The Birnam Wood
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The sixth season of the American political drama television series '' The West Wing'' aired in the United States on NBC from October 20, 2004, to April 6, 2005, and consisted of 22 episodes.


Plot

The sixth season opens with the Israeli and Palestinian delegations arriving at Camp David for peace talks. Despite problems at the summit, a deal is thrashed out by President Bartlet, but not before he fires Leo as chief of staff. Leo suffers a heart attack in the aftermath, leading to a re-shuffle of the White House staff. CJ Cregg becomes chief of staff but she finds it difficult to adapt, a fact not helped by the President's worsening
multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This d ...
and consequent interference from the First Lady in an effort to conserve his energy. Away from the White House, Josh convinces Texas Congressman Matt Santos to run for president, and after a shaky start, Santos finds himself in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination with Vice President Russell and former Vice President Hoynes. While the Republican primaries provide a clear winner in California Senator Arnold Vinick, a moderate, the Democratic ticket is not finalized until the Democratic National Convention, at which Santos is chosen as the presidential nominee, with Leo as his running mate. Meanwhile, someone at the White House has leaked national security information to reporter Greg Brock.


Cast

The sixth season had star billing for twelve major roles, with nine of these filled by returning main cast members from the fifth season. The main cast members are credited alphabetically except for
Jimmy Smits Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama ''L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama '' NYPD Blue'', Matt Santos ...
and Martin Sheen, who receive the "with" and "and" credits, respectively. Smits, Alda and Channing are only credited for the episodes in which they appear.


Main cast

* Alan Alda as
Arnold Vinick Arnold Vinick is a fictional character from the television series ''The West Wing'' played by Alan Alda. The role earned Alda a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2006. Fictional biography Vinick is the ...
*
Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. She is known for playing Betty Rizzo in the film '' Grease'' (1978) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series ''The West Wing'' ( ...
as
Abbey Bartlet The television series ''The West Wing'' is a political drama series which was originally broadcast on NBC. During its seven seasons the ensemble cast of stars, recurring stars, and guest stars earned 157 acting nominations (often competing in th ...
* Dulé Hill as
Charlie Young Charles Young is a fictional character played by Dulé Hill on the television serial drama ''The West Wing''. For the majority of the series, he is the Personal Aide to President Josiah Bartlet. Creation and development The character of Char ...
* Allison Janney as
C. J. Cregg Claudia Jean Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the American television drama ''The West Wing''. From the beginning of the series in 1999 until the sixth season in 2004, she was the White House Press Secretary in the a ...
* Joshua Malina as Will Bailey * Mary McCormack as Kate Harper *
Janel Moloney Janel Moloney is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Donna Moss on the television series ''The West Wing'', a role for which she received nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series ...
as Donna Moss * Richard Schiff as
Toby Ziegler Tobias "Toby" Zachary Ziegler is a fictional character in the television serial drama ''The West Wing'', played by Richard Schiff. The role of Toby Ziegler earned actor Richard Schiff the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor i ...
* John Spencer as
Leo McGarry Leo Thomas McGarry is a fictional character played by American actor John Spencer on the television serial drama ''The West Wing''. This role earned Spencer the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2002. ...
* Bradley Whitford as
Josh Lyman Joshua Lyman is a fictional character played by Bradley Whitford on the television drama series ''The West Wing''. The role earned Whitford the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2001. For most of the se ...
*
Jimmy Smits Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama ''L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama '' NYPD Blue'', Matt Santos ...
as
Matt Santos Matthew Vincente Santos is a fictional character on the American television show ''The West Wing'', played by Jimmy Smits. Santos' initial appearance in the series was as a Democratic U.S. Representative from Texas's 18th congressional dis ...
* Martin Sheen as
Josiah Bartlet Josiah Edward "Jed" Bartlet is a fictional character from the American television serial drama ''The West Wing'' created by Aaron Sorkin and portrayed by actor Martin Sheen. The role earned Sheen a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Telev ...


