Personal recollection # 4,104: I got watching this show completely by accident. I was waiting for something to start and happened to turn it on, caught the first few minutes of the pilot episode and became totally hooked, much to my amazement. I had seen it advertised and thought "Yeah, I really want to watch that! Another boring political drama! No thanks!" so was surprised at how impressed I was by it and within the first few minutes it had become, to coin a phrase, must-see TV.
"The West Wing" deals with the goings-on in the White House under the Democrat president Josiah Bartlett, and was I think the first show of that nature since the mini-series "Washington: behind closed doors" which aired in the seventies. The storylines, while often more than a little fanciful and hardly representative of reality in the most powerful and important building in the world, were always well-written and served to promote main writer and creator Aaron Sorkin to fame and public acclaim, but of course the best writing is useless if the actors can't act, and "The West Wing" boasted some of the cream of drama talent, including a true superstar in Martin Sheen as the president himself.
The show ran from 1999 to 2006 over seven seasons, though personally I lost interest after the sixth, which both surprised and disappointed me. Up to then though there was some amazing TV to be had, and many careers were made on the back of this groundbreaking series. Of course, dealing as it did with mirror representations of real-life political issues, some silly countries and dictators had to be made up, but we all knew who they were talking about. But "The West Wing" wasn't just about politics and news, crises and meetings. It was also a human story, concentrating on the lives of the people who surround the president, his staff, and how the job --- essentially a 24-hour on-call deal --- affected their own situations, both at home and in work.
"The West Wing" won nine Emmys for its first season alone, and a total of twenty-seven over its seven-year run, making a new record for awards won by a TV show. It revitalised the career of Sheen, who was becoming something of a fading light, and reawakened an interest in politics, both on the screen and in real life, particularly as its mid-point dovetailed with the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent war on terror. By the end of its life the show had shed viewers like a lorry with a badly-secured load of pipes going over a cliff, but it remains one of the top shows in American TV history.
CAST
Though there are others who are not based there, the main cast comprises the staff at the Oval Office who assist the president.
PRESIDENT JOSIAH BARTLET, played by
Martin Sheen
Although perhaps portrayed too much as an ideal president, a real "good guy", Bartlet is actually drawn from both Republican and Democrat influences, though the main model for Sheen was President Clinton, whom he admires greatly. As the show opens, Bartlet is into his second year as president and engaging in the usual round of fighting off and trying to bring together the warring sides of Congress and the House of Representatives, while dealing with social, domestic, economic and foreign issues as part of his normal day. He is an educated man but not a snob, quick to laugh, slow to anger but when you pique his ire you had better watch out! He is a family man, dedicated to his wife and daughter, and always remembers where he came from, never losing sight of "the little guy" and doing his best to be his champion in his position as most powerful man in the world.
LEO McGARRY, played by
John Spencer
White House Chief of Staff and main advisor to the President, Leo is the one who makes most policy and brings things to Barlet's attention. He is an old friend and confidante, and well loved throughout the White House as a kind of father figure by the younger staff members.
JOSH LYMAN, played by
Bradley Whitford
Deputy Chief of Staff, it's Josh's responsibility to make sure that everything goes smoothly and that the President is not bothered by things that he, Josh, or his staff can deal with, and that most importantly, nothing embarrassing pops up to surprise him. He is in charge of all legislative affairs and arrangements, and second in authority only to Leo.
C.J. CREGG, played by
Alison Janney
White House Press Secretary, it's she that takes and arranges the President's daily briefings and announcements, and it's up to her to present the best side of the administration to the world. She is the Face and Voice of the White House; she tells reporters what they need or what she wants them to hear, but there is much she will hold back, either until there is confirmation or the time is right, or sometimes just never released into the public domain.
TOBY ZIEGLER, played by
Richard Schiff
White House Communications Director, he is CJ's direct boss, a quiet, intelligent man who is totally dedicated to his job and to Bartlet.
SAM SEABORN, played by
Rob Lowe
Deputy Communications Director, Seaborn's position is the focus of the first few episodes of the series.
CHARLIE YOUNG, played by
Dule Hill
Charlie comes to the White House looking for a job as a courier, but Bartlet is so impressed with him that he takes him on as his personal aide, and over the course of the series he becomes the president's closest advisor outside of the senior staff, and a good friend of his.
DONNA MOSS, played by
Janel Moloney
Assistant to Josh, she is the one who often keeps him on the straight and narrow, despite himself. She also has a romantic interest in him. She's quite intelligent though a little scatterbrained, and yet probably the most organised of the senior staff. Josh pretends he only tolerates her, but in reality he could not function without her, and they both know it.
ABIGAIL BARTLET, played by
Stockard Channing
Wife to the president and therefore First Lady, Abby is a doctor in her own right and has her own career and identity, so is not merely an extension of her powerful husband.
Obviously, in a sprawling organisation like the White House there are far more characters, some semi-regular, some not coming in till later seasons, but this is the basic cast that carries the show through its main run.