The West Wing season 3
| The West Wing | |
|---|---|
| Season 3 | |
 | |
| No. of episodes | 21 + 2 specials |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | October 3, 2001 – May 22, 2002 |
| Season chronology | |
The third season of the American political drama television series The West Wing aired in the United States on NBC from October 3, 2001 to May 22, 2002 and consisted of 21 episodes and 2 special episodes.
Production
The season premiere was delayed by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. When the season did return, the first episode was a special episode titled "Isaac and Ishmael", in which the main cast paid tribute to those affected by the attacks and informed viewers about what to expect from the delayed premiere.
Series creator Aaron Sorkin acknowledged in October 2002 that the terrorism-related plots designed to keep the series relevant after the real-life attacks were awkward at times, saying "from week to week, you felt like you were writing the show handcuffed, a little bit. I didn't know how to write it anymore. It was a constant search for what I wasn't doing that used to make the show work. Maybe there was a way to make it work. There probably was. I wasn't able to find it in twenty-two episodes."[1]
Cast
The third season had star billing for nine major roles. Eight of these were filled by returning main cast members from the second season. Rob Lowe received star billing, while Martin Sheen received the final credit for his role as President Josiah Bartlet. The rest of the ensemble, now including previously recurring Stockard Channing, were credited alphabetically. Channing was only credited for the episodes in which she appears.
Main cast
- Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn, the Deputy Communications Director
- Stockard Channing as Abbey Bartlet, the First Lady
- Dulé Hill as Charlie Young, the Personal Aide to the President
- Allison Janney as C. J. Cregg, the White House Press Secretary
- Janel Moloney as Donna Moss, the Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff
- Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler, the Communications Director
- John Spencer as Leo McGarry, the White House Chief of Staff
- Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman, the Deputy Chief of Staff
- Martin Sheen as Josiah Bartlet, the President of the United States
Plot
The third season, covering the administration's third and fourth years in office, begins with Bartlet announcing his intention to run for re-election and is dominated by the subsequent campaign. Other prominent story lines include a Congressional investigation into allegations Bartlet committed electoral fraud by concealing his MS, a death threat against C.J. and the ensuing relationship she develops with the Secret Service agent assigned to protect her, and Qumari defense minister Abdul Shareef's planning of terrorist attacks against the US. The season finale resolves several of these story lines when Bartlet meets his electoral opponent and reaffirms his commitment to defeat him, finally decides to order Shareef's assassination, and, just minutes after the man who threatened her is arrested, C.J.'s Secret Service agent interrupts a convenience store robbery and is killed.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 1 | "Manchester (Part I)" | Thomas Schlamme | Aaron Sorkin | October 10, 2001 | 227201 |
| 46 | 2 | "Manchester (Part II)" | Thomas Schlamme | Aaron Sorkin | October 17, 2001 | 227202 |
| 47 | 3 | "Ways and Means" | Alex Graves | Story by : Eli Attie & Gene Sperling Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin | October 24, 2001 | 227203 |
| 48 | 4 | "On the Day Before" | Christopher Misiano | Story by : Paul Redford & Nanda Chitre Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin | October 31, 2001 | 227204 |
| 49 | 5 | "War Crimes" | Alex Graves | Story by : Allison Abner Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin | November 7, 2001 | 227205 |
| 50 | 6 | "Gone Quiet" | Jon Hutman | Story by : Julia Dahl & Laura Glasser Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin | November 14, 2001 | 227207 |
| 51 | 7 | "The Indians in the Lobby" | Paris Barclay | Story by : Allison Abner Teleplay by : Allison Abner & Kevin Falls and Aaron Sorkin | November 21, 2001 | 227208 |
| 52 | 8 | "The Women of Qumar" | Alex Graves | Story by : Felicia Wilson & Laura Glasser & Julia Dahl Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin | November 28, 2001 | 227209 |
| 53 | 9 | "Bartlet for America" | Thomas Schlamme | Aaron Sorkin | December 12, 2001 | 227210 |
| 54 | 10 | "H. Con-172" | Vincent Misiano | Story by : Eli Attie Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin | January 9, 2002 | 227211 |
| 55 | 11 | "100,000 Airplanes" | David Nutter | Aaron Sorkin | January 16, 2002 | 227212 |
| 56 | 12 | "The Two Bartlets" | Alex Graves | Story by : Gene Sperling Teleplay by : Kevin Falls and Aaron Sorkin | January 30, 2002 | 227213 |
| 57 | 13 | "Night Five" | Christopher Misiano | Aaron Sorkin | February 6, 2002 | 227214 |
| 58 | 14 | "Hartsfield's Landing" | Vincent Misiano | Aaron Sorkin | February 27, 2002 | 227215 |
