« On TV: No 8th term for NBC's 'West Wing' | Main | 'West Wing' will end its run in character »
January 24, 2006
Actor's death will not halt `West Wing'
By GLENN GARVIN
Miami Herald
PASADENA, Calif. -- Producers of the NBC political drama The West Wing considered yanking the show off the air for good around Christmas when long-time cast member John Spencer died, a move that would have left viewers with one of the greatest unresolved cliffhangers in television history.
Spencer, who for nearly seven years played the intense political operative Leo McGarry -- first a presidential chief of staff, then a vice presidential candidate -- died unexpectedly of a heart attack Dec. 16.
''We had conversations about whether it was even appropriate to continue to do the show without John,'' said John Wells, one of West Wing's executive producers. ``He was such a close friend and a wonderful actor and such a central part of the ensemble and of our lives together as a group.''
Even before Spencer's death, the producers -- bowing to the inevitability of declining ratings -- had decided this season would be The West Wing's last. But if the show had been canceled at Christmas, barely halfway through the season, viewers would never have known the conclusion to the storyline that has dominated The West Wing for the past year: the outcome of a fierce presidential election battle between Republican Arnold Vinick (played by Alan Alda) and Democrat Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits).
Ultimately, the producers decided that an abrupt cancellation -- which would have meant that five episodes already shot that included Spencer would never have been aired -- would have been insulting to the memory of their friend.
''John was so wonderful in the episodes that the best homage we could make to his contribution to the show was to let people see the last days of his work,'' Wells said.
BITTER FIGHT
So the bitter contest between Vinick and Santos will continue, with the election decided in episodes that air April 2 and 9. The two-hour series finale, the inauguration of the new president, will air May 14. Don't bother to ask who wins.
''We've spent the entire year going back and forth on that question and hearing from people, what they thought, people passionate on one side and another, and have only in the last couple of days made that decision,'' said Wells. 'Which we certainly won't share with you because it would be no fun . . . [but] we have passionate advocates for both candidates in the writers' room and in the producing group, and it's been quite the brawl we've had.''
CHARACTER DIES
Spencer's absence will be explained by the death of his character -- a plot development that sent West Wing writers scurrying to their constitutional law textbooks. Spencer's character McGarry was Santos' vice presidential running mate, and the writers had to figure out what happens when a vice presidential candidate dies. The answer is, nobody's quite sure.
''There's certainly no constitutional provision with how to deal with the death of a vice presidential candidate during the electoral cycle,'' said Wells.
The closest thing they could find was the 1972 election, when Thomas Eagleton, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, was driven off the ticket of George McGovern by disclosures that he'd undergone electroshock therapy. In that case, several months before Election Day, the Democratic National Committee chose a replacement.
But in a case so close to the election that ballots can't be reprinted, Wells said, the politicians that West Wing writers consulted said the candidate would probably be wise to wait until after the vote to name a replacement, then ask Congress to confirm him under the provisions of the 25th Amendment, which governs presidential succession.
''So it's actually kind of a gray area. . . . It makes for some very compelling drama on the show,'' said Wells, perhaps offering a clue to the election's outcome. You read it here first.
Posted by Jo at January 24, 2006 07:36 AM