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| The West Wing (season 4) | |
|---|---|
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| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 23 |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | September 25, 2002 – May 14, 2003 |
| Season chronology | |
The fourth season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from September 25, 2002 to May 14, 2003 and consisted of 23 episodes.
After the difficulties Aaron Sorkin encountered in writing Season 3, he saw Season 4 as a return to the form he and the show had previously enjoyed, saying "[we] came back to work, after the hiatus, and didn't feel any of that, just felt the week-to-week pressure of trying to write well." In 2003, at the end of the fourth season, Sorkin and fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme left the show due to internal conflicts at Warner Bros. TV not involving the NBC network, thrusting producer John Wells into an expanded role as showrunner.Rob Lowe departed the series after episode 17, citing he was not happy with his character Sam Seaborn and believed he did not fit in the show anymore.
The fourth season had star billing for ten major roles. Nine of these were filled by returning main cast members from the third season. Rob Lowe receives star billing for the episodes in which he appears, while Martin Sheen receives the "and" credit for his role as President Josiah Bartlet. The rest of the ensemble, including (from episode eleven) Joshua Malina, are credited alphabetically. Rob Lowe departs in episode seventeen. Channing is only credited for the episodes in which she appears.
The fourth season covers the end of Bartlet's fourth year of his first term in office through the beginning of the first year of his second term. The season begins with the continuation of the election storyline with the president touring the nation and his staff trying to firm up presidential debates. The storyline ends in a clear victory for Bartlet less than halfway through the season in "Election Night". Other plots include Sam leaving the White House to run in a special election in California, the news of the Abdul Shareef assassination resonating both inside and outside the U.S., Will Bailey taking Sam's position after coming over from the California campaign's staff, the President and his staff facing the reality of an overseas genocide, and Vice President Hoynes being forced to resign after a sex scandal is uncovered. The fourth season ends with Bartlet's youngest daughter being taken hostage. Bartlet ends up invoking the 25th Amendment in the final episode, "Twenty Five." Since no one had been nominated to replace Hoynes, the presidency passes to the Republican Speaker of the House, Glen Allen Walken.
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