Recurring cast

Characters that returned in recurring roles were Gary Cole as Vice President Bob Russell, Tim Matheson as former Vice President
John Hoynes The television series ''The West Wing'' is a political drama series which was originally broadcast on NBC. During its seven seasons the ensemble cast of stars, recurring stars, and guest stars earned 157 acting nominations (often competing in t ...
and Mark Feuerstein as Senate Majority Counsel Clifford Calley. Roger Rees as British ambassador Lord John Marbury also returned for one episode. Kristin Chenoweth joined the recurring cast as Annabeth Schott, a former feature writer who becomes Deputy Press Secretary. Recurring guest-star
Ed O'Neill Edward Leonard O'Neill (born April 12, 1946) is an American actor and comedian. His roles include Al Bundy on the Fox Network sitcom '' Married... with Children'', for which he was nominated for two Golden Globes, and Jay Pritchett on the awar ...
played Governor Eric Baker with
Mel Harris Mary Ellen "Mel" Harris is an American actress best known for her role as Hope Murdoch Steadman in the ABC drama series ''Thirtysomething'' (1987–1991), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination in 1990. Early life and education Har ...
(as Senator Rafferty) and
Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...
(portraying Lawrence Lessig) also guest-starring in one episode each. Actors who left the cast include
John Amos John Allen Amos Jr. (born December 27, 1939) is an American actor known for his role as James Evans Sr. on the CBS television series ''Good Times''. Amos's other television work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', a recurring role as Admir ...
as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Percy Fitzwallace who was killed in the penultimate episode of the previous season, Jesse Bradford as intern Ryan Pierce and
Michael Hyatt Charlene "Michael" Hyatt is a British-born American actress. Before her work in film and television, she performed on stages throughout the United States, particularly in ''Ragtime'' on Broadway. She has played Brianna Barksdale on ''The Wire'' ...
as legislative affairs advisor Angela Blake.


Episodes


Crew

The season was produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The executive producers were the production company's namesake and founder John Wells,
Christopher Misiano Christopher Misiano is an American television director and producer. He is best known for his work on '' ER'', ''The West Wing'', and ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''. In 2017, he sold his historic home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, for US$4.3 m ...
and Alex Graves – Llewellyn Wells (who left the show), Misiano and Graves had previously been co-executive producers in season five. Carol Flint,
Peter Noah Peter Noah is an American television writer and producer. He served as an executive producer and regular writer for the NBC drama ''The West Wing''. Noah first became involved with the series as a consulting producer and regular writer for the f ...
and
John Sacret Young John Sacret Young (May 24, 1946 – June 3, 2021) was an American author, producer, director, and screenwriter primarily in television, perhaps best known for his work on the show ''China Beach''. Young was nominated for seven Emmy Award, Emmys ...
were supervising producers, and Eli Attie, Kristin Harms, Michael Hissrich and Andrew Stearn were producers. For the sixth season, regular staff writers were Wells, Flint, Noah, Young, Attie,
Debora Cahn Debora Cahn is an American writer and producer of television and film. She was a writer and executive producer on the Showtime series ''Homeland'' for its final two seasons ''(''2018–2020). She was also a writer and consulting producer on FX's ...
,
Josh Singer Josh Singer (born 1972) is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing '' The Fifth Estate'' (2013), ''Spotlight'' (2015), ''The Post'' (2017) and '' First Man'' (2018). He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenpl ...
, and former Democratic chief of staff on the
Senate Committee on Finance The United States Senate Committee on Finance (or, less formally, Senate Finance Committee) is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The Committee concerns itself with matters relating to taxation and other revenue measures generall ...
, Lawrence O'Donnell. Cast member Bradley Whitford wrote his first episode of the series. The regular directors were Misiano and Graves, while cast member Richard Schiff directed his second episode of the series.


Reception


Critical response

On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, the season has an approval rating of 64% with an average score of 9.4 out of 10 based on 14 reviews.


