The West Wing is an American drama series that aired on NBC from September 22, 1999 to May 14, 2006.
The show was a political and public relations simulation of the presidential administration of Josiah Bartlet.
It stars Martin Sheen as President Jed Bartlet, John Spencer as Vice President Bob Russell, Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn, Allison Janney as C. J. Cregg, and Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler.
WEST WING TAUGHT ME ABOUT FILMMAKING
What Is The West Wing TV Show?
The West Wing TV Show is an American political drama that aired on NBC.
It was created by Aaron Sorkin and starred actor Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet, who is based on former president John F Kennedy.
The show ran for 7 seasons from 1999 to 2006 and won 26 Emmy Awards in total over the course of its run.
What Is The West Wing TV Show?
The West Wing TV show is based on the popular White House drama series. The series follows President Jed Bartlet and his staff as they work to solve some of America’s toughest problems. It aired from 1999-2006, with seven seasons in total.
The West Wing has been lauded for its brilliant dialogue and political realism – it won back-to-back Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series from 2000-2001, and was nominated a further six times during its run.
What remains one of the most loved shows ever made, The West Wing was groundbreaking in many ways:
- it had a minority president before Scandal;
- it tackled tough issues like stem cell research (the first show on broadcast television to do so)
- or homosexuality.
The series follows the lives of White House staffers as they work for President Josiah Bartlet and his administration, with a focus on the president’s inner circle of advisors.
It ran for seven seasons and 179 episodes; it was nominated for 26 Emmy Awards, winning nine in total.
The show had an ensemble cast including Martin Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet, John Spencer, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff (who won three Emmys), Dule Hill and Stockard Channing. Guest stars included Ed Asner as Lou Grant in six episodes of season 2 who later went on to star in the sitcom “Lou Grant”
It’s set in the White House and follows President Josiah Bartlet and his staff as they work to keep America safe. The series won 26 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.
The West Wing Where To Stream
The West Wing is a cult classic show with a big following. It has been off the air for about fifteen years, but many people still want to stream it.
Well, there are two ways that you can go about watching The West Wing on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. You can either buy the episodes individually at $1-$2 a pop for each episode or subscribe to one of these services through an annual fee and be able to sit back and watch them whenever you like!
If you’re a fan of Aaron Sorkin’s television series, The West Wing, then your favorite show is now available to stream on Netflix!
The West Wing Feels Like A Relic Of A Whole Other America
The West Wing is one of the most popular and influential American television shows in history, having won four times as many Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series than any other show.
The series was created by Aaron Sorkin with a focus on how a president’s personal life affects his work and those closest to him
It was an iconic show that not only reflected society but also shaped it in many ways as we watched President Bartlet tackle tough issues like terrorism and healthcare reform with grace and wisdom, while still managing to be brilliantly witty and compelling.
But there’s something else about this show.
The West Wing is a relic of the past. A whole other America. The show’s depiction of an antiquated system and way of life is almost unbelievable, but it’s worth watching to see how much has changed in these last 20 years.
The show was created before 9/11, before smartphones were invented and when America wasn’t so divided by party lines.
It’s always been about the characters for me (even Aaron Sorkin), but this year I’m going to try something new: I’m going to watch season 4 from start to finish with my dad who grew up around politics all his life.
The show was nominated for 29 Emmy Awards during its run and won three times, all in technical categories: two consecutive Primetime Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (Martin Sheen) with one win per season; and one Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Art Direction For A Single-Camera Series.
Was The West Wing Shot On Film?
Regardless of what side you’re on, there’s no denying that Aaron Sorkin’s writing style has had a huge impact on how we consume media content today.
More than just an iconic series with memorable characters, The West Wing is also one of the first shows to really use social media for storytelling purposes – which has now become commonplace in today’s world.
While it’s difficult to know for sure which technology was used, some people speculate that film might have been used because of how great the quality is. Film has different qualities than digital so this could be an important factor as well!
Some shots seem very cinematic, which could be representative of film quality. Shots with detail up close seem more like digital images than film quality pictures.
If you’re a fan of the West Wing, you may have seen that some of the shots are blurry and grainy. There’s been much debate about whether or not these shots were filmed on film or digital, so we decided to investigate!
Some people claim that West Wing was shot on film because they can see scratches from the camera in some scenes.
Others go as far as to say that this is proof that it was actually shot on film instead of digitally. But what do experts say?
We talked with cinematographer John Pirozzi who has worked for many Hollywood productions including The West Wing and he says “The Camera Operator would never scratch up a lens.”
What Is The West Wing Based On?
The central idea for this popular television series came from Aaron Sorkin’s experience working as a speechwriter in the Clinton administration. His experiences gave him the opportunity to create such a successful show, which he wrote with his co-creator Thomas Schlamme.
The show focuses on President Josiah Bartlet and his staff who work at the White House, all of whom are trying to make their way through life while being truthful about who they are, what they want, and how they feel about each other at any given time.
The plot follows President Josiah Bartlet’s administration during his two terms in office: one term as a Democratic president, and one term as Republican president.
This might sound confusing but it isn’t – there are two different timelines that alternate between every episode which makes it all very easy to follow!
It follows the fictional President of the United States who must deal with issues in his administration while still leading America through various crises both at home and abroad.
It also shows what it takes to be a true leader as well as how difficult it can be to do your best when you are faced with opposing views from those around you or even within yourself.
Many people wonder what this famous TV show is based on, so here are some of the parallels between our nation’s capital and the events in The West Wing:
- they’re both filled with politicians and staffers working together to make government work;
- they have similar buildings like the White House or Congress;
- there’s always someone at their desk early because mornings are when things get done;
- every day starts with an intelligence briefing about world events.
Was The West Wing A Good Show?
Personally, I think it was a good show that lasted for seven seasons and did some very interesting things with what would end up being called the “golden age” of television.
It pulled in an average viewership of over 20 million viewers per episode during its run. What are your thoughts?
The West Wing was nominated for 26 Primetime Emmy Awards and won an impressive nine times.
I have watched every episode multiple times over the course of 10 years or so. I’ve seen each episode more than once and they are still as engaging as when I first saw them!
I’ve done extensive research into why The West Wing is such an amazing show, but there doesn’t seem to be any consensus among critics or viewers alike as to what makes it so