- The West Wing
Infobox Television
show_name = The West Wing
caption = "The West Wing" Title Screen
rating = TV-PG — TV-14
format =Political drama
runtime = approx. 42 min.
creator =Aaron Sorkin
starring =Alan Alda Stockard Channing Kristin Chenoweth Dulé Hill Allison Janney Moira Kelly Rob Lowe Joshua Malina Mary McCormack Janel Moloney Richard Schiff John SpencerBradley Whitford
withJimmy Smits
andMartin Sheen
country = United States
network =NBC
first_aired = September 22, 1999
last_aired = May 14, 2006
num_seasons = 7
num_episodes = 156 (including one special episode)
list_episodes = List of The West Wing episodes
website = http://www.nbc.com/The_West_Wing/
imdb_id = 0200276
tv_com_id = 189"The West Wing" is an American
television serialdrama created byAaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast from 1999 to 2006. It was produced/written by Sorkin (for the first four seasons) and also produced byThomas Schlamme . After season four it was produced by
John Wells. The series is set in theWest Wing of theWhite House , the location of theOval Office and offices of presidential senior staff, during the fictional Democratic administration ofJosiah Bartlet (played byMartin Sheen )."The West Wing" was produced by
Warner Bros. Television . It first aired onNBC in 1999, and has been broadcast by many networks in dozens of other countries. The series ended its seven-year run on May 14, 2006. [Bauder, David. " [http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=1531495&page=1 NBC Cancels 'West Wing' After 7 Seasons] ." "ABC News". January 22, 2006. Accessed February 12, 2006.]The show received positive reviews from critics,
political science professors, and former White House staffers. In total, "The West Wing" won twoGolden Globe Award s and 26Emmy Award s, a tie with "Hill Street Blues " for the most Emmy Awards ever won by a television drama series. Included in this record-equalling haul were four straight awards for Outstanding Drama Series (2000–2003)." [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0200276/awards Awards for "The West Wing"] " IMDB.com. Accessed December 10, 2005.] The show's ratings waned in later years, after series creator Aaron Sorkin (who wrote many episodes in the first four seasons) left the show, but it remained popular among high-income viewers, a key demographic for the show and its advertisers. [Byrne, Bridget. " [http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/news/000164.html Will NBC Reelect "West Wing"?] " Originally printed in "E!Online". October 10, 2002. Reprinted at Bartlet4America. Accessed December 12, 2005.]Crew
The series was created by
Aaron Sorkin . Sorkin served as executive producer for the pilot episode alongside directorThomas Schlamme and John Wells.Kristin Harms andLlewellyn Wells were producers for the pilot.Michael Hissrich acted as a co-producer.The first season proper saw the return of all of the pilot production team along with the addition of
Ron Osborn andJeff Reno as consulting producers andRick Cleveland as a second co-producer withRobert W. Glass as an associate producer. Glass left the production team after just five episodes. Osborn and Reno departed after nine episodes.Paul Redford served as astory editor throughout the first season.Lawrence O'Donnell, Jr. worked as executive story editor for the second half of the season.With the second season
Kevin Falls became a co-executive producer. Cleveland left the production team and Redford and O'Donnell were promoted to co-producer.Peter Parnell , andPatrick Cadell became co-producers andJulie Herlocker andMindy Kanaskie became associate producers. O'Donnell was promoted again to producer five episodes into the season and Hissrich joined him twelve episodes into the season.The third season saw the departure of Parnell, Cadell, and Herlocker and the temporary absence of O'Donnell. Director
Christopher Misiano became a supervising producer andPatrick Ward came aboard as an associate producer. Redford was promoted to producer. With the thirteenth episode of the third season directorAlex Graves became an additional supervising producer andEli Attie joined the writing staff as a story editor.The fourth season marked the temporary departure of Hissrich. Misiano and Graves became co-executive producers alongside Falls. Attie was promoted to executive story editor and
Debora Cahn became a staff writer. The fourteenth episode of the season saw Redford promoted to supervising producer and Kanaskie, Ward and Attie promoted to co-producers.The fifth season saw the departure of both Sorkin and Schlamme as executive producers. Schlamme remained attached to the series as an executive consultant. John Wells remained the sole executive producer and showrunner. Co-executive producer Kevin Falls also left the show. O'Donnell rejoined the production team as a consulting producer. Wells also added
Carol Flint ,Alexa Junge ,Peter Noah andJohn Sacret Young as consulting producers.Andrew Stearn came aboard as a producer and Attie was promoted to producer. Cahn became story editor andJosh Singer replaced her as staff writer. With the tenth episode Flint, Junge, Noah and Sacret Young became supervising producers.With the sixth season Misiano and Graves were promoted to executive producers. Redford and Junge left the production team and
Dylan K. Massin became a co-producer. Cahn was promoted to executive story editor and Singer replaced her as story editor.Lauren Schmidt filled the staff writer role. The fourth episode saw the departure of original crew member Llewellyn Wells. Debora Cahn was promoted to co-producer with the fourteenth episode.The seventh season saw Noah and O'Donnell promoted again, this time becoming additional executive producers. Attie became a supervising producer. Hissrich returned to his role as producer for the final season.
