Season 1

Season 1
Premiere	Pilot
Finale	What Kind of Day Has It Been?
Network	NBC
Created by	Aaron Sorkin
Starring	Martin Sheen John Spencer Rob Lowe Moira Kelly Dulé Hill Allison Janney Richard Schiff Bradley Whitford
Aired	22 September 1999 – 17 May 2000
Episodes	22
Showrunner(s)	Aaron Sorkin

Season 1 of American drama series The West Wing aired on NBC television network.

Summary

In his first term as President, Josiah Bartlet and his eager group of staffers battle day to day issues and attempt to pass legislation through back channels and dealmaking. Among the last moments of this particular year are Sam Seaborn's well-intended relationship with a call-girl, the breakdown of White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry's marriage and Charlie Young's courtship with Zoey Bartlet, the President's youngest daughter.

The President finds himself stalled, concerned with re-election and not focusing on reform. Finally, McGarry rouses the President into action and the team begin to initiate serious reform. At the apex of their progress, however, the President's convoy comes under fire from White Supremacists targeting Charlie Young.

Starring

Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn

Moira Kelly as Mandy Hampton (20 episodes)

Dulé Hill as Charlie Young (19 episodes)

Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg

Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler

John Spencer as Leo McGarry

Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman

and Martin Sheen as President Bartlet

Special Guest Stars

Tim Matheson as Vice President John Hoynes (5 episodes)

John Amos as Percy Fitzwallace (5 episodes)

Marlee Matlin as Joey Lucas (4 episodes)

Stockard Channing as Abigail Bartlet (3 episodes)

Edward James Olmos as Roberto Mendoza (2 episodes)

Roger Rees as Lord John Marbury (2 episodes)

Ruben Santiago-Hudson as Morris Tolliver ("Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc")

Mason Adams as Joseph Crouch ("The Short List")

Ken Howard as Peyton Cabot Harrison III ("The Short List")

Karl Malden as Thomas Cavanaugh ("Take This Sabbath Day")

Bob Balaban as Ted Marcus ("20 Hours in L.A.")

David Hasselhoff as Himself ("20 Hours in L.A.")

Jay Leno as Himself ("20 Hours in L.A.")

Veronica Webb as Herself ("20 Hours in L.A.")

Carl Lumbly as Jeff Breckenridge ("Six Meetings Before Lunch")

Recurring cast

Janel Moloney as Donna Moss

Timothy Busfield as Danny Concannon (14 episodes)

Renée Estevez as Nancy (10 episodes)

Suzy Nakamura as Cathy (9 episodes)

Elisabeth Moss as Zoey Bartlet (7 episodes)

Guest Starring

Lisa Edelstein as Laurie (5 episodes) Allison Smith as Mallory O'Brien (5 episodes) Jorja Fox as Gina Toscano (4 episodes) Michael O'Neill as Ron Butterfield (3 episodes) Bill O'Brien as Kenny Thurman (3 episodes) John de Lancie as Al Kiefer (2 episodes) Annie Corley as Mary Marsh ("Pilot") Marc Grapey as Bill Kentworthy ("Pilot") F. William Parker as Al Caldwell ("Pilot") Merrin Dungey as Daisy Reese ("Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc") John Bedford Lloyd as Lloyd Russell ("Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc") Michael McGuire as Cal Tillinghouse ("Five Votes Down") Thom Barry as Mark Richardson ("Five Votes Down") Jay Underwood as Christopher Wick ("Five Votes Down") Mark Blum as Katzenmoyer ("Five Votes Down") Sara Botsford as Jenny McGarry ("Five Votes Down") Jillian Armenante as Leela ("Five Votes Down") Guy Boyd as Stanley Maxwell ("The Crackpots and These Women") Sam Lloyd as Robert Engler ("The Crackpots and These Women") Nick Offerman as Jerry ("The Crackpots and These Women") Nicholas Cascone as Loomis ("The Crackpots and These Women") Rachel Singer as Marge ("The Crackpots and These Women") David Fabrizio as Jonathan Lacey ("The Crackpots and These Women") Al Fann as Joe Willis ("Mr. Willis of Ohio") Charley Lang as Skinner ("Mr. Willis of Ohio") Kenneth Tigar as Gladman ("Mr. Willis of Ohio") David Rasche as Carl Everett ("The State Dinner") Dennis Cockrum as Captain ("The State Dinner") John Kapelos as Seymour Little ("The State Dinner") Peter Kors as Rahmadi Sumahidjo Bambang ("The State Dinner") Sal Landi as Chafey ("The State Dinner") William Lucking as Bobby Russo ("The State Dinner") Steve Rankin as FBI Agent #2 ("The State Dinner") Jeff Williams as Harold Lewis ("The State Dinner") Charley Lang as Matt Skinner ("Enemies") Holmes Osborne as Peter Lillienfield ("The Short List") Paul Austin as George Hufnagle ("In Excelsis Deo") Tom Quinn as John Noonan ("In Excelsis Deo") Raynor Scheine as a Homeless Man ("In Excelsis Deo") John Diehl as Larry Claypool ("Lord John Marbury") James Hong as David ("Lord John Marbury") Eric Avari as Habib ("Lord John Marbury") David Doty as Military Officer ("Lord John Marbury") Clyde Kusatsu as Joe ("Lord John Marbury") Iqbal Theba as Indian Ambassador ("Lord John Marbury") Harry Groener as Roger Tribbey ("He Shall, from Time to Time...") Madison Mason as Admiral Hackett ("He Shall, from Time to Time...") David Spielberg as Congressman ("He Shall, from Time to Time...")

