The West WingRight place. Right time. Right man.
The West Wing provides a glimpse into presidential politics in the nation's capital as it tells the stories of the members of a fictional presidential administration. These interesting characters have humor and dedication that touches the heart while the politics that they discuss touch on everyday life.
CreatorAaron Sorkin
Pilot
Sep 22, 1999
The senior members of the White House staff are summoned to the office early in the morning to handle difficult situations: Hundreds of Cubans are on their way across the Atlantic Ocean in search of freedom; and klutzy President of the United States Josiah Bartlet accidentally sprained his ankle riding a bicycle into a tree.
Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc
Sep 29, 1999
The Vice President refuses to fall in line with Bartlet. Sam discusses the problem of Laurie with Josh and Toby. Bartlet hires Mandy as his consultant.
A Proportional Response
Oct 6, 1999
Still enraged at Morris's death, Bartlet makes a show of deadly force. C.J. is upset about being kept out of the loop about Laurie. Josh hires Bartlet's new personal assistant.
Five Votes Down
Oct 13, 1999
Five votes keep a very important gun-control bill from being passed and the staff has 72 hours to track down the errant congressmen. Toby is accused of manipulating the stock market by having a friend testify to Commerce on internet stocks. Leo's wife gets fed up with his long hours.
The Crackpots and These Women
Oct 20, 1999
The staffers spend the day ("Big Block of Cheese day") dealing with private organizations, aka the crackpots. Throughout the day, Sam deals with a UFO nut, CJ gets a proposal to build a wolves-only road, Toby and Bartlet clash over everything, and Josh is overwhelmed by guilt regarding his sister's death.
Mr. Willis of Ohio
Nov 3, 1999
Toby and Mandy push for a commerce bill with a census-counting provision, with three votes as the deciding factor. Sam tutors CJ on the finer points of the census. Josh & Sam take Charlie out for a beer and are joined by Zoey and Mallory.
The State Dinner
Nov 10, 1999
The president of Indonesia is honored at a state dinner. The staff deals with Hurricane Sarah, a potential teamster strike, and a raid involving children in Idaho while a reporter flirts with CJ.
Enemies
Nov 17, 1999
Bartlet and Hoynes argue in front of the Cabinet. CJ fends off Danny's advances when she suspects he's after a big story. Mallory asks Sam out. The staff leaps hurdles to pass a banking bill.
The Short List
Nov 24, 1999
Bartlet struggles to name a nominee to the Supreme Court when the perfect nominee turns out to be not so perfect. A congressman attacks the staff, claiming that 1 in 3 use drugs.
In Excelsis Deo
Dec 15, 1999
Toby tries to arrange a proper funeral for a homeless veteran. Josh and Sam try to set up a preemptive strike against Lillienfield, who is attacking Leo because of his prior drug and alcohol problem. CJ tries to get the staff to revisit the hate crimes issue. Bartlet sneaks out to do some last minute shopping.
Lord John Marbury
Jan 5, 2000
War breaks out between India and Pakistan and Bartlet consults with Lord John Marbury. Toby accuses CJ of being too friendly with the press when she objects to being kept in the dark. The staff realizes that Lillienfield's efforts to bring down Leo are going to get ugly when Josh gets a subpoena.
He Shall, from Time to Time
Jan 12, 2000
Bartlet collapses before his first State of the Union address. Leo publicly admits to his former alcoholism and drug abuse. Things get interesting romantically for both Sam and CJ. Lord John Marbury helps the staff negotiate an agreement between India and Pakistan.
Take out the Trash Day
Jan 26, 2000
Josh and Sam are able to make a bargain to keep Leo from going through a hearing, at the expense of a new sex education report. Mandy doesn't think a couple should be present at the signing of a new hate crimes bill instigated by the death of their son. Toby contends with some of PBS's detractors.
Take This Sabbath Day
Feb 9, 2000
After the Supreme Court refuses to stay the execution of a convicted murderer, Bartlet has forty-eight hours to decide whether or not to commute the sentence. Josh faces off with Joey Lucas about his staff's not backing her candidate as vigorously as she'd like.