Cast
"The West Wing" employed a broad
ensemble cast to portray the many positions involved in the daily work of the federal government. The President, the First Lady, and the President's senior staff and advisors form the core cast. Numeroussecondary character s, appearing intermittently, complement storylines that generally revolve around this core group.Each of the principal actors made approximately $75,000 an episode, with Sheen's most recently confirmed salary being $300,000. Errico, Marcus. " [http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,8598,00.html Détente on "West Wing" Set] ." "E!Online". July 21, 2001. Accessed December 12, 2005.] [imdb name|0000640|Martin Sheen Accessed December 13, 2005.] Rob Lowe also had a six-figure salary, reported to be $100,000, because his character originally was supposed to have a more central role. [imdb name|0000507|Rob Lowe Accessed December 13, 2005.] Disparities in cast salaries led to very public contract disputes, particularly by Janney, Schiff, Spencer, and Whitford. During contract negotiations in 2001, the four were threatened with
breach of contract suits byWarner Bros. However, by banding together, they were able to persuade the studio to more than double their salaries. Two years later, the four again demanded a doubling of their salaries, a few months after Warner Bros. had signed new licensing deals with NBC and Bravo. [Haberman, Lia. " [http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,12224,00.html "West Wing" Salarygate] ." July 28, 2003. Accessed December 16, 2005.]John Spencer, who played
Leo McGarry , died from a heart attack on December 16, 2005 — about a year after his character experienced a nearly fatal heart attack on the show. A briefmemorial message fromMartin Sheen ran before "Running Mates", the first new episode that aired after Spencer's death. The loss of Spencer's character was addressed by the series beginning with the episode "Election Day", which aired on April 2, 2006.Different performers had been originally considered for many of the roles.
Bradley Whitford states in an interview on the Season 1 DVD that he was originally cast as Sam, though the character of Josh was the role Whitford had wanted and for which he had auditioned. In addition, Josh's character had been written specifically for him by Aaron Sorkin. In the same interview, Janel Moloney states that she had originally auditioned for the role of C.J., and that the role she eventually received, Donna, was not meant to be a recurring character. Other actors who were seriously considered includedAlan Alda andSidney Poitier for the President,Judd Hirsch for Leo,Eugene Levy for Toby, andCCH Pounder for C.J. [Sassone, Bob. " [http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/05/07/a-look-back-at-the-west-wing-entertainment-weekly-in-60-seconds/ A look back at The West Wing: Entertainment Weekly in 60 seconds] " "tvsquad.com". May 7, 2006. Accessed May 19, 2006.]Plot
"The West Wing", like many serial dramas, stretches storylines over several episodes or entire seasons. In addition to these larger storylines, each episode also contains smaller arcs which usually begin and end within an episode.
Most episodes follow President Bartlet and his staff through particular legislative or political issues. Plots can range from behind-closed-doors negotiating with Congress ("
Five Votes Down ") to personal issues like sex ("Pilot", "Take Out The Trash Day ") and personal drug use (a major plotline throughout the first and second seasons). The typical episode loosely follows the president and his staff through their day, generally following several plots connected by some idea or theme. A large, fully connected set of the White House allows the producers to create shots with very few cuts and long, continuousmaster shot s of staff members walking and talking through the hallways. These "walk and talk s" became a trademark of the show. The final two seasons delivered somewhat of a narrative change, with the focus of the show dividing between plots in the West Wing with President Bartlet and his remaining senior staffers and plots revolving around the rest of main cast on the campaign trail for the 2006 election.In the first season, the administration is in the middle of its first year and is still having trouble settling in and making progress on legislative issues. The second season brings scandal as the White House is rocked by allegations of criminal conduct and the president must decide whether he will run for a second term. The third and fourth seasons take an in-depth look at the campaign trail and the specter of both foreign and domestic terrorism. In the fifth season, the president begins to encounter more issues on the foreign front, while at home he must face off with the newly elected Speaker of the House over the future of the federal budget. The sixth season chronicles the quest to replace Bartlet in the next election, following the primary campaign of several candidates from both parties. In the seventh season, the president must face a leak of confidential information about a secret NASA program from inside the White House, while the Democratic and Republican candidates battle to replace him in the general election.
Development
The series developed from the 1995 theatrical film "The American President", for which
Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay. Unused plot elements from the film and a suggestion fromAkiva Goldsman inspired Sorkin to create "The West Wing".According to the
DVD commentary, Sorkin intended to center the show on Sam Seaborn and the other senior staff with the president in an unseen or a secondary role. However, Bartlet's screen time gradually increased, and his role expanded as the series progressed. Positive critical and public reaction to Sheen's performance raised his character's profile, decreasing Lowe's perceived significance. In addition, according to Sorkin, the storylines began to focus less on Sam and more on Josh Lyman, the deputy chief of staff. This shift is one of the reasons for Lowe's eventual departure from the show in the fourth season. [" [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2150891.stm Lowe confirms West Wing exit] ." BBC News. July 25, 2002.] For the first four seasons, Sorkin wrote almost every episode of the series, occasionally reusing plot elements, episode titles, character names, and actors from his previous work, "Sports Night ", asitcom in which he began to develop his signature dialogue style of rhythmic, snappy, and intellectual banter. Fellow executive producer and directorThomas Schlamme developed the "walk and talk ," a continuous shot tracking in front of the characters as they walk from one place to another that became part of "The West Wing"' s signature visual style. [ [http://westwing.bewarne.com/overlaps/default.html Overlaps between West Wing & Other Sorkin Writings] . West Wing Continuity Guide.] Sorkin's hectic writing schedule often led to cost overruns and schedule slips, [Carter, Bill. " [http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/news/000326.html "The West Wing" Comes to Terms With the G.O.P.] " "New York Times". September 23, 2003. Reprinted at Bartlet 4 America. Accessed December 12, 2005.] and he opted to leave the show after the fourth season, following increasing personal problems, including an arrest for possession of illegal drugs. [cite news |first=Jim |last=Rutenberg |title=Sorkin Arrested |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A01E6DC1730F93BA25757C0A9679C8B63 |work=TV Notes |publisher=New York Times, The |date=2001-04-18 |accessdate=2007-10-28 ]Thomas Schlamme also left the show after the fourth season. John Wells, the remaining executive producer, took the helm after their departure.The show aired its
series finale on Sunday, May 14, 2006. It had suffered a significant ratings fall after being placed in the same timeslot as ABC's Top 20 hit "", andCBS ' Top 30 hit "Cold Case ".Critical reactions
"The West Wing" offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of America's most powerful address, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and the show's legitimacy, political slant, and film merits have generated considerable discussion.
