on the White House's official website, that featured this show's stars Bradley Whitford and Joshua Malina, and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. The first real Big Block of Cheese Day took place on Wednesday, January 29, 2014. On January 16, 2015, the White House announced that they would again be holding a Big Block of Cheese Day. This time, the video announcement (titled "Big Block of Cheese Day Is Back, and It's Feta Than Ever") featured White House Press secretary Josh Earnest and West Wing cast members Bradley Whitford, Joshua Malina, Mary McCormack, Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, and Martin Sheen. The video described the event as "like Reddit, but without the weird stuff." The third real "Big Block of Cheese Day" took place on January 13, 2016, the day after President Obama delivered the last State of the Union address of his Presidency. Various Senior White House staff, Cabinet officials, and members of Congress were available to answer public questions online at various times during the day, including such people as Vice President Joe Biden, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, First Lady Michelle Obama, HUD Secretary Julian Castro, Labor Secretary Tom Perez, Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz, Senator Cory Booker, and many others.

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Goofs

President Bartlet's code name, in one of the first episodes, is "Eagle." As he passes the Secret Service the agent says "Eagle has passed." In a episode later that season when Bartlet has collapsed, an agent says "Liberty is down."

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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 Popular: Are You There God? It's Me Ann-Margret (2000)

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Soundtracks

Cello Suite No. 1 Prelude
(uncredited)
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

The Best. Period

This is the finest show ever produced for TV. Each episode is a triumph. The casting, the writing, the timing are all second to none. This cast performs miracles.

The secret to this show is that it is, at heart, a comedy, even when tragic things are happening. That gives Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff et al. the room to work. And do they ever.

It works because it is deep, the characters are well-drawn. Early in the first season, CJ gets a root canal and walks around for the rest of the episode with cotton stuffed in her mouth, yelling things like" The Pwesident must be bweefed!" This has to be seen to be believed. It had me literally on the floor, laughing until I feared I would hurt myself. I don't know how many shows have tried cheap stunts like that and they are just that, cheap. On "The West Wing" it works because we know CJ, we know how unlike her, and yet like her, that moment is. And Toby's slow-burn reaction is pitch perfect.

Bravo.