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October 18, 2004
Political Shakeup: Big changes are in store on West Wing
By Mike McDaniel
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
(Editor's note: The following story contains plot and character developments for the forthcoming season of The West Wing. Readers who prefer to be surprised should read no further.)
New characters will emerge as possible contenders for the presidency on future episodes of The West Wing, and the show is expected to continue beyond this season, according to executive producer John Wells.
Martin Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlet, and the show's other regulars will continue with the show throughout the 2004-2005 season, although some of their jobs may change, Wells told television reporters in a conference call.
Wing will return to the NBC lineup Wednesday at 9 p.m., and Episode 1 will clean up dangling storylines from last season. Donna Moss (Janel Maloney) will recover from wounds suffered in a terrorist bombing in the Middle East, and she and her boss, deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford), will return to Washington.
The show then will move in a slightly new direction. A heart attack will strike the president's chief of staff, Leo McGarry (John Spencer). The president will ask McGarry to become a trusted adviser and press secretary C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney) to become his new chief of staff.
"We are moving into what will be an electoral cycle on the show," Wells said. "We came in, six years ago, a year and a half into the Bartlet administration. One of the things we haven't played is the latter part of an administration, and, when you no longer have the same political pressures of being re-elected, what you want to accomplish.
"We want to look at an election campaign. We'll be having our political primaries this year (about a year off the real-life election cycle). During the fall, we're meeting with prospective candidates and watching everyone position themselves for the primaries and the general election."
One of those candidates will be Jimmy Santos, a former mayor and congressman from Houston. He'll be played by Jimmy Smits.
Another will be Alan Alda, who'll play a Republican senator from California.
"We'll meet many other candidates from both sides over the next four or five months," Wells said.
All will have to contend with Vice President Robert "Bingo Bob" Russell (Gary Cole) and his right-hand man, Will Bailey (Joshua Malina).
By midseason, Lyman will leave the White House to work for Santos, and Moss will go to work for Russell. That strange working relationship will free up both to pursue a personal relationship.
"It will definitely be a large part of the season," Wells said. "The thing that has prevented us from proceeding on the Josh and Donna romance is the Moonlighting syndrome (a reference to a poor outcome involving Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis on that ABC series). I'm not really sure how interesting that relationship is once the actors end up in it. Also, it would have been a very bad idea for Josh, as Donna's supervisor, to allow a relationship to develop. It's strictly prohibited within the White House and in most workplaces."
The president's wife, Abby (Stockard Channing), will begin a storyline, shortly before Christmas, that will reintroduce the issue of the president's multiple sclerosis.
It's no secret that the show is in the last season of its contract with NBC, and many of Wing's actors have contracts that expire simultaneously.
Wells acknowledged that the typical White House staffer stays on the job for 18 months before burning out, and that actors grow tired of the same dynamics to their characters. And yet, "I've told everybody on the show that I would love to keep everyone together and am hoping that everyone will stay."
That includes Martin Sheen, Wells said.
"I'm very interested in what happens with the old president," Wells said. "I'd be interested in seeing episodes on what happens when you leave. I don't think there are 22 episodes, but I think there are some interesting things to explore."
But that depends on whether Sheen re-ups.
"It would be our preference to do our election next season (around Christmastime)," Wells said, but if Sheen doesn't agree to a new season, Wells is prepared to move that timeline up, changing the administration sooner.
"While we don't have a contract with NBC for an additional season, I don't believe this will be the last year of the show," he said.
Posted by Jo at October 18, 2004 07:20 AM