Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
The West Wing

The U.S. Poet Laureate

  • Episode aired Mar 27, 2002
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 42m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
664
YOUR RATING
S3.E17
  • S3
  • E17
All episodes
All
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Bradley Whitford in The West Wing (1999)
Drama
Poet laureate Tabitha Fortis visits D.C. to attend a White House dinner in her honor, and Toby develops a bit of a crush on her, but he also must admonish the somewhat flighty beauty against... Read allPoet laureate Tabitha Fortis visits D.C. to attend a White House dinner in her honor, and Toby develops a bit of a crush on her, but he also must admonish the somewhat flighty beauty against publicly criticizing the president for his refusal to sign an international anti-land min... Read allPoet laureate Tabitha Fortis visits D.C. to attend a White House dinner in her honor, and Toby develops a bit of a crush on her, but he also must admonish the somewhat flighty beauty against publicly criticizing the president for his refusal to sign an international anti-land mine treaty; Donna discovers a website devoted to Josh, and he soon becomes sucked into the o... Read all
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
664
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Christopher Misiano
  • Writers
    • Aaron Sorkin(teleplay by)
    • Laura Glasser(story by)
  • Stars
    • Rob Lowe
    • Dulé Hill
    • Allison Janney
Top credits
  • Director
    • Christopher Misiano
  • Writers
    • Aaron Sorkin(teleplay by)
    • Laura Glasser(story by)
  • Stars
    • Rob Lowe
    • Dulé Hill
    • Allison Janney
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 1User review
    • 1Critic review
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro

    • Photos4

    Allison Janney and Richard Schiff in The West Wing (1999)
    Laura Dern and Richard Schiff in The West Wing (1999)
    Laura Dern and Richard Schiff in The West Wing (1999)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Rob Lowe
    Rob Lowe
    • Sam Seabornas Sam Seaborn
    Dulé Hill
    Dulé Hill
    • Charlie Youngas Charlie Young
    Allison Janney
    Allison Janney
    • C.J. Creggas C.J. Cregg
    Janel Moloney
    Janel Moloney
    • Donna Mossas Donna Moss
    Richard Schiff
    Richard Schiff
    • Toby Ziegleras Toby Ziegler
    John Spencer
    John Spencer
    • Leo McGarryas Leo McGarry
    Bradley Whitford
    Bradley Whitford
    • Josh Lymanas Josh Lyman
    Martin Sheen
    Martin Sheen
    • President Josiah Bartletas President Josiah Bartlet
    Laura Dern
    Laura Dern
    • U.S. Poet Laureate Tabatha Fortisas U.S. Poet Laureate Tabatha Fortis
    Emily Procter
    Emily Procter
    • Ainsley Hayesas Ainsley Hayes
    NiCole Robinson
    NiCole Robinson
    • Margaret Hooperas Margaret Hooper
    Renée Estevez
    Renée Estevez
    • Nancyas Nancy
    Yolanda Lloyd Delgado
    • 'Sunrise in Cincinnati' Anchor Terrias 'Sunrise in Cincinnati' Anchor Terri
    Beth Littleford
    Beth Littleford
    • WKZN Philadelphia Anchor Leslieas WKZN Philadelphia Anchor Leslie
    James Eckhouse
    James Eckhouse
    • Rep. Bud Wachtell, Das Rep. Bud Wachtell, D
    Melissa Fitzgerald
    Melissa Fitzgerald
    • Carol Fitzpatrickas Carol Fitzpatrick
    Devika Parikh
    Devika Parikh
    • Bonnieas Bonnie
    Kim Webster
    Kim Webster
    • Gingeras Ginger
    • Director
      • Christopher Misiano
    • Writers
      • Aaron Sorkin(teleplay by)
      • Laura Glasser(story by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    Poet laureate Tabitha Fortis visits D.C. to attend a White House dinner in her honor, and Toby develops a bit of a crush on her, but he also must admonish the somewhat flighty beauty against publicly criticizing the president for his refusal to sign an international anti-land mine treaty; Donna discovers a website devoted to Josh, and he soon becomes sucked into the online chat about his activities and ego; speaking via remote to a local morning show in Philadelphia and unaware that the mike is on, Bartlet makes a stray comment impugning opponent Robert Richie's intelligence, for which the staff, particularly C.J., takes a lot of heat from Richie campaign and the press. —meebly
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Certificate
      • TV-14
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Donna and Margaret are looking at a website dedicated to Josh and run by his fans. It's called www.lemonlyman.com and is actually registered to Warner Bros Corporation.
    • Goofs
      When Toby says that the North Koreans have 900,000 soldiers in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea, he means north of the DMZ. By definition, the Demilitarized Zone has no soldiers (or land mines) in it.
    • Quotes

      C.J. Cregg: Let me explain something to you; this is sort of my field. The people on these sites: they're the cast of One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest. The muumuu wearing Parliament smoker? That's Nurse Ratched. When Nurse Ratched's unhappy the patients are unhappy. You? You're McMurphy! You swoop in there with your card games and your fishing trips...

      Josh Lyman: I didn't swoop in! I came in exactly the same way everybody else did.

      C.J. Cregg: Well, now I'm telling you to open the ward room window and climb on out before they give you a pre-frontal lobotomy and I have to smother you with a pillow.

      Josh Lyman: You're Chief Brom...

      C.J. Cregg: I'm Chief Bromden yes at this particular moment. I'm assigning an intern from the press office to that website. They're going to check it every night before they go home. If they discover you've been there, I'm going to shove a motherboard so far up your ass... what?

      Josh Lyman: Well, technically, I outrank you.

      C.J. Cregg: So far up your ass!

    • Connections
      References One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
    • Soundtracks
      West Wing Main Title
      (uncredited)
      Written by W.G. Snuffy Walden
      Performed by Pete Anthony

    User reviews1

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Toby!
    Toby's halted vulnerability is simply divine in this episode.
    helpful•1
    0
    • bettina-cassell
    • Aug 15, 2021

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 27, 2002 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Occidental College - 1600 Campus Road, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • John Wells Productions
      • Warner Bros. Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      42 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View image
    Photos
    Star Siblings: Famous Brothers and Sisters
    See the entire gallery
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    6 Sundance Award-Winning Movies to Stream Now
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.