Realism
"The West Wing" is not completely accurate in its portrayal of the actual West WingLevine, Myron A. "The West Wing" and the West Wing." Reprinted in "The West Wing: The American Presidency as Television Drama". Edited by Peter C. Rollins and John E. Connor. 2003.] ; however, former White House staffers agree that the show "captures the feel [of the West Wing] , shorn of a thousand undramatic details."Miller, Matthew. " [http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/news/000004.html The Real White House] ." "Brill's Content". Reprinted at Bartlet4America. March 1, 2000.]
Former
White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers as well as expert pollsterPatrick Caddell served as consultants for the show from the beginning, helping writers and actors depict the West Wing accurately. Other former White House staffers, such asPeggy Noonan andGene Sperling , have served as consultants for brief periods.A documentary special in the third season compared the show's depiction of the West Wing to the real thing. Many former West Wing denizens applauded the show's depiction of the West Wing, including advisor
David Gergen , Press SecretaryDee Dee Myers ,Secretary of State Henry Kissinger , Chief of StaffLeon Panetta , Deputy Chief of StaffKarl Rove , and former PresidentsGerald Ford ,Jimmy Carter , andBill Clinton .While critics often praised "The West Wing" for its writing, others faulted the show as unrealistically optimistic. [Millman, Joyce. " [http://www.salon.com/ent/col/mill/2000/09/11/emmys_2000/index.html Don't blame me, I voted for Martin Sheen!] ". Salon.com. September 11, 2000. Accessed December 10, 2005.] A large part of this criticism came from the perceived naiveté of the characters. Television critic Heather Havrilesky asked "… how do you go from innocent
millipede to White House staffer without becoming soiled or disillusioned by the dirty realities of politics along the way?" [Havrilesky, Heather. " [http://www.salon.com/ent/tv/feature/2003/05/14/west_wing/index1.html Will "The West Wing" go south?] ". May 14, 2003. Accessed December 10, 2005.]ocial impact
Despite acclaim for the veracity of the series, Sorkin believed, "our responsibility is to captivate you for however long we've asked for your attention." [{http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/west_wing/sorkin.html}] Former White House aide Matthew Miller noted that Sorkin "captivates viewers by making the human side of politics more real than life — or at least more real than the picture we get from the news." Miller also noted that by portraying politicians with empathy, the show created a "subversive competitor" to the cynical views of politics in media. In the essay "The West Wing" and the West Wing", author Myron Levine agreed, stating that the series "presents an essentially positive view of public service and a healthy corrective to anti-Washington stereotypes and public cynicism."
Dr. Staci L. Beavers, associate professor of
political science atCalifornia State University, San Marcos , wrote a short essay, "The West Wing as a Pedagogical Tool", concerning the viability of "The West Wing" as a teaching tool. She concluded, "While the series’ purpose is for-profit entertainment, "The West Wing" presents greatpedagogical potential." "The West Wing", in her opinion, gave greater depth to the political process usually espoused only in stiltedtalking points on shows like "Face the Nation " and "Meet the Press ". However, the merits of a particular argument may be obscured by the viewer's opinion of the character. Beavers also noted that characters with opposing viewpoints were often set up to be "bad people" in the viewer's eyes. These characters were assigned undesirable characteristics having nothing to do with their political opinions, such as being romantically involved with a main character's love interest. In Beavers's opinion, a critical analysis of the show's political views can present a worthwhile learning experience to the viewer. [Beavers, Staci L. "The West Wing" as a Pedagogical Tool." "PS: Political Science & Politics". December 24, 2001. Reprinted in "The West Wing: The American Presidency as Television Drama". Edited by Peter C. Rollins and John E. Connor. 2003.]One of the stranger impacts of the show occurred on January 31, 2006, when "The West Wing" was said to have played a hand in defeating
Tony Blair 's government in theBritish House of Commons , during the so called "West Wing" Plot". The plan was allegedly hatched after a ConservativeMember of Parliament watched the episode, "A Good Day ", in which Democrats passed the President's stem cell bill by hiding in an office until the Republican Speaker calls the vote. [" [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/02/nlab102.xml "West Wing" Plot] " "The Daily Telegraph". February 2, 2006.]"The Left Wing"
"The West Wing" was sometimes called "The Left Wing" by detractors because of its portrayal of an ideal liberal administration and an alleged penchant for demonizing conservatives. [ [http://www.jewishjournal.com/home/preview.php?id=7574 JewishJournal.com ] ] [ [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/metro/daily/051506/westwing.html City Says Goodbye to 'West Wing,' Its Chattier Self (washingtonpost.com) ] ] [ [http://www.newstatesman.com/200705210032 New Statesman - The war on culture ] ] Chris Lehmann characterized the show as a revisionist look at the Clinton presidency: an attempt to solidify the Clinton legacy and to make America forget the Whitewater and
Lewinsky scandal s. [Lehmann, Chris. "The Feel-Good Presidency: The Pseudo-Politics of "The West Wing"." Reprinted in "The West Wing: The American Presidency as Television Drama". Edited by Peter C. Rollins and John E. Connor. 2003.] On the other hand, some Republicans have admired the show since its inception, before even the departure of Sorkin and the show's resulting shift toward the center. [" [http://www.msnbc.com/news/968925.asp?cp1=1 ‘West Wing’ goes more bipartisan] " MSNBC.com. September 18, 2003.] In his 2001 article "Real Liberals versus the "West Wing",Mackubin Thomas Owens wrote,Journalist Matthew Miller wrote, "although the show indeed has a liberal bias on issues, it presents a truer, more human picture of the people behind the headlines than most of today's Washington journalists."
