Production Call Sheet "THE WEST WING" Used During Principle Photography

Description

Production Call Sheet "THE WEST WING
"  from the mind of Aaron Sorkin Winner of Multiple Emmy Awards Used By Production Crew  During Filming.
THIS IS NOT A COPY !!! BUT THE ORIGINAL SHEET GIVEN TO CREW MEMBER.
The West Wing
is an American
serial
political drama
television series created by
Aaron Sorkin
that was originally broadcast on
NBC
from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006.
[2]
The series is set primarily in the
West Wing
of the
White House
, where the
Oval Office
and offices of presidential senior staff are located, during the fictitious
Democratic
administration
of
Josiah Bartlet
.
The West Wing
was produced by
Warner Bros. Television
and featured an
ensemble cast
, including
Martin Sheen
,
John Spencer
,
Allison Janney
,
Rob Lowe
,
Bradley Whitford
,
Richard Schiff
,
Janel Moloney
, and
Stockard Channing
. For the first four seasons, there were three executive producers: Sorkin (lead writer of almost all of the first four seasons),
Thomas Schlamme
(primary director), and
John Wells
. After Sorkin left the series, Wells assumed the role of head writer, with later executive producers being directors
Alex Graves
and
Christopher Misiano
(seasons 6–7), and writers
Lawrence O'Donnell Jr.
and
Peter Noah
(season 7).
The West Wing
is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential television series. It has been ranked among the best television shows of all time in publications such as
Time
,
[3]
TV Guide
,
[4]
[5]
Empire
,
[6]
Rolling Stone
,
[7]
and the
New York Daily News
.
[8]
The
Writers Guild of America
ranked it no. 10 in its "101 Best-Written TV Series" list. It has received praise from critics,
political science
professors, and former White House staffers and has been the subject of critical analysis.
The West Wing
received a
multitude of accolades
, including two
Peabody Awards
, three
Golden Globe Awards
, and 26
Primetime Emmy Awards
, including the award for
Outstanding Drama Series
, which it won four consecutive times from 2000–2003. The show's ratings waned in later years following the departure of series creator Sorkin after the fourth season (Sorkin wrote or co-wrote 85 of the first 88 episodes), yet it remained popular among high-income viewers, a key demographic for the show and its advertisers with around 16 million viewers.
Cast and characters
For a more comprehensive list, see
List of The West Wing characters
.
The West Wing
employed a broad
ensemble cast
to portray the many positions involved in the daily work of the
federal government
. The President, the
First Lady
, and the President's senior staff and advisers form the core cast. Numerous
secondary characters
, appearing intermittently, complement storylines that generally revolve around this core group.
Main characters
Josiah "Jed" Bartlet
(
Martin Sheen
) is the
President of the United States
. An economist by training, he is a former Congressman and Governor from New Hampshire who unexpectedly won the Democratic Party nomination. He suffers from
multiple sclerosis
, a fact he initially hides from the electorate. He is succeeded by Matt Santos (regular: seasons 1–7).
Leo McGarry
(
John Spencer
) is Bartlet's close personal friend and
Chief of Staff
. Following a heart attack, he becomes
Counselor to the President
, and later the Democratic Candidate for Vice President. He dies before assuming office (regular: seasons 1–7).
Josh Lyman
(
Bradley Whitford
) is the
Deputy Chief of Staff
to Leo McGarry. Josh later leaves the White House to become the "Santos for President" campaign manager. When Santos is elected, Josh becomes White House Chief of Staff (regular: seasons 1–7).
Toby Ziegler
(
Richard Schiff
) is the
Communications Director
who wrote many of Bartlet's speeches, including both Inaugural Addresses and many State of the Union Addresses. He is fired from the Bartlet administration during a leak investigation, though he is pardoned for his crimes at series' end. He has twin children with his ex-wife who is a congresswoman from Maryland (regular: seasons 1–7).
Sam Seaborn
(
Rob Lowe
) is the
Deputy Communications Director
to Toby Ziegler. In his time at the White House, Sam is responsible for writing many of Bartlet's speeches. He departs the White House following the re-election of President Bartlet to run for Congress. He is recruited to become Santos's Deputy Chief of Staff at the series end (regular: seasons 1–4, guest star: season 7).
C.J. Cregg
(
Allison Janney
) is the
Press Secretary
. She succeeds Leo McGarry as Chief of Staff and departs the White House at the end of the Bartlet administration. Post-series, she marries Danny Concannon and has a child (regular: seasons 1–7).
Charlie Young
(
Dulé Hill
) is originally the
Personal Aide to the President
and later a Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff. He was in a relationship with Zoey Bartlet. At the series end he begins to study law at
Georgetown
(regular: seasons 1–7).
