Top Five Reasons to Watch The West Wing
A Look Back at Aaron Sorkin's TV Drama Set in The White House
May 15, 2009
Aaron Sorkin created The West Wing in the late 1990s. The show, originally aired from 1999-2006, depicts an idealistic president and his senior staffers interacting in the West Wing of the White House. The show received massive critical acclaim throughout its seven seasons on NBC, and earned a record nine Emmys in its first season.
The West Wing and The Clinton Presidency
The liberal Democratic administration portrayed in The West Wing has frequently been compared to Bill Clinton's, despite the fact that most of the show's seven seasons were filmed during the presidency of George W. Bush. According to Sorkin, the concept for this White House drama grew out of his experience writing the1995 film, The American President. During an interview with Charlie Rose, Sorkin said that he based The West Wing president on his father.
Characters
The main characters of the show were the President and his senior staff members, as well as the first lady and two top aides. Towards the final episodes a few of the characters’ titles shifted and some new cast members were added. For most of the show, these were the key players and their roles.
- The President Josiah, “Jed” Bartlett, played by Martin Sheen
- The First Lady Abigail Bartlett, played by Stockard Channing
- The White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry played by John Spencer
- The White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg, played by Allison Janney
- The White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler played by Richard Schiff
- Deputy White House Communications Director Sam Seaborn, played by Rob Lowe
- Deputy White House Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, played by Bradley Whitford
- Senior assistant to Josh Lyman Donna Moss, played by Janel Moloney
- Personal Aide to the president Charlie Young, played by Dulé Hill
Top Five Reasons to Watch The West Wing
- To see long time theater actor Allison Janney’s expert performances as The White House Press Secretary C.J. Cregg. Janney won four Emmys and two SAG awards for her outstanding performances. Note: Many people have compared Ms. Cregg with former white house press secretary Dee Dee Myers. Myers served as a consultant on the show.
- The writing. Aaron Sorkin found a way to make legally and morally complex issues suspenseful and exhilarating in every episode.
- To compare the social and political issues of the Clinton and Bush years with those the country faces now. The West Wing consistently dealt with timely political problems, like terrorism and internal scandal.
- To witness imagination at work. The West Wing is partly a show about the intersection of idealism and politics. It is an invigorating show full of surprises and creative solutions to difficult problems.
- For intellectual fun, free of gratuitous violence.
For more suite101 articles on The West Wing, click here.
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