Filming techniques and reactions
In its first season, "The West Wing" attracted critical attention in the film community with a record nine Emmy wins. The show has been praised for its high production values and repeatedly recognized for its cinematic achievements. With a budget of $6 million per episode, many consider each week's show to be a small feature film. [Richmond, Ray. " [http://www.joshlyman.com/articles/ww100e.html "West Wing" 100th episode.] " JoshLyman.com. January 7, 2004. Accessed December 12, 2005.] However, many in the film community believe that the true genius of the show was Sorkin's rapid-fire and witty scripts. [" [http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,950581,00.html Next week on The West Wing … erm] " Guardian Unlimited. Accessed December 10, 2005.]
"The West Wing" is noted for developing the "walk-and-talk"—long
Steadicam tracking shot s showing characters walking down hallways while involved in long conversations. In a typical "walk-and-talk" shot, the camera leads two characters down a hallway as they speak to each other. One of these characters generally breaks off and the remaining character is then joined by another character, who initiates another conversation as they continue walking. These "walk-and-talks" create a dynamic feel for what would otherwise be long expository dialogue, and have become a staple for dialogue-intensive television show scenes. [Smith, Greg M. " [http://www2.gsu.edu/~jougms/Wwing.htm The Left Takes Back the Flag] ." Accessed December 10, 2005.]Awards
In its first season, "The West Wing" garnered nine Emmys, a record for most won by a series in a single season. In addition the series has received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003, tying "
Hill Street Blues " and "L.A. Law " for most won in this category. Each of its seven seasons earned a nomination for the award. As of 2006, "The West Wing" ranks 8th all-time in number of Emmy Awards won by a series.The series shares the
Emmy Award record for most acting nominations by regular cast members (excluding the guest performer category) for a single series in one year. (Both "Hill Street Blues " and "L.A. Law " also hold that record). For the 2001–2002 season nine cast members were nominated for Emmys. Allison Janney, John Spencer and Stockard Channing each won an Emmy (for Lead Actress, Supporting Actor and Supporting Actress respectively). The others nominated were Martin Sheen (for Lead Actor), Richard Schiff, Dule Hill and Bradley Whitford (for Supporting Actor), and Janel Moloney and Mary-Louise Parker (for Supporting Actress). In addition, that same year Mark Harmon, Tim Matheson and Ron Silver were each nominated in the Guest Actor category (although none won the award). This gives the series an Emmy Award record for most acting nominations overall (including guest performer category) in a single year, with 12 acting nominations.Twenty individual Emmys have been awarded to writers, actors, and crew members. Allison Janney is the record holder for most wins by a cast member, with a total of four Emmys.
In addition to its Emmys, the show has won two
Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, in 2000 and 2001, Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series. Martin Sheen is the only cast member to have won a Golden Globe, and he and Allison Janney are the only cast members to win a SAG award (best actor and best actress respectively) In both 1999 and 2000, "The West Wing" was awarded thePeabody Award for excellence in broadcasting.The following table summarizes award wins by cast members:
W.G. "Snuffy" Walden received an Emmy Award for Main Title Theme Music in 2000 for "The West Wing Opening Theme".
Many cast members have been Emmy-nominated for their work on "The West Wing" but have not won, including Martin Sheen—who was nominated each year for all seven seasons of the series without receiving the award—as well as Janel Moloney, who was nominated twice, and Dulé Hill, Rob Lowe, and
Mary-Louise Parker , who were all nominated once. Matthew Perry,Oliver Platt ,Ron Silver ,Tim Matheson , andMark Harmon have also received Emmy nominations for guest starring on the show.Exploration of real world issues
"The West Wing" often features extensive discussion of current or recent political issues. After the real-world election of Republican President
George W. Bush in 2000, many wondered whether the liberal show could retain its relevance and topicality. However, by exploring many of the same issues facing the Bush administration from a Democratic point of view, the show continued to appeal to a broad audience of both Democrats and Republicans.In its second season episode
The Midterms , President Bartlet admonishes fictional radio host Dr. Jenna Jacobs for her views regardinghomosexuality at a private gathering at the White House. Dr. Jacobs is a caricature of radio personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger, who strongly disapproves of homosexuality. According to Barbara Mikkelson of snopes.com, many of the president's biblical references in his comments to Dr. Jacobs are thought to have come from an open letter to Dr. Schlessinger, circulated online in early May 2000. [Mikkelson, Barbara " [http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/drlaura.asp Letter to Dr. Laura] ." Snopes.com. 2004.]The Bartlet administration experiences a scandal during the second and third seasons that has been compared to the
Monica Lewinsky affair. [Sepinwall, Alan " [http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/news/000180.html Exit poll: "West Wing" is sinking. Why?] " NJ.com. Reprinted at Bartlet4America. November 6, 2002.] President Bartlet was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1992. The scandal centers around President Bartlet's nondisclosure of his illness to the electorate during the election. He is investigated by an opposition Congress for defrauding the public and eventually accepts Congressionalcensure . Multiple sclerosis advocacy groups have praised the show for its accurate portrayal of the symptoms of MS and stressing that it is not fatal. The National MS Society commented:Following the
