26
votes
Accepted
On the West Wing, why was Josh's assistant given so much screen time?
Because the producers saw the potential for a "will they, won't they"-relationship. Quoting Wikipedia:
The chemistry between Janel Moloney and Bradley Whitford, who
portrayed Josh Lyman, caught ...
- 48.7k
12
votes
Accepted
Why didn't Sam come back to the White House?
His fate is addressed towards the end of the final season of the show. From Wikipedia:
Although Sam is mentioned occasionally following his departure — most
notably calling Josh to tell him to "...
- 48.7k
9
votes
On the West Wing, why was Josh's assistant given so much screen time?
To me, Donna served as a representative for the average, outside-the-Beltway person on the show. She was a mechanism by which complicated or obscure information that would be known to the other ...
- 91
8
votes
Why don't they drink wine on the West Wing?
They Do
There are several occasions when wine is seen being imbibed or it is referred to. You just have to look for it.
This scene has champagne as well as other beverages being consumed.
- 133k
8
votes
Accepted
Was Bartlet's multiple sclerosis 'disclosure' crisis merely a plot device?
The precipitating event is in “He Shall, from Time to Time.” The president comes down with the flu and Leo McGarry notices that Abbey Bartlett has an unexpectedly extreme level of concern over it (...
- 1,708
8
votes
Accepted
Where was The West Wing shot?
Per Quora
The West Wing, the NBC White House-based drama was filmed primarily on sound stages in Burbank, California with exterior shots and some B-roll being filmed in the Washington D.C. metro area ...
- 133k
8
votes
Accepted
Who is the 6th pallbearer for Leo McGarry's coffin?
It's not confirmed since he's uncredited but I believe this is
Gary Patrick Anderson
playing Leo's son-in-law.
- 133k
6
votes
Accepted
Why was Leo McGarry chosen for this?
The true explanation or the TV show explanation?
The true explanation is that it was a shortcut to keep the same actor already under contract on board and relevant for a final season rather than ...
- 2,283
5
votes
Accepted
Why did Rob Lowe exit The West Wing?
Rob Lowe decided to leave the show after a dispute about salary.
See these articles reporting this at the time:
ABC News
CNN
Entertainment Weekly
- 52.2k
5
votes
Accepted
Political Consultants on The West Wing
Yes, they did use some consultants.
Lawrence O'Donnell, Eli Attie, Dee Dee Myers, Marlin Fitzwater, Patrick Caddell, Frank Luntz, Peggy Noonan and Gene Sperling were the ones who contributed the most ...
- 5,251
5
votes
Accepted
Can someone explain the "lid" metaphor used in The West Wing?
Two possibilities:
A full-lid box is one where the lid is the same size (or slightly bigger, even) then the rest of the box, so when you package something up and put the lid on the box it covers it ...
- 5,867
4
votes
Why was Leo McGarry chosen for this?
Leo was chosen because of two reasons, a known commodity and Josh's love of Leo. Josh throughout the series was the closest thing Leo had to a son, and Leo was the father Josh needed after he lost his ...
4
votes
Why did the writers / producers of the West Wing spoil the final season in episode 1?
It seems Santos' victory was planned from the start:
John Wells noted that the Santos victory episode had already been written.
According to O’Donnell, the situation was more a matter of the ...
- 48.7k
4
votes
Accepted
In the West Wing was Evelyn Baker Lang based on Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Christopher Mulready based on Antonin Scalia?
In the West Wing was Evelyn Baker Lang based on Ruth Bader Ginsburg
and Christopher Mulready based on Antonin Scalia?
Short answer: Yes, but only partially.
Certainly, those characters are a ...
- 2,283
4
votes
Where was The West Wing shot?
A user said this on Quora:
The West Wing, the NBC White House-based drama was filmed primarily on
sound stages in Burbank, California with exterior shots and some
B-roll being filmed in the ...
- 2,769
3
votes
Accepted
Where was Camp David set up for The West Wing?
Doing some research, I have come up with Little Hunting Creek described as "The Back Drop" for the episode.
Little Hunting Creek served as the backdrop for an on-location shoot
for NBC's &...
- 23k
3
votes
Was Dulé Hill appearing so briefly in The West Wing because he was co-starring in Psych?
No, this is not why.
Psych premiered in July 2006, the same year The West Wing's seventh and final season aired.
- 1,124
2
votes
Why did the writers / producers of the West Wing spoil the final season in episode 1?
There was no indication Josh was working for the President - Josh could have just been told by someone that the President was arriving and was relaying the news to those inside. People are getting ...
- 21
2
votes
Why are the plot recap and opening title sequence of The West Wing in standard definition when the rest of the episode is high definition?
In addition to the reasons jlmcdonald stated, I think part of the logic might be that sometimes the pilot recap contained scenes from the first season, even in the later seasons of the show, and ...
- 707
2
votes
Accepted
President exits under a canopy, The West Wing, House of Cards?
TLDR:
In The West Wing this policy is discussed at the start of Season 2, and it is discovered that whilst former presidents did this, Bartlett chose not to do it at the urging of Toby.
In House of ...
- 51.3k
1
vote
What was the question about reparations that Josh Lyman almost asked, then didn't?
From the transcript of that episode, Josh wasn't actually asking about reputations at this point:
JEFF
Yes. But the order was rescinded four years later by Andrew Johnson. In the '60s, during the ...
- 12.2k
1
vote
Was Bartlet's multiple sclerosis 'disclosure' crisis merely a plot device?
If I'm understanding your question right, you're asking why the issue suddenly became a big deal at this point in his presidency (about three years in). KRyan's answer is part of it but I think the ...
- 707
1
vote
Was Dulé Hill appearing so briefly in The West Wing because he was co-starring in Psych?
I think it had a lot to do with the departure of Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin wrote the first four seasons, then left the show after which it was written by other people. The end of season 4 is when the ...
- 707
1
vote
West Wing reasoning behind mocking people who say "there but for the grace of God go I?"
"There but for the grace of God, go I" is a phrase that points at someone less fortunate behind their back, calls attention to their misfortune, feigns pity, and then expresses gratitude to God for ...
- 11
1
vote
Is an in-universe explanation ever given for why presidential elections are staggered differently than in real life?
There's no in-universe explanation and it's just part of the issues of making a show about a fictitious alternate universe that's very similar to ours.
And it's not as if they never state what year ...
- 707
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible