The West Wing, 1999-2006.
Starring Rob Lowe, Moira Kelly, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, Martin Sheen, Janel Moloney, Stockard Channing, Joshua Malina, Mary McCormack, Jimmy Smits, Alan Alda, Kristin Chenoweth
SYNOPSIS:
Aaron Sorkin’s classic TV series The West Wing has made its Blu-ray debut in a set that includes a whopping 28 discs that contain all 156 episodes across seven seasons. You won’t find any new bonus features here, but everything from the previous DVD complete series set was ported over, so if you’re new to the show on home video, you’ll be busy for a while.
I’m going to open this review with a fun fact: my oldest son works in politics. He’s the campaign manager for a Congressman, and my wife, who enjoys talking about politics the way some people enjoy talking about this Sunday’s NFL games, couldn’t be prouder of him.
Sometimes he gives us the inside scoop on certain things, which is enjoyable (we heard about Biden dropping out of the race a few days before it actually happened, for example), but every time we discuss politics with him, I’m reminded of how intense that environment can be.
Luckily, he works for a Congressman whose re-election chances are always very high, so he has job security, and he does a lot of freelancing for other politicians around the country, which brings in some extra cash. His wife, who isn’t in politics, also has a very good job, so they have a nice, stable existence. (And they have a daughter, which means, holy cow, I’m a grandpa!)
So I had all of that in mind when I looked back on the classic TV series The West Wing, which is available now on Blu-ray for the first time. All 156 episodes across seven seasons can be found on 28 discs in this huge set, with a nice big batch of bonus features that will keep fans busy for a while.
The series follows the trials and tribulations of two-term Democratic President Josiah Bartlett, played with appropriate reverence by Martin Sheen. The series started as the Clinton administration was winding down and lasted six years into the second Bush Presidency, so there were plenty of parallels to real life along the way.
The stellar ensemble cast that accompanies President Bartlett on his journey includes Richard Schiff as communications director Toby Ziegler; Rob Lowe as Toby’s deputy director, Sam Seaborn; John Spencer as Bartlett’s chief of staff, Leo McGarry; Allison Janney as press secretary C.J. Cregg, who later succeeds McGarry; Bradley Whitford as McGarry’s deputy, Josh Lyman; and Stockard Channing as First Lady Abbey Bartlett.
Throughout the series’ run, other actors popped in to play various roles, such as Alan Alda as a California Senator, Arnold Vinick; Jimmy Smits as Texas Congressman Matt Santos; and Joshua Molina as Will Bailey, a speechwriter who moves into a more prominent role. I’m not going to list everyone who played a recurring role for a season or more; you get the idea.
Series creator and showrunner Aaron Sorkin set a specific tone during the first season of The West Wing that became a way of writing characters and staging action that was unique to him. The dialogue was very realistic, and many scenes started en media res, with a camera that moved with the characters as they walked through the White House.
The viewer was expected to figure out what the characters were talking about as each scene unfolded, as if the camera was allowing them to spy on the actual goings-on. And the characters were often sparring over issues that ranged from the mundane to topics that were real issues in many Americans’ lives at that time.
Sure, the series relied on cliffhangers to keep the audience in suspense from one season to the next, but that’s the whole point of an engaging drama, right? Most Presidential administrations aren’t as full of big moments as Bartlett’s is, between an assassination attempt, his daughter being kidnapped, and other high-stakes developments, but the viewer has to accept a certain amount of that with any show.
Sorkin left The West Wing after its fourth season, which led to some narrative weakness as succeeding showrunner John Wells tried to mimic his unique style, but, overall, the series did a commendable job of giving as a peek into President Bartlett’s life as he dealt with being re-elected and eventually giving way to a new administration.
I’m pretty sure no new bonus features were created for this set, but what was ported over from the old DVD complete series is plenty for fans. The “previously on” recap has been cut for all the episodes except the ones that have commentary tracks, which is 21 of them. Either Sorkin or Wells shows up for each commentary along with that episode’s director and (usually) a member or two of the cast.
By my count, there are also 14 featurettes spread across all of the discs, with run times between several minutes and nearly an hour. Between them and the commentary tracks, you get a pretty comprehensive look at the making of the series. Sure, The West Wing is the kind of show that could benefit from a nice, long retrospective documentary, and maybe such a thing will show up eventually, but, for now, I can’t really complain about what’s included here.
You also get a smattering of deleted scenes, although not every season has them. I imagine there’s even more cut material that could see the light of day eventually, maybe in a 4K Ultra HD set some day. Maybe. But for now, what you get is certainly worth the price of this set.
Brad Cook