September 11, 2001 attacks , the start of the third season was postponed for a week, as were most American television premieres that year. A script for a special episode was quickly written and began filming on September 21. The episode "Isaac and Ishmael " aired on October 3 and addresses the sobering reality ofterrorism in America and the wider world, albeit with no specific reference to September 11. While "Isaac and Ishmael" received mixed critical reviews, it illustrated the show's flexibility in addressing current events. The cast of the show state during the opening of the episode that it is not part of "The West Wing" continuity.While the September 11 attacks do not occur in "The West Wing" continuity, the country does enter into a variation of the
War on Terrorism . The war begins during the show's third season, when a plot to blow up theGolden Gate Bridge was uncovered; in response, the President orders the assassination of terrorist leaderAbdul ibn Shareef . At the end of the fourth season, the conflict escalates whenZoey Bartlet (Elisabeth Moss ), the president's youngest daughter, is kidnapped by Islamic extremists from a fictional country namedQumar . The result of this kidnapping is the bombing ofQumar . This storyline draws similarities to the real-world U.S. invasion of Afghanistan as well as U.S. relations withSaudi Arabia , as it brings the Middle East to the forefront of U.S. foreign relations and elevated terrorism as a serious threat in "The West Wing" universe. In Seasons 3, 4 and 5, the fictional Bahji terror group seems to act as a fictional stand-in for the real worldAl Qaeda , but in Seasons 6 and 7, characters mention Al Qaeda itself as a threat, despite no clearly stated history of Al Qaeda terror attacks in "The West Wing" continuity (although Nancy McNally does refer toOsama Bin Laden as a potential threat at the beginning of Season 2.)In the middle of the fourth season, Bartlet's White House is confronted with the genocide in the fictional African country of
Equatorial Kundu which was compared toRwandan Genocide of 1994. The result was new foreign policy doctrine for Bartlet Administration and military intervention to stop the violence, which came after much hesitation and reluctance to call the conflict a genocide. In reality,Clinton Administration didn't intervene in Rwanda, making series events look like amoral imperative . [cite web | first = Judge Diane | last = Wild | title =The West Wing: The Complete Fourth Season | url =http://www.dvdverdict.com/printer/westwingseason4.php | publisher =HipClick Designs LLC. | date =June 1, 2005 | accessdate =2007-04-03]In the sixth and seventh seasons, "The West Wing" explores a leak of top-secret information by a senior staffer at the White House. This leak has been compared to the events surrounding the Valerie Plame affair. [Clabby, Consuela. " [http://www.smrt-tv.com/v2-04/feature_westwing.html Leaky Politics: "The West Wing" versus The Bush Administration] ." SMRT-TV. October 31, 2005] .] [" [http://www.footnote.tv/ftvww133i.html#leakinvestigation 'The Ticket': Leak Investigation] " FootnoteTV. September 25, 2005.] In the storyline, the
International Space Station is damaged and can no longer produceoxygen for theastronaut s to breathe. With no other methods of rescue available, the president is reminded of the existence of a top-secret military space shuttle. Following the president's inaction, the shuttle story is leaked to a White House reporter, Greg Brock (analogous to Judith Miller), who prints the story in the "New York Times ". Brock will not reveal his source and goes to jail for failing to do so, as did Miller. In order to stop the investigation, in which authorities suspect Chief of Staff C.J. Cregg, Toby Ziegler admits to leaking the information, and the President is forced to dismiss him. In comparison, the Plame affair resulted in the arrest and conviction ofLewis Libby , the vice president's chief of staff. However, Libby was convicted of perjury in testimony to a grand jury. No one was convicted for "blowing the cover" of Plame. (Richard Armitage , an official in the Bush State Department, acknowledged leaking information about Plame to reporters but was never charged with a crime.) Libby's two and a half year prison sentence was later commuted by President Bush, though the other facet of his sentence ($250,000 fine) stands until Libby's appeals were to be considered.Other issues explored in "The West Wing" include:
*North Korea n andIran ian nuclear ambitions
*Strained relations and a state ofbrinksmanship between India andPakistan
*Legislation of the Central American Free Trade Agreement
*The formation of theMinuteman Project
*Peacemaking and terrorism inIsrael ,West Bank and theGaza Strip , including a peace negotiation atCamp David , similar to theCamp David 2000 Summit .
*Thegenocide in Darfur,Sudan
*AIDS inSub-Saharan Africa
*TheNorthern Ireland peace process
*War on Drugs and conflict in Colombia
*Controversy overIntelligent design in schools
*Brinksmanship and potential conflict between the People's Republic of China andRepublic of China over Taiwan's political status (including a situation similar to theThird Taiwan Strait Crisis when the PRC holds military exercises in response to the ROC's first democratic elections)
*A hate crime murder, similar to the death ofMatthew Shepard
*A federal government shutdown
*The 1996Defense of Marriage Act (referred to directly, along with the fictional Marriage Recognition and Sanctity of Marriage Acts)
*Anthrax attacks against the Bartlet Administration
*The deaths of 3 Americans in the attack on a diplomatic convoy in theGaza Strip
*A mysterious nuclear detonation in the Indian Ocean, similar to theVela Incident
*A bombing of apartment blocks in Moscow, leading to allegation that the Russian President orchestrated the attacks
*Federal funding for the arts.
*TheIsla Perejil crisis, between Morocco and Spain in 2002, is portrayed in the fifth season episode Disaster relief where both Greece and Albania fight against each other for the control of a deserted islet, inhabited only by goats (as Perejil does).The West Wing universe
Domestic
All contemporary domestic government officials in The West Wing universe have been fictional. President Bartlet has made three appointments to the fictional Supreme Court and maintains a full cabinet, although the names and terms of all members have not been revealed. Some cabinet members, such as the Secretary of Defense, appear more often than others. Many other government officials, such as mayors, governors, judges, representatives, and senators, have been mentioned and seen as well.