| 59 | 15 | "Dead Irish Writers" | Alex Graves | Story by : Paul Redford Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin | March 6, 2002 | 227216 |
| 60 | 16 | "The U.S. Poet Laureate" | Christopher Misiano | Story by : Laura Glasser Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin | March 27, 2002 | 227217 |
| 61 | 17 | "Stirred" | Jeremy Kagan | Story by : Dee Dee Myers Teleplay by : Aaron Sorkin & Eli Attie | April 3, 2002 | 227218 |
| 62 | 18 | "Enemies Foreign and Domestic" | Alex Graves | Paul Redford and Aaron Sorkin | May 1, 2002 | 227219 |
| 63 | 19 | "The Black Vera Wang" | Christopher Misiano | Aaron Sorkin | May 8, 2002 | 227220 |
| 64 | 20 | "We Killed Yamamoto" | Thomas Schlamme | Aaron Sorkin | May 15, 2002 | 227221 |
| 65 | 21 | "Posse Comitatus" | Alex Graves | Aaron Sorkin | May 22, 2002 | 227222 |
Specials
Two special episodes, not part of the official continuity, were produced to complement the series and were broadcast on NBC. Both episodes ran within the third season and were included on the season's DVD.[2]
"Isaac and Ishmael"
Written by series creator Aaron Sorkin and directed by Christopher Misiano, this episode was a terrorism-themed episode produced in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The episode pushed the scheduled season premiere back a week and encouraged viewers to donate to charity—profits from the episode and cast members' weekly pay were also donated.[3] The episode "was written and produced in record time"—less than three weeks[3][4]—and aired on October 3, 2001. Although timely and well-intentioned, the episode was criticized for being condescending and preachy.[4]
"Documentary Special"
The second special interspersed the characters' fictional lives with interviews of real West Wing personnel, including Presidents Ford, Carter, and Clinton; press secretaries Marlin Fitzwater and Dee Dee Myers; presidential advisors David Gergen, Paul Begala, and incumbent Karl Rove; Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; Chief of Staff Leon Panetta; presidential personal secretary Betty Currie; and speechwriter Peggy Noonan.[5] The documentary won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2002 for "Outstanding Special Class Program".[6]
Reception
The third season received 21 Emmy Award nominations for the 54th Primetime Emmy Awards, the most-nominated season, winning a total of 4 awards. The series won its third consecutive award for Outstanding Drama Series and Allison Janney also won her third consecutive award, this time in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category. John Spencer and Stockard Channing each won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, respectively, after being nominated twice before. The season received several acting nominations, which included Martin Sheen for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series; Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff, and Bradley Whitford for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series; Janel Moloney and Mary-Louise Parker for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series; Mark Harmon, Tim Matheson, and Ron Silver for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Paris Barclay (for "The Indians in the Lobby") and Alex Graves (for "Posse Comitatus") were each nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series, and Aaron Sorkin was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (for "Posse Comitatus").[7]
Thomas Del Ruth won an award from the American Society of Cinematographers for the episode "Bartlet for America".[8]
References
- ^ "Charlie Rose October 2002, Ep. 2". Amazon.com. October 2, 2002. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- ^ "The West Wing: The Complete Third Season". Warner Bros. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- ^ a b "West Wing airs attacks show". BBC News. October 4, 2001. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- ^ a b Poniewozik, James (October 4, 2001). "'West Wing': Terrorism 101". Time. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- ^ Cox News Service (April 22, 2002). "'West Wing' Episode Acts As Documentary With Real-life Politicos In The Mix". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- ^ Zarchy, Bill (March 2003). "The West Wing documentary special". American Cinematographer. Retrieved September 18, 2010.
- ^ "The West Wing". Emmys.com. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
- ^ "The ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography". American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on November 12, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
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- General references
- "The West Wing Episodes on NBC". TV Guide. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- "Shows A-Z - west wing, the on nbc". the Futon Critic. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- "The West Wing - Episode Guide". MSN TV. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- "The West Wing: Episode Guide". Zap2it. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
- "The West Wing Episode Guides". NBC. Archived from the original on August 3, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2012.