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Seasons 1-4 are some of the best American television ever made. A true classic that still holds up.
Season 5? Ouch. It's hard for me to decide if it felt so bad simply because the first four seasons had been so phenomenal and season five was so mediocre, or if it was downright bad.
Season 6 got a bit of the mojo back, though it was still a far cry from the first four seasons.
Season 7 was actually pretty good. Not great. But good.
It's amazing how many individual lines of TWW are pure gold.
Agree with the assessment that it went a bit downhill in Season 5 but I also agree that it picked up by the end.
I'm not sure who actually runs the accounts but most of the characters have their own accounts on Twitter. Not the actors (many of them also have accounts too) but the characters. They tweet about current events the way you'd imagine members of a Bartlet administration would, but they also bring their lives into the present day and it's kind of neat to see where they have (at least theoretically) ended up.
A few days after the election, I started binge-watching 'The West Wing' (7-seasons, 156 episodes) again (this is the 7th or 8th time I've watched the series). Now I'm depressed, and not (just) about our government, but because I don't think anyone could ever top it. IMO, it was the pinnacle of television programming.
I got to the end of season one and got too bored with it.
Thanks for all the info. So far I'm loving this show! Can't believe I've never watched it.
For a lot of people, it has been one of those amazing treasures that somehow they never watched when it was on the air. When they, like you, finally get to watch it, they're blown away by it! But I'm actually a little jealous of newbies like you....you're getting to watch it all for the first time! I was speechless after each season and when the series was over, I wasn't sure what to do. I immediately started watching the series all over again. it again starting almost immediately and I've followed up every few years since then. I never grow tired of it.
One more that's kind of fun to watch for is the "walk and talk". It's basically a meeting/conversation takign place while all the participants are power-walking to their destination. Sorkin was known for them and they eventually started throwing them in for our amusement.
It only gets better after the 1st season! The first season of a television series, especially an hour-long drama, is often a bit less engaging than subsequent seasons. The process of character development, (sometimes endless) exposition and explaining complex subject matter (like running the government) takes the first season. When it was actually airing originally in 1999, I thought it was amazing (and it was)! It's only retrospect that the show just kept getting better!
Aaron Sorkin (and Executive Producer Thomas Schlamme) left the show at the end of Season Four due to conflicts with Warner Brothers Television. Rob Lowe also left the show at the end of Season Four over a salary dispute. For a lot of hardcore "Wing-nuts", that is a line of demarcation- Seasons 1-4 are 'The West Wing' and 5-7 are 'West Wing Light' or something.
Personally, while I saw a change in the writing and the structure of the episodes, I thought the show was just as amazing in Seasons 5-7 as the earlier years.
I won't spoil anything for you, but I will tell you that there's a major surprise a few episodes into Season 6. It's a good thing (actually my favorite episode of the entire series) but you won't see it coming.
A few cool things that you may not know about the show-
Sorkin pitched the idea based on leftover ideas from his research for the movie 'The American President' (1995). It starred Michael Douglas and Annette Benning and it's one of my favorite movies! Amusingly, Martin Sheen is the VP in that movie.
NBC liked the idea but initially put it on 'hold' because of the ongoing Monica Lewinsky scandal. They were concerned that no one would take the show seriously if they had no respect for the actual White House. But when other networks expressed interest, they snapped it up and the rest is history!
It's hard to imagine, but initially Sorkin didn't intend for President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) to be a regular character. He intended for the show to focus solely on the Senior Staff (Sam, Toby, Josh, C.J.) with Sheen making an initial appearance and nothing definite after that. But Sorkin and the NBC execs were so impressed by Sheen's performance that the show took a different turn and I can't imagine what it would have been like without him. That would also mean that my beloved Stockard Channing wouldn't have been cast as the First Lady....I shudder at the thought!
A few other interesting casting changes- Bradley Whitford (Josh) was originally cast as Sam (Rob Lowe’s character). Janel Moloney (Josh’s right hand, Donna) auditioned for the part of Claudia Jean (C.J.) Cregg. Donna was not originally written as a recurring character, but that changed. Two actors that were also considered for the role of Bartlett- Alan Alda and Sidney Poitier. Other actors considered for various roles- Judd Hirsch for the role of Leo, Eugene Levy as Toby and Carol Christine Hilaria (or CCH) Pounder as CJ Cregg.
A tiny spoiler- one of my favorite characters will be introduced in season two- Ainsley Hayes. She is played by the wonderful Emily Procter (best known as Calleigh Dusquesne on CSI:Miami). Hayes is the ONLY Republican in a Democratic White House. She is also wickedly smart and drop-dead gorgeous, but with Procter’s trademark Southern Accent. Some of the show’s most comical scenes center around her. Her character was written out when Procter landed one of the starring roles on CSI:Miami (although she shows up in an episode in the last season).
Finally, my favorite character of all is none other than Press Secretary, Claudia Jean (CJ) Cregg. She is very quick-witted and is often a major smart@ss, which I love. One of the first lines that made me fall in love with her is somewhere in Season One. After a particularly harrowing press briefing, she instructs her assistant- “Set fire to the room. Do it now!”
Let me know how your continued viewing goes- either here or via PM. I'm anxious to see what you think after you get through a few seasons. You're definitely in for a treat. I discovered new details the first three or four times I rewatched it! So enjoy!
The West Wing is one of my favorite shows of all time. Ainsley Hayes was one of my favorite characters as well and I regretted her leaving the show.
One tidbit, Martin Sheen played the Chief of Staff in the movie "American President", not the VP. Essentially, he played the "Leo" role.
The West Wing is one of my favorite shows of all time. Ainsley Hayes was one of my favorite characters as well and I regretted her leaving he show.
One tidbit, Martin Sheen played the Chief of Staff in the movie "American President", not the VP. Essentially, he played the "Leo" role.
Good catch! I've seen that movie so many times I can't believe I got that wrong. I just checked a few different sites and it doesn't look like there was a VP in that movie. I don't remember one.
'The West Wing' was very educational on many fronts, but the biggest relevation for me was that the VP is NOT the 2nd most powerful person in the government. They 'Chief of Staff' is far more powerful with almost constant access to POTUS and also controlling who gets meetings with him, etc. It's an incredibly powerful position...and from what I've heard and read, it's easily the most stressful and difficult job at the White House.
I give Priebus, Trump's Chief of Staff, four months....maybe six months at the most before he loses it! It's not a position that most can survive for very long. Obama has had FIVE in his 8yrs. George H.W. Bush (the elder Bush, the smart one) had three during his 4yrs. It's a job I can't even imagine. Watching Leo wore me out and then seeing ("you know who" ....trying not to spoil it for the newbie) try to jump into the role and how insanely difficult it was for that person!
I have often wondered about the salary of various high-level folks at the White House. The President gets $400k/year, if I'm not mistaken. But the Chief of Staff only earns $172k. I'm not sure that's enough for the time and work that goes into the position. It's a 90+hr/wk job, sleep is minimal and when you aren't putting out fires, you're trying to reign in the President or help him implement some decision that he has made. The VP gets $223k for his relatively cushy job!
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