Fictional locations inside the United States have been created to loosely represent certain places:
an Andreo
San Andreo is a fictional
California n city. It is located nearSan Diego , has a population of 42,000 and is the location of the San Andreo Nuclear Generating Station.A near
meltdown at the nuclear plant becomes the focus of anOctober surprise for Republican nominee Senator Arnold Vinick during the 2006 presidential election, due to Vinick's strong pro-nuclear stance and revelations of his active lobbying for the construction of the plant. This was seen to be a key factor in Vinick's narrow defeat in the election by Democratic nominee Congressman Matt Santos.Hartsfield's Landing
Hartsfield's Landing is a town in New Hampshire. It is stated to be a very small community of only 63 people, of whom 42 are registered voters, that votes at one minute past twelve on the day of theNew Hampshire primary , hours before the rest of the state, and has accurately predicted the winner of every presidential election sinceWilliam Howard Taft in 1908. It is based on the true New Hampshire communities of Hart's Location and Dixville Notch, which in real life do vote before the rest of the state during the primaries, and also loosely upon the concept of "bellwether states" in US presidential elections.Kennison State University
Kennison State is a fictional
university inIowa that was used as the setting of a bombing in the beginning of the fourth season.Foreign
While several real-world leaders exist in the show's universe, most foreign countries have fictional rulers. Some real persons mentioned in "The West Wing" include
Muammar al-Gaddafi ,Yasser Arafat ,Fidel Castro , Queen Elizabeth II, KingBhumibol Adulyadej , King Carl Gustaf,Thabo Mbeki andOsama bin Laden . However, when a peace accord was worked out betweenIsrael and thePalestinian Authority at the start of the show's sixth season, the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority was the fictional Nizar Farad, not Arafat. (By that time, Arafat was dead, and a successor had been elected,Rawhi Fattuh .)Entire countries are invented as composite pictures that epitomize many of the problems that plague real nations in certain areas of the world:
Qumar
Qumar, a fictional oil-rich, terrorist-sponsoring
Middle East ern state, is repeatedly a source of trouble for the Bartlet administration. According to maps on the show, Qumar lies in southernIran , directly across the importantStrait of Hormuz . After theSeptember 11 attacks , it became the main venue for the show's terrorism subplots.Jabal Nafusah (also the name of a real-life Libyan city) seems to be the largest city and the capital, according to maps shown of the country. Qumar is an
absolute monarchy , ruled by asultan and his family. The country is a former British protectorate. The nation was first introduced in the third season where it was mentioned as a close ally of the United States. Qumar continues on the show to be a U.S. ally, though the Sultan and other officials were extremely troubled by theassassination , bombing campaign and invasion. As a result of the air strikes, gas pipelines were damaged, leading to economic troubles for the country and its European allies.During the final season episode "The Cold", a situation room map shows the Persian Gulf clearly, but omits Qumar.
Equatorial Kundu
Equatorial Kundu is a fictional African nation blighted by
AIDS and a civil war resembling the 1994Rwandan genocide .When Kundu was first mentioned in season 2, it is led by President Nimbala who is executed by the end of the episode. In January 2003 of the series' timeline ("
Inauguration, Part I "), the Arkutu-run government of President Nzele (described as a "sadistic madman") begins an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Induye in Bitanga, killing 200 people. The violence soon spreads outside Bitanga and into the countryside. In PresidentJosiah Bartlet 's secondinaugural address ("Inauguration Over There "), he announces the new Bartlet Doctrine for the use of force: America shall intervene whenever there are humanitarian interests at stake. With that new doctrine, Bartlet sends a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division, the101st Airborne Division , and a Marine expeditionary unit, a force of 11,000 troops in total, to Kundu ("The California 47th "). As of the episode "Twenty Five," US forces are still operating in Kundu.In its original appearance, Kundu's location is somewhat ambiguous. President Nimbala and his aide appear to speak
Setswana , a Bantu language spoken in South Africa and Botswana, which would imply aSouthern Africa n setting. The Season 4 appearance seems to more firmly place the country inWest Africa , near to theIvory Coast andGhana . Its capital city is Bitanga, which contains a major airport, TV station and a radio station.Presidential elections
Timeline skew
The last real president who is known to have existed in the show's universe is
Richard Nixon . Presidents who served between Nixon and Bartlet include one-term DemocratD. Wire Newman (James Cromwell ) who was the last Democrat in the White House before Bartlet and two-term RepublicanOwen Lassiter . Also in the second-season episode "Galileo," a portrait ofBill Clinton can be seen hanging on the wall of the Situation Room, when President Bartlet is being briefed about the Russian missile silo explosion, although Clinton is never mentioned at any time in the series. In the Sixth season episode "A Good Day" a picture ofJimmy Carter can be seen hanging on a wall in the White House. Leo McGarry is mentioned as being Labor Secretary in the administration that was in office in 1993 and 1995 - directly prior to Bartlet's, suggesting a Democratic administration. However in the first season, an outgoing Supreme Court Justice tells President Bartlet that he had been wanting to retire for 5 years, (1994) but waited "for a Democrat." In the season four episode "Debate Camp", we see in flashback to the days just before Bartlet's inauguration, asDonna Moss meets with her Republican predecessor, Jeff Johnson who makes it clear that the outgoing Republican administration has been in office for eight years and in the sixth season Leo says the Republicans have been "out of power for eight years" and Republicans at their convention say "eight (years) is enough", making it clear that the President before Bartlet was a Republican, but it was never disclosed if this President was President Lassiter.The passage of time on the show relative to that of the real world is somewhat ambiguous when marked by events of smaller duration (e.g., votes, campaigns). Sorkin has noted in a
DVD commentary track for the second season episode "18th and Potomac " that he has tried to avoid tying "The West Wing" to a specific period of time. Despite this, real years are occasionally mentioned, usually in the context of elections and President Bartlet's two-term administration.The show's presidential elections are held in 2002 and 2006, setting them off by two years from actual presidential elections in the United States (e.g., 1996, 2000, 2004, etc.). The election timeline in "The West Wing" matches up with that of the real world until early in the sixth season, when it appears that a year is lost. For example, the filing deadline for the
New Hampshire primary , which would normally fall in January 2006, appears in an episode airing in January 2005.In an interview, John Wells stated that the series began one and a half years into Bartlet's first term and that the election to replace Bartlet was being held at the correct time. [Elber, Lynn. " [http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/ap/20041013/109771080000.html "West Wing" Eyes Successor for Bartlet] ." Yahoo! Entertainment. October 13, 2004.]
