The West Wing is available on DVD for seasons 1 – 5. Each season contains about 22 episodes and spans about a year in the life of the administration. Time is fluid in The West Wing universe. The first season actually opens in the second year of the administration. Viewers are introduced to the main characters:
- President Josiah Bartlett
- First Lady Abigail Bartlett
- President’s Personal Secretary Mrs. Landingham
- Chief of Staff Leo McGarry
- Deputy Chief of Staff Joshua Lyman
- Senior Assistant Donna Moss
- Director of Communications Toby Ziegler
- Deputy Director of Communications Sam Seaborn
- Press Secretary CJ Cregg
- Reporter Danny Kincannon
- Presidential Body Man Charlie Young
These are the primary characters, but so many more come and go throughout the course of the series that their recurring status makes them strong figures in the storyline of the series.
The first season tackled the difficult issues with compelling verbal debate. The characters used wit, intelligence and powerful language skills to argue their points. Negotiation and the push-pull of bipartisan politics are played out against the backdrop of friendships, made all the more immediate by the deep pressure of the jobs occupied by these startlingly intelligent people.
The President is portrayed as an incredibly intelligent man, a Nobel Prize recipient for his work in Economics. He is a deeply moral man and extremely catholic. He is a family man and his principles are often in conflict with the challenges he faces as President of the United States. Acts of terrorism, proportional response, press reports and his children growing up in the fishbowl of American politics populate the landscape of this first season.
Politics, the right thing and making it work for the people are the goals of these idealists who must also confront their own weaknesses in policy and determination. The characters are larger than life, but the deep intelligence is beyond what is often found in the buffet of reality television and soapbox viewing. The first season opens with religious debate and ends on an assassination attempt. From start to finish, it’s a force of nature that pulls the viewer along with it.