"The West Wing" (1999) TV series 1999-2006

User Rating:

9.0/10   

Creator:

Aaron Sorkin

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Release Date:

22 September 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Right place. Right time. right man.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

President | Political | Secretary | White House | First Lady

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 86 wins & 177 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Nov. 9	8:00 AM	BRAVO	Five Votes Down	#1.4
Mon. Nov. 9	9:00 AM	BRAVO	The Crackpots and These Women	#1.5

Cast

Allison Janney	...	Claudia Jean 'C.J.' Cregg (155 episodes, 1999-2006)
Martin Sheen	...	President Josiah 'Jed' Bartlet (154 episodes, 1999-2006)
John Spencer	...	Leo McGarry (153 episodes, 1999-2006)
Bradley Whitford	...	Josh Lyman (153 episodes, 1999-2006)
Janel Moloney	...	Donna Moss (148 episodes, 1999-2006)
Richard Schiff	...	Toby Ziegler (146 episodes, 1999-2006)
Dulé Hill	...	Charlie Young (135 episodes, 1999-2006)
NiCole Robinson	...	Margaret Hooper / ... (105 episodes, 1999-2006)
Melissa Fitzgerald	...	Carol Fitzpatrick / ... (99 episodes, 1999-2006)
Rob Lowe	...	Sam Seaborn (82 episodes, 1999-2006)
Joshua Malina	...	Will Bailey (77 episodes, 2002-2006)
Stockard Channing	...	Abbey Bartlet (63 episodes, 1999-2006)

Also Known As:

West Wing (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

42 min | USA:60 min (including commercials)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 (season 7) | New Zealand:M (season 2) | New Zealand:M (season 4) | New Zealand:PG (season 5) | New Zealand:PG (season 3) | New Zealand:PG (season 1) | Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | UK:12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Company:

John Wells Productions

Trivia:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton wrote an open letter addressed to Josh Lyman when he suggested closing a military base in upstate New York on the show. In the same letter she praised Toby Ziegler for saving Social Security in an earlier episode.

Goofs:

Continuity: 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.

Quotes:

Representative Matthew Santos: I don't care if it's three Bosnians, an Armenian, and a bus full of party clowns!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "See Hear: (#29.13)" (2009)

Brilliant

I couldn't get into the West Wing when it began its run. The people spoke too quickly, I didn't get most of the references, and where the heck were they powerwalking to? I just didn't get it. After an episode or two, I just forgot about it.

On a recent weekend, though, I heard the pilot was being broadcast and thought I'd give it a try. Watching this show from the beginning - and being able to see episodes over again - makes all the difference. This time, I realized that I wasn't *supposed* to understand what they were referring to right out of the gate; it would be explained before the episode ended. After watching the pilot, I also realized that unlike most TV shows, The West Wing episodes are visual manifestations of great books. Both force the viewer to ask questions, challenging simple answers, refusing to provide easy, fixed-in-60-minutes situations, and providing sudden, unexpected plot twists.

As excellent as the actor's performances are, it's the writing that makes the show so good. It doesn't shy away from moral ambiguity, it rarely takes the easy way out, and it compels you to believe in your government despite all the reasons it gives you to despair of it.

Some might think that only jingoistic supernationalists enjoy the West Wing, but neither of those words describe me. I feel very comfortable questioning the decisions my government makes, and I appreciate how the West Wing has broadened my understanding of how it operates. For that reason alone, it deserves the accolades it receives. It's one of the best shows in the history of television.