In the season 5 episode "Access," it is mentioned that the Casey Creek crisis occurred during Bartlet's first term, and network footage of the crisis carries the date of November 2001.
1998 presidential election
Bartlet's first campaign for president is never significantly explored in the series. Bartlet won the election with 48% of the popular vote, 48 million votes, and a 303–235 margin in the
Electoral College . Bartlet faced three debates with his Republican opponent. It is mentioned that Bartlet won the third and final debate, which was held eight days before election day inSt Louis ,Missouri , and that this helped swing a close election in his favor.Josh Lyman said in the days prior to the election "Bartlet was punching brick walls" as the result seemed too close to call, before the result broke his way.Leo McGarry said the same thing in "Bartlet for America " when he said "It was eight days to go, and we were too close to call".The campaign for the Democratic nomination is extensively addressed. In the episodes "In the Shadow of Two Gunmen" and "
Bartlet for America ," flashbacks are used to tell how Bartlet defeated Texas SenatorJohn Hoynes (Tim Matheson ) and Washington Senator William Wiley for the Democratic nomination. The flashbacks also reveal how Leo McGarry persuaded Bartlet, who was then governor ofNew Hampshire , to run for president and how Bartlet ultimately selected John Hoynes as his choice as running mate.2002 presidential election
"The West Wing"
' s 2002 presidential election pits Bartlet and Vice President John Hoynes against Florida Governor Robert Ritchie (James Brolin ) and his running mate, Jeff Heston. Bartlet faces no known opposition for renomination, though Democratic Senator Stackhouse does launch a brief independent campaign for the presidency. Ritchie, not originally expected to contend for the nomination, emerges from a field of seven other Republican candidates by appealing to the party's conservative base with simple, "homey" sound bites.Bartlet's staff contemplates replacing Vice President John Hoynes on the ticket with
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Percy Fitzwallace (John Amos ), among others. After it is clear that Ritchie will be the Republican nominee, Bartlet dismisses the idea, declaring that he wants Hoynes in the number two spot, "Because I could die."Throughout the season it is anticipated that the race will be close, but a stellar performance by Bartlet in the sole debate between the candidates helps give Bartlet a landslide victory in both the popular and electoral vote.
2006 presidential election
A speed-up in "The West Wing"
' s timeline, in part due to the expiration of many cast members' contracts and a desire to continue the program with lower production costs, resulted in the omission of the 2004 midterm elections and an election during the seventh season. The sixth season extensively details the Democratic and Republican primaries. The seventh season covers the lead-up to the general election, the election, and the transition to a new administration. The timeline slows down to concentrate on the general election race. The election, normally held in November, takes place across two episodes originally broadcast on April 2 and April 9, 2006.Congressman
Matt Santos (D-TX) (Jimmy Smits ) is nominated on the fourth ballot at theDemocratic National Convention , during the sixth season finale. Santos was planning to leave Congress before being recruited to run for the presidency byJosh Lyman . Santos polled in the low single digits in theIowa caucus and was virtually out of the running in theNew Hampshire primary before a last-ditch direct television appeal vaults him to a third-place finish with 19% of the vote. Josh Lyman, Santos's campaign manager, convincesLeo McGarry to become Santos's running mate. However, John Spencer, the actor portraying Leo McGarry, died on December 16, 2005.Senator
Arnold Vinick (R-CA) (Alan Alda ) secures the Republican nomination, defeatingGlen Allen Walken (John Goodman ) and theReverend Don Butler (Don S. Davis ), among others. Initially, Vinick wants Butler to become his running mate. However, Butler does not want to be considered because of Vinick's stance onabortion . Instead,West Virginia GovernorRay Sullivan (Brett Cullen ) is chosen as Vinick's running mate. Vinick is portrayed throughout the sixth season as virtually unbeatable because of his popularity inCalifornia , a typically Democratic state, his moderate views, and his wide crossover appeal. Vinick, however, faces difficulty with thepro-life members of his party as apro-choice candidate, and criticism for his support of nuclear power following a serious accident at a Californian nuclear power station.On the evening of the election, Leo McGarry suffers a massive heart attack and is pronounced dead at the hospital, with the polls still open on the West Coast. The Santos campaign releases the information immediately, while
Arnold Vinick refuses to use Leo's death as a "stepstool" to the presidency. Santos emerges as the winner in his home state ofTexas , while Vinick wins his home state ofCalifornia . The election comes down toNevada , where both candidates need a victory to secure the presidency. Vinick tells his staff repeatedly that he will not allow his campaign to demand a recount of the votes if Santos is declared the winner. Josh Lyman is seen giving Santos the same advice, although the Santos campaign does send a team of lawyers down to Nevada. Santos is pronounced the winner of the election, having won Nevada by 30,000 votes, with an electoral margin of 272–266.Santos organizes his administration, choosing Josh Lyman as Chief of Staff, who in turn calls on former colleague Sam Seaborn to be Deputy Chief of Staff. In need of experienced cabinet members, Santos taps Arnold Vinick as Secretary of State, believing the senior statesman to be one of the best strategists available and respected by foreign leaders.
