The West Wing (television)

   

A typical scene from the show, showing the president and some of his staff talking as they move through a hallway.
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A typical scene from the show, showing the president and some of his staff talking as they move through a hallway.

The West Wing is an American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin, running since 1999 and is currently in its sixth season. The show is set in the White House run by a fictional Democratic administration. The West Wing of the White House is the modern day location of the President's Oval Office and the offices of most of his staff. The original White House, to which the West Wing is connected at basement level, is used for head of state functions as the residence of the President, with governmental functions based in the West Wing and in other ancillary buildings in the White House compound.

The West Wing universe

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

The West Wing is set in a present-day world that parallels the real world in many ways, yet also has several key differences. Sorkin, the show's creator, has noted in a DVD commentary track for the second season episode "18th and Potomac" that he has tried to avoid tying the show to a specific period of time. Presidents since Richard Nixon do not seem to exist in the West Wing world. Prior to President Bartlet's election, the White House was occupied by a two-term conservative Republican president (based on Ronald Reagan), and before him, the presidency was held by a one-term liberal Democrat (loosely based on Jimmy Carter).

Some real world leaders, such as Yasser Arafat and Queen Elizabeth II exist in the show's universe, but most foreign countries are given fictional rulers. Fictional countries also exist in the West Wing universe — "Qumar", a terrorist-sponsoring Middle Eastern state based in part on Taliban Afghanistan, and in part on Saudi Arabia, is repeatedly a source of trouble for the Bartlet administration. According to maps shown on the show, Qumar appears to consist of a small part of southern Iran, including the important Strait of Hormuz. Another hotspot is "Equatorial Kuhndu", an African nation blighted by AIDS and civil war.

Main characters

All these characters have, at one point or another, appeared in the cast list during the main titles.

See also: Recurring characters on The West Wing

Episodes

Show's evolution

The series had its roots in the 1995 theatrical film The American President, which Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay for. Sorkin took unused plot elements from that film and created entirely new characters around them. From all of this The West Wing was created.

Bartlet's role was expanded as the series progressed. The early shows were centered on a young speech-writer, Sam Seaborn, played by Rob Lowe. Sheen's sometimes Clintonesque performance of Bartlet, raised that character's profile, sidelining Lowe's Sam Seaborn. The shift is the reason for Lowe's departure from the show during its fourth season [1] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/2150891.stm).

The West Wing often features extensive discussion on current or recent political issues, and with the real-world election of the Republican President George W. Bush in 2000, many wondered whether the show could retain its relevance and topicality.

Following the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks, the third season premiere was pushed back a week. A script for a special episode was quickly written and filming began on September 21. "Isaac and Ishmael" finished shooting in about a week—an incredibly quick turn around time for a TV drama. The episode aired on October 3 and addressed the sobering reality of terrorism in America, albeit with no specific reference to September 11. While Isaac and Ishmael didn't get universal critical acclaim, it nonetheless illustrated the show's flexibility in addressing current events.

Sorkin's exit

When Sorkin left the show after the fourth season, many expected the show to take on a more bipartisan footing. Plot themes centering on foreign policy (perhaps mindful of overseas syndication), for example, have grown more common, arguably making the show more approachable. Though it is still occasionally derided as The Left Wing, the show's award-winning writing, high production values, acclaimed standard of ensemble acting, plus an unprecedented accuracy in showing how the presidency operates, have earned The West Wing respect, even among those who do not share its unambiguously expressed views.

The perceived switch of emphasis from Sorkin's dialogue-centric style of writing to John Wells' focus on plot-driven drama, has angered some of the show's fan base, some of whom feel so passionately about the switch that they are actively campaigning for the show to be cancelled (http://dontsaveourshow.org/), citing Sorkin's departure as the sole cause of the show's "decline". However, most fans continue to enjoy the show, acknowledging that despite Sorkin's departure it is still far superior to other shows of its ilk.

Recent plotlines, including the replacement of Leo McGarry as White House Chief of Staff by former Press Secretary C. J. Cregg, have lent themselves to more of the witty rapid-fire dialogue for which Sorkin's scripts were notable; it remains to be seen whether this trend will continue.

Josh and Donna's relationship

Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.

There is a continuing, unrequited love story between Josh Lyman and Donna Moss. The pair has not only a close working relationship, but a close personal friendship as well. Since the first episode of the show and continuing through its entire run to date, the pair constantly flirts and banters with each other:

  • Donna encouraged Josh to date pollster Joey Lucas in the second season, which led to two revelations: Josh intentionally sabotages Donna's dating life and Joey thought Donna was encouraging Josh to pursue her as a misdirection ploy because Donna was in love with Josh, the first overt mention of a possible romance.
  • Donna had a brief affair with Republican House attorney Cliff Calley while he was involved in the investigation of misconduct relating to the concealment of President Bartlet's multiple sclerosis. Calley, due to his personal relationship with Moss, discovered that she lied under oath about keeping a diary, forcing Josh to cut a secret deal with Calley.
  • Things slowly picked up through Season 4 as Donna went through a brief fling with White House military advisor Jack Reese, another Republican, a fact which did not escape Josh's notice. Meanwhile, Josh's relationship with feminist Amy Gardner ended (although the two very briefly got back together at the beginning of Season 5). Donna recruited Josh to help her land a date with Jack, and although Josh attempted to help her it did more to reveal Josh's feelings for Donna than anything else.
  • In the fifth season, on the advice of C.J. Cregg, Donna tried to broaden her horizons past Josh and pursue her own social life outside of the White House. This prompted Donna to sleep with journalist Colin Ayres while she was on a Congressional delegation to the Gaza Strip. Donna was injured shortly after her encounter with Colin, and both Josh and Colin rushed to her bedside at a military hospital in Germany. Colin found it strange that her boss flew across an ocean to be with her, but Josh unconvincingly claimed that he was just Donna's friend. Later, in the sixth season premiere NSF Thurmont, Colin called Josh out on his feelings for Donna while she was still in surgery and then left to go back to Gaza.
  • At the end of the fifth season finale Memorial Day, Josh was bringing a dozen red roses, a traditional sign of love, to Donna in her hospital room, only to find that she'd been rushed into surgery for a pulmonary embolism, the same thing that had killed his father. Donna appears to have come out of the surgery fine, and it appears that the two will begin a romantic relationship somewhat soon.

Awards

The West Wing has won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003, along with 19 individual Emmys awarded for the writers, actors and crew. It holds the record for most Emmys won by a series in a single season.

The actors who have won Emmys include:

  • Allison Janney - Best Supporting Actress (2000, 2001), Best Actress (2002, 2004)
  • Richard Schiff - Best Supporting Actor (2000)
  • Bradley Whitford - Best Supporting Actor (2001)
  • John Spencer - Best Supporting Actor (2002)
  • Stockard Channing - Best Supporting Actress (2002)

W.G. "Snuffy" Walden received the Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Main Title Theme Music, 2000.

Strangely, Martin Sheen, the central character and the most acclaimed actor on the show, has yet to win an Emmy, though he did win a Golden Globe for Best Actor.

The show has won two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Broadcasters

First-run

Reruns/syndication

Home video releases

A programme of home video releases is underway; as of August 2004, the following seasons of The West Wing were available:

External links

 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations by or about The West Wing (television).

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