Celestial Navigation
Feb 16, 2000
Toby and Sam travel to Connecticut to get Roberto Mendoza released from jail; Josh must run a press briefing when CJ has an emergency root canal.
20 Hours in L. A.
Feb 23, 2000
Bartlet and the senior staff fly to California to attend an important fundraiser. Hoynes must decide whether he will support Bartlet's stance or go with his convictions when the Senate is deadlocked on an ethanol tax bill.
The White House Pro-Am
Mar 22, 2000
Abbey keeps the staff busy with the fallout when she leaks her personal preference for a Federal Reserve Board appointment and discusses child labor on a talk show, prompting a Congresswoman to offer an amendment which could shoot down the entire international tariff bill. Charlie's date with Zoey is cancelled because of threats by a white supremacist group.
Six Meetings Before Lunch
Apr 5, 2000
Mendoza is confirmed by the Senate; Mandy needs Toby's help to replace a dead panda bear; Sam angers Mallory when she reads a position paper that he wrote supporting school vouchers; Josh meets with Jeff Breckenridge, who is irritating certain Congressmen with his stance on slavery reparations.
Let Bartlet Be Bartlet
Apr 26, 2000
Mandy's old memo about Bartlet administration weaknesses surfaces; Josh tries to get administration nominees appointed to the Federal Elections Committee; Sam works to get a better policy on gays in the military.
Mandatory Minimums
May 3, 2000
Andrea Wyatt insists that mandatory minimums be added to a new drug policy the staff is developing; C.J. makes a mistake and sets them back.
Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics
May 10, 2000
Bartlet gets closer to making the FEC campaign finance reform-friendly, but his opponents strike back by making Sam's former dalliance with the call girl public knowledge; CJ waits anxiously for the administration's approval rating.
What Kind of Day Has It Been
May 17, 2000
The staff deals with the crisis of an American pilot who was shot down in Iraq; Toby's brother is in danger on a space shuttle whose doors won't close; Bartlet and the senior staff walk into trouble as they leave a town meeting.
tmdb40011370
@tmdb40011370
Without a shadow of a doubt, THE finest political TV drama ever to come out of a studio! Despite its rather liberal happy-clappy perspective with most of its secondary storylines, TWW is exceptionally well-written and very rarely fails to deliver some rather thought-provoking episodes. I have had many boxset marathons with this show over the years, and I must admit my adulation for certain seasons has changed somewhat in that time. Back then I adored the first 4 seasons, while dismissing season 5 outright, and only having a grudging respect for seasons 6 & 7. But these days I much prefer 6&7 over 1, 3 and 4. No idea why but there you go! As for the acting, well other than Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe and John Spencer the first few seasons were a cast of relative unknowns, but come the middle of S1 it doesn't matter because the likes of Alison Janey's CJ, Bradley Whitford's wonderful Josh Lyman and Richard Schiff's brooding Toby Ziegler play their roles exceptionally well. Of course the greatest aspect of this show is the writing, especially for the first four seasons when Aaron Sorkin was directly involved. And even after he left under a cloud the writing for season 5 and beyond was still very good, if a little uneven. It has been awhile since I last picked up on this show. So come the winter months I might just snuggle down and enjoy the walk & talk with these guys once again.
Peter McGinn
@narrator56
If every program on TV was this good I'd never leave the house. I have to agree with the reviewers who call this the best drama show ever, at least for entertainment value. Of course, it gets panned often for political reasons by people who perhaps don't watch it enough to see that, yes, it is a liberal administration being represented here, but they often make mistakes and fail in their efforts, so it is hardly a progressive utopia. I write novels in my spare tome, and I like to think my dialogue is a strong point, so I have nothing but admiration for the fast and witty conversations in this show. You may literally have to watch the series a second time to catch everything thrown at you in their quick back and forth banter, often delivered as they pace around the West Wing set. But that is no hardship either. Much has been made about Aaron Sorkin's departure from the show, and perhaps there was a slight drop in quality because of it, but it was still well worth watching. It was so good, the new kids couldn't break it.