President Bartlet's final act as President of the United States is pardoning Toby Ziegler. The series ends with Bartlet returning to New Hampshire. Having said his goodbyes to his closest staff, former President Bartlet tells President Santos, "Make me proud, Mr. President", to which Santos responds, "I'll do my best, Mr. President."
According to executive producer Lawrence O'Donnell Jnr, the writers originally intended for Vinick to win the election. However, the death of Spencer forced him and his colleagues to consider the emotional strain that would result from having Santos lose both his running mate and the election. It was eventually decided that the last episodes would be rescripted by John Wells. [Steinberg, Jacques. " [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/10/arts/television/10wing.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1144685466-MCf2l0C1+9Hqlvh+y9ZjfA ' 'West Wing' Writers' Novel Way of Picking the President.'] " NY Times. Accessed April 10, 2006.] Other statements from John Wells, however, have contradicted O'Donnell's claims about a previously planned Vinick victory. The script showing Santos winning was written long before the death of John Spencer. In 2008 O'Donnell stated to camera "We actually planned at the outset for Jimmy Smits to win, that was our .. just .. plan of how this was all going to work, but the Vinick character came on so strong in the show, and was so effective, it became a real contest ... and it became a real contest in the West Wing writer's room." [BBC "President Hollywood" for BBC4, Jonathan Freedland]
2006 Election Parallels Real-World 2008 US Election
Similarities between the fictional 2006 election and the real-life
2008 U.S. presidential election have been noted in the media. Specifically, it has been noted that a young minority Democratic candidate (Matthew Santos on the show,Barack Obama in real life) has a grueling but successful primary campaign against a more experienced candidate (Bob Russell on the show,Hillary Clinton in real life) and chooses an experienced Washington insider as his running mate (Leo McGarry on the show,Joe Biden in real life), whereas the Republican contest is determined early in the primary season with an aging maverick senator of aWestern state being the nominee (Arnold Vinick on the show,John McCain in real life) and then a running mate from a small Republican state (West Virginia Governor Ray Sullivan on the show, Alaska GovernorSarah Palin in real life). [ [http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/29/palin.republican.vp.candidate/index.html] ] [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2008/02/14/do1402.xml Barack Obama stars in the West Wing? - Telegraph ] ] [cite news |first=Peter |last=Funt |authorlink=Peter Funt |title=A Race Straight Out of a 'West Wing' Rerun |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dun/content/article/2008/05/25/AR2008052502282.html |work=The Washington Post |page=A17 |date=2008-05-26 |accessdate=2008-05-26] [Simmons, Jamal. “In Presidential Campaign, Life Imitates TV.” Politico, February 20, 2008. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8567.html.]Commentary on 2008 Real-World United States Presidential Campaign
In 2008, Sorkin wrote a scene depicting a meeting between Bartlet and a fictionalized Barack Obama for "
New York Times " columnistMaureen Dowd . [Dowd, Maureen. [http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/21/opinion/21dowd-sorkin.html "Aaron Sorkin Conjures a Meeting of Obama and Bartlet"] Accessed September 21, 2008.]ee also
*List of "The West Wing" broadcasters and home video releases
*Big Block of Cheese Day
*"Commander in Chief", an ABC series about a female President that has drawn comparisons to "The West Wing"
*"Sports Night ", Aaron Sorkin's first television series. Many of its storylines were recycled in "The West Wing".
*"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip ", Aaron Sorkin andThomas Schlamme 's latest television series collaboration
*"Yes Minister ", 1980s satire ofBritish government
*Politics in fiction References
External links
;Official websites
*United States: [http://www.nbc.com/The_West_Wing/ NBC] , [http://www.bravotv.com/The_West_Wing/ Bravo] , and [http://www.westwingtv.com/ Warner Bros]
*United Kingdom: [http://www.channel4.com/entertainment/tv/microsites/W/westwing/ More4 (Channel Four)] and [http://www.thewestwing.co.uk/ Warner Bros]
*Japan: NHK Official Homepage of "The West Wing" - [http://www.nhk.or.jp/kaigai/wh Season 1] , [http://www.nhk.or.jp/kaigai/wh2 Season 2] , [http://www.nhk.or.jp/kaigai/wh3 Season 3] , and [http://www.nhk.or.jp/kaigai/wh4 Season 4]
*Canada: [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/show/CTVShows/20030911/WestWing-default/20030911/ CTV]
*Sweden: [http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=25452 SVT]
*Netherlands: [http://www.rtl.nl/soaps/westwing/ RTL4]
*Norway: [http://www.nrk.no/programmer/sider/presidenten/ NRK];General
*imdb title|id=0200276|title=The West Wing
* [http://www.westwingtranscripts.com/ "The West Wing" Transcripts] or [http://communicationsoffice.tripod.com/ Fan Transcribed Scripts]
* [http://www.westwingepguide.com/ "The West Wing" Episode Guide]
* [http://epguides.com/WestWing/ "The West Wing" Episode Guide with consumer ratings]
* [http://westwing.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page "The West Wing" Wiki]
* [http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/special/wwtv.htm White House Museum: "The West Wing of "The West Wing"] with layout, pictures, and reviews comparing the TV West Wing to the real West Wing;Articles
* [http://www.pbs.org/newshour/media/west_wing/ PBS Newshour Special Report on "The West Wing"]
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