The West Wing | |
---|---|
Genre | Political drama |
Created by | Aaron Sorkin |
Starring | |
Composer(s) | W. G. Snuffy Walden |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of seasons | 7 |
No. of episodes | 156(list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Aaron Sorkin John Wells Thomas Schlamme Christopher Misiano Alex Graves Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. Peter Noah |
Cinematography | Thomas Del Ruth |
Running time | 42 minutes |
Production company(s) | John Wells Productions Warner Bros. Television |
Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 22, 1999 | – May 14, 2006
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. 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 (played by Martin Sheen).
The West Wing was produced by Warner Bros. Television. For the first four seasons, there were three executive producers: Aaron 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 received acclaim from critics, as well as praise from political science professors and former White House staffers. In total, The West Wing won three Golden Globe Awards and 26 Emmy Awards, including the award for Outstanding Drama Series, which it won four consecutive times from 2000 through 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. In the years since its run, it has appeared on several lists of the greatest television dramas ever made. The Writers Guild of America also ranked it #10 in its "101 Best-Written TV Series" list.