The Bartlet administration, loved by West Wing viewers for six years, is coming to its end. Six episodes remain in the NBC hit drama, in which a new president will be elected.
The West Wing first aired in 1999, with writer Aaron Sorkin primarily responsible for the nine Emmy's the show received for its first season. On stage, however, the lovable president, Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen, carried the show. President Bartlet was modeled much after Bill Clinton, as the show was liberal based. In the early seasons, the show was based mostly on the debate circulating around the president's condition of MS, and his failure to disclose this information to the public. In the sixth and most recent season, Bartlet's MS has limited his abilities in performing his duties as president. Because of this, Bartlet is rarely in the show, and making only brief appearances when he is. The writers of the show have used this to smooth the transition from the beloved Bartlet (and great actor, Martin Sheen) to a president/actor who cannot possibly match Sheen's performance in the lead role.
Two main candidates are in the race to carry on the show. Republican, Arnold Vick, played by Alan Alda, could become president if the show wishes make the transition to a different party. Leading the democratic party is Matt Santos, played by Jimmy Smits. Although an underdog in the show, Santos seems to be the most likely candidate to win. This seems so because running his campaign is Josh Lyman, a West Wing character since the start of the show six years ago.
The ads for the West Wing are now making clear the show's intention to reveal who the new president will be in these final six episodes of the season. However, whether the show will continue to run under a new president remains under question. For a politics show, going into a seventh season successfully would be quite a feat. Especially as the show has been declining in popularity since John Wells took over for Sorkin in 2003.
Regardless of the show's continuation, there is always an opportunity to watch the show. Watch Bravo Monday through Thursday at 7 pm to see episodes of The West Wing. Also, the first three seasons have been released on DVD, with the fourth season being released in April this year. -Written by Mike
Read next week's WEEKLY to read a review of ABC's show LOST. |
