(l-r) Dulé Hill as
aide Charlie Young, Rob Lowe as Deputy Communications Director Sam
Seaborn, Allison Janney as Press Secretary C.J. Cregg, Martin
Sheen as President Josiah Bartlet, Richard Schiff as Communications Director
Toby Ziegler, Stockard Channing as First Lady Abigail Bartlet, John
Spencer as Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, Janel Maloney as assistant Donna
Moss, Bradley Whitford as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman --- © NBC Photo: David
Rose
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- Director: Bill Coultouris
- Takes Place:
- To Be Broadcast: April 24, 2002
- From NBC:
- REAL-LIFE WEST WING PLAYERS FEATURED IN SPECIAL DOCUMENTARY
EPISODE -- The producers of "The West Wing" present a documentary special
celebrating the real players inside the White House. The one-hour special will
include, among others, interviews with former White House staffers David Gergen,
Dee Dee Myers, Henry Kissinger, Leon Panetta and former Presidents Gerald Ford,
Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. The show will also feature highlights of three seasons
of the Emmy Award-winning "The West Wing."
-- NBC'S 'THE WEST WING'
MEETS THE REAL THING AS
EMMY-WINNING DRAMA
MIXES EPISODIC ACTION
WITH ACTUAL WHITE HOUSE
COUNTERPARTS IN SPECIAL
BROADCAST
Published: April 09, 2002
BURBANK, Calif. -- April 9, 2002 -- NBC's ³The West
Wing² (Wednesdays, 9-10 p.m. ET) pays tribute to
the series' real-life counterparts with a special
documentary episode featuring a mix of dramatic
scenes of the series characters balanced by the
White House reflections of those who have worked
there.
The episode, directed by Oscar winner Bill Coultouris
(³Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt²), will be
broadcast on Wednesday, April 24 (9-10 p.m. ET).
The producers of "The West Wing" present the documentary that celebrates the real
players inside the White House and features interviews with former White House
staffers such as adviser DavidGergen, press secretary Dee Dee Myers, secretary of
state Henry Kissinger, chief of staff Leon Panetta and former Presidents Gerald Ford,
Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, among others. The show will also feature highlights
of three seasons of the Emmy Award-winning ³The West Wing.²
- From Warner Brothers
- "The West Wing" blends drama with reality in this groundbreaking documentary episode that includes interviews with former Presidents and White House figures. Paying tribute to the real-life counterparts of the show's fictional Bartlet administration, the installment features U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford, White House staffers David Gergen, Dee Dee Myers and Leon Panetta and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Highlights from the three seasons of "The West Wing" are interspersed throughout.
- From TVGuide
- A documentary in which former real-life West Wingers (including Presidents Clinton, Carter and Ford) recall White House experiences also includes clips from series episodes. Oscar-winning producer Bill Couterie (³Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt²) is the director. Also interviewed: Henry Kissinger; former Presidential adviser David Gergen; former White House chief of staff Leon Panetta; and former White House press secretary Dee Dee Myers, a writer for ³The West Wing.²
- From CNN (AP)
- April 23, 2002 - LOS ANGELES, Califonia (AP) -- How
real is "The West Wing"? And how
much closer to real-world politics will it dare to venture?
The first question may be answered, in part,
by an episode Wednesday that mixes scenes
from three seasons of the NBC White
House drama with recollections of past and
present occupants.
"Hey, we're kind of getting this thing right"
was the reaction of executive producer
Thomas Schlamme after former presidents,
cabinet members and others were
interviewed for the special.
It's their drive and dedication that the series
has captured, Schlamme said.
Among those heard from: former Presidents Ford, Carter and Clinton and the political adviser to President George W. Bush, Karl Rove.
"We are absolute fiction," Schlamme said. "So what we care about getting right is the emotion of what it's like to be part of the West Wing. ... It's not a history lesson or civics lesson or accuracy of government."
But what makes "The West Wing" intriguing is that it
has it both ways: Democratic President Josiah Bartlet
(Martin Sheen) and his staff are imaginary but the
political issues and crises they face are drawn from
fact.
There's terrorism, on which series creator Aaron Sorkin based an episode in quick response to September 11. There was a partisan clash over accusations of lies and a cover-up by the Bartlet White House, reminiscent of the rocky Clinton years.
The environment and other hot-button topics have been woven into "The West Wing," with Bartlet's advisers jousting -- not always successfully -- in often provocative debates with Republican adversaries.
Setting up an election battle
But as Bartlet gears up for a re-election battle, "The West Wing" may be venturing into the most controversial corner yet of its parallel universe....
The liberal politician torn by conscience is a recurring figure in Sorkin's work. In his
other White House fiction, the 1995 film "The American President," the chief
executive (Michael Douglas) initially refuses to defend his philosophy against an
opponent's sleazy attack. . . . (see more)
- From The NY Post
- By MICHAEL STARR and ANDREA PEYSER
April 12, 2002 --
It turns out a special "West Wing" episode airing later this month is including a member of the Bush Administration after all. Karl Rove, one of President George W. Bush's senior advisors, is interviewed for the special about how the real White House functions versus
the fictional White House of the hit TV series.
"Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and a number of former White House officials were announced this week as participating in the show. . . .
"'West Wing'" producer Llewellyn Wells told The Post yesterday. . . . 'the White House very gracefully and willingly sent us Karl Rove, who
will be in the special. . . ."
- For anyone interested in guest stars of this episode, let us recommend the West Wing Episode Guide.
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#318 Documentary Special
