"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 & 176 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Mon. July 6	8:00 AM	BRAVO	The Short List	#1.9
Mon. July 6	9:00 AM	BRAVO	In Excelsis Deo	#1.10

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 (133 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 1) | New Zealand:PG (season 5) | New Zealand:PG (season 3) | Australia:M (some episodes) | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | Singapore:PG | UK:12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Alexandria, Virginia, USA

Company:

John Wells Productions

Trivia:

Bradley Whitford was originally offered the part of Sam Seaborn after auditioning for Josh. He called Aaron Sorkin and got the part of Josh.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In several episodes they reference Myanmar. In fact, the US along with most western governments do not recognise the name change and still call it Burma. Various Government sites including the CIA Factbook confirm this.

Quotes:

Leo McGarry: This guy's walkin' down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can't get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, "Hey you! Can you help me out?" The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole, and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in First Daughter (2004)

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.

Bravo.