Donna Moss
(
Janel Moloney
) is the Senior Assistant to Josh Lyman. She later departs to be a spokesperson for the Russell campaign and then the Santos campaign. Upon Santos's election, she becomes
Chief of Staff to the First Lady
(recurring: season 1; regular: seasons 2–7).
Abbey Bartlet
(
Stockard Channing
) is the
First Lady
, Jed's wife, and a physician. (recurring: seasons 1–2, regular: seasons 3–7 ).
Mandy Hampton
(
Moira Kelly
) is Josh Lyman's ex-girlfriend and a media consultant contracted by the Bartlet administration. She departs without explanation following the first season (regular: season 1).
Will Bailey (
Joshua Malina
) is initially hired as a speechwriter and transitions into the role of Deputy Communications Director. He later becomes
Chief of Staff to the Vice President
, Russell's Campaign Manager, and Communications Director. After the series end he becomes a congressman for Oregon (regular: seasons 4–7).
Kate Harper (
Mary McCormack
) is the
Deputy National Security Advisor
. Before the West Wing she was in the Navy, and CIA. (recurring: season 5; regular: seasons 6–7).
Matt Santos
(
Jimmy Smits
) is a Congressman from Texas who is convinced by Josh Lyman to run for President. He eventually wins the nomination and later the election. (regular: seasons 6–7).
Arnold Vinick
(
Alan Alda
) is a Senator from California who becomes the Republican nominee for President. After his loss in the general election, he is appointed
Secretary of State
by President-elect Santos (regular: seasons 6–7).
Annabeth Schott (
Kristin Chenoweth
) is Deputy Press Secretary and later works on the Santos campaign. At the series end, she is appointed Press Secretary to the incoming First Lady (recurring: season 6; regular: season 7).
The West Wing
offers a glimpse into the inner workings of the fictional Bartlet White House. The show's legitimacy, political slant, and idealist representations of Washington, as well as its notable writing and film merits, have generated considerable discussion.
Realism
While
The West Wing
is not completely accurate in its portrayal of the actual West Wing former White House staffers described the show as capturing the feel of the real West Wing.However, President
Gerald Ford
's daughter
Susan
made the comment "I can't watch [the show]. They turn left and right where you are not supposed to."
Former Senate aide
Lawrence O'Donnell
and former White House aide and presidential campaign speechwriter
Eli Attie
were both longtime writers on the show (O'Donnell for seasons 1–2 and 5–7, Attie for seasons 3–7). Former
White House Press Secretaries
Dee Dee Myers
and
Marlin Fitzwater
and pollsters
Patrick Caddell
and
Frank Luntz
also served as consultants, advising the writing staff for part of the show's run. Other former White House staffers, such as
Peggy Noonan
and
Gene Sperling
, served as consultants for brief periods.
A documentary special in the third season compared the show's depiction of the West Wing to the real thing. Many former West Wing denizens applauded the show's depiction of the West Wing, including advisor
David Gergen
,
Secretary of State
Henry Kissinger
, Chief of Staff
Leon Panetta
, Deputy Chief of Staff
Karl Rove
, and former Presidents
Gerald Ford
,
Jimmy Carter
, and
Bill Clinton
.
Social influence
Despite acclaim for the veracity of the series, Sorkin believed, "our responsibility is to captivate you for however long we've asked for your attention." Former White House aide Matthew Miller noted that Sorkin "captivates viewers by making the human side of politics more real than life—or at least more real than the picture we get from the news." Miller also noted that by portraying politicians with empathy, the show created a "subversive competitor" to the cynical views of politics in media. In the essay "
The West Wing
and the West Wing", author Myron Levine agreed, stating that the series "presents an essentially positive view of public service and a healthy corrective to anti-Washington stereotypes and public cynicism.
Dr. Staci L. Beavers, associate professor of
political science
at
California State University, San Marcos
, wrote a short essay, "
The West Wing
as a Pedagogical Tool". She concluded, "While the series' purpose is for-profit entertainment,
The West Wing
presents great
pedagogical
potential."
The West Wing
, in her opinion, gave greater depth to the political process usually espoused only in stilted
talking points
on shows like
Face the Nation
and
Meet the Press
. However, she noted that the merits of a particular argument may be obscured by the viewer's opinion of the character. Beavers also noted that characters with opposing viewpoints were often set up to be "bad people" in the viewer's eyes. These characters were assigned undesirable characteristics having nothing to do with their political opinions, such as being romantically involved with a main character's love interest. In Beavers' opinion, a critical analysis of the show's political views can present a worthwhile learning experience to the viewer.