Accolades

The season was nominated for five
Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
in
2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
without any wins. The show was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series for the sixth year running. Alan Alda, as Senator Vinick, and
Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. She is known for playing Betty Rizzo in the film '' Grease'' (1978) and First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series ''The West Wing'' ( ...
, as
Abigail Bartlet The television series ''The West Wing'' is a political drama series which was originally broadcast on NBC. During its seven seasons the ensemble cast of stars, recurring stars, and guest stars earned 157 acting nominations (often competing in th ...
were nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series respectively. Alex Graves was nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series and production sound mixer Patrick Hanson and re-recording mixers Dan Hiland and Gary D. Rogers were nominated in the Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Series category, both for the episode " 2162 Votes". "2162 Votes" also got Hanson, Hiland and Rogers a
Cinema Audio Society Awards The Cinema Audio Society Awards are an annual awards ceremony given by the Cinema Audio Society that honor outstanding achievements in sound mixing. These awards have been presented by the Cinema Audio Society since 1994. The competition is open ...
nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Television Series. The show received a nomination in the Dramatic Series category and Carol Flint received a
Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...
nomination in the Episodic Drama category for " A Good Day". Allison Janney, as
C. J. Cregg Claudia Jean Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the American television drama ''The West Wing''. From the beginning of the series in 1999 until the sixth season in 2004, she was the White House Press Secretary in the a ...
, was nominated at the
Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
s for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series and the whole ensemble for the Outstanding Performance in a Drama Series award. John Wells won the Humanitas Prize in the 60-minute category for " NSF Thurmont". At the Producers Guild of America Awards ceremony in 2005, the show was nominated for the Norman Felton Producer of the Year Award – Episodic Drama.
Seth Adkins Seth Elijah Adkins (born October 30, 1989) is an American actor. He made his debut as a child actor in the TV shows ''Small Talk'' and ''Sabrina, the Teenage Witch'' in 1996 and the films '' ...First Do No Harm'' and ''Titanic'' in 1997. He late ...
, as Cody Zucker, was nominated for a
Young Artist Award The Young Artist Award (originally known as the Youth in Film Award) is an accolade presented by the Young Artist Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1978 to honor excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young ...
in the Best Performance in a Television Series (Comedy or Drama) – Guest Starring Young Actor category. Composer W. G. "Snuffy" Walden was awarded a BMI Television Award for his work on the show. The season won two
Imagen Awards The Imagen Awards are administered by the Imagen Foundation, an organization dedicated to "encouraging and recognizing the positive portrayals of Latinos in film, Latinos in the entertainment industry." To be considered for an Imagen Award, a medi ...
, a Latino awards ceremony, with the submitted work " La Palabra". Executive producers John Wells,
Christopher Misiano Christopher Misiano is an American television director and producer. He is best known for his work on '' ER'', ''The West Wing'', and ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''. In 2017, he sold his historic home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, for US$4.3 m ...
, Alex Graves, Director
Jason Ensler Jason Ensler is an American film director, television director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Jason Ensler attended Brandeis University where he earned a BA in Politics and Theater.2 He graduated USC School of Cinematic A ...
, writer Eli Attie, and the executive producers won Best Primetime Series and
Jimmy Smits Jimmy L. Smits (born July 9, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama ''L.A. Law'', NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama '' NYPD Blue'', Matt Santos ...
(as Matt Santos) won Best Actor in Television.


DVD release

The DVD release of season six was released by
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Di ...
first in the UK on September 26, 2005, and then in the US on May 9, 2006, after the season had completed broadcasting on television. As well as every episode from the season, the DVD release features bonus material including audio commentary on three episodes from directors and writers, and a documentary on Allison Janney's portrayal of
C. J. Cregg Claudia Jean Cregg is a fictional character played by Allison Janney on the American television drama ''The West Wing''. From the beginning of the series in 1999 until the sixth season in 2004, she was the White House Press Secretary in the a ...
. All episodes from the season are available to purchase and download through Warner Bros. Studio online store, to registered users of
iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...
s in certain countries, and in the US through Amazon Video on Demand. In Canada, the sixth season was
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
on CTV. In the United Kingdom the series was moved from E4 to Fridays at 9:00 p.m. on sister-station More4 with the season premiering in October 2005.


References

;General references * * * * *


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:West Wing season 6 2004 American television seasons 2005 American television seasons