Austin Tichenor as Raymond Burns ("He Shall, from Time to Time...") Dakin Matthews as Simon Blye ("Take Out the Trash Day") James Handy as Joseph Bruno ("Take Out the Trash Day") Ray Baker as Jonathan Lydell ("Take Out the Trash Day") Liza Weil as Karen Larsen ("Take Out the Trash Day") Linda Gehringer as Jennifer Lydell ("Take Out the Trash Day") Noah Emmerich as Bobby Zane ("Take This Sabbath Day") David Proval as Rabbi Glassman ("Take This Sabbath Day") Felton Perry as Jerry ("Take This Sabbath Day") Herb Mitchell as Justice ("Take This Sabbath Day") CCH Pounder as Deborah O'Leary ("Celestial Navigation") Robert David Hall as David Nessler ("Celestial Navigation") Vaughn Armstrong as MacNamara ("Celestial Navigation") Chris Hogan as Mark Miller ("20 Hours in L.A.") Amy Aquino as Becky Reeseman ("The White House Pro-Am") Nadia Dajani as Lilli Mays ("The White House Pro-Am") Rolonda Watts as Melissa ("The White House Pro-Am") Richard Fancy as Congressman #1 ("The White House Pro-Am") Kathleen Garret as Congresswoman #2 ("The White House Pro-Am") Brandon Hammond as Jeffrey Morgan ("The White House Pro-Am") Lindsay Sloane as Stacy ("Six Meetings Before Lunch") Christopher Wynne as Edgar Drumm ("Six Meetings Before Lunch") Paul Provenza as Steve Onorato ("Let Bartlet Be Bartlet") Richard Penn as Blakely ("Let Bartlet Be Bartlet") Aaron Lustig as Jerry Graham ("Let Bartlet Be Bartlet") James DuMont as Major Thompson ("Let Bartlet Be Bartlet") Ted Marcoux as Major Tate ("Let Bartlet Be Bartlet") David Brisbin as Ken ("Let Bartlet Be Bartlet") Andy Buckley as Mike Satchel ("Let Bartlet Be Bartlet") Bruce Weitz as Senate Majority Leader ("Mandatory Minimums") Kathleen York as Andy Wyatt ("Mandatory Minimums") Bill O'Brien as Kenny Thurman ("Mandatory Minimums") Paul Provenza as Steve Onorato ("Mandatory Minimums") Thom Gossom Jr. as Ted Mitchell ("Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics") David Huddleston as Max Lobell ("Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics") Austin Pendleton as Barry Haskel ("Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics") Lawrence Pressman as Ken Cochran ("Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics") Reiko Aylesworth as Janeane ("Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics")

Trivia

• Aaron Sorkin was the creator and executive producer.
  • Thomas Schlamme and John Wells were also executive producers.
• The show was a popular and critical hit, finishing 27th overall in viewers and winning nine Emmy awards.
• The season was released on DVD on November 18, 2003.

Episodes

#	EPISODE	AIRDATE	WRITTEN BY
1	Pilot	22 SEPTEMBER 1999	Aaron Sorkin
	There are no ordinary events in the life of the nation's Chief Executive. A minor bicycle mishap becomes a mini-crisis for his staff, while a remark Josh made on TV may get him bounced from his job.
2	Post Hoc, Ergo Propter Hoc	29 SEPTEMBER 1999	Aaron Sorkin
	The President and the Vice President may have been on the same ticket, but they're not on the same page over a particular legislative bill. News of a terrorist attack comes to the White House.
3	A Proportional Response	6 OCTOBER 1999	Aaron Sorkin
	C.J. strikes a deal that may save the staff from national political embarrassment. On the international front, an increasingly on-edge President weighs potential responses to the recent terrorist attack.
4	Five Votes Down	13 OCTOBER 1999	Aaron Sorkin
	Presidential chief of staff Leo McGarry needs five more House votes to pass a bill restricting the sale of automatic firearms -- but the cost might be too high, especially if he has to go to the unpredictable Vice President to help put them over the top.
5	The Crackpots and These Women	20 OCTOBER 1999	Aaron Sorkin
	Leo instructs the senior staff to meet with various special interest groups. Toby voices strong opposition to many of President Bartlet's plans for an upcoming California trip. Meanwhile, the President virtually orders his staff to sample his prized chili when he arranges a reception for his Georgetown-bound daughter.
6	Mr. Willis of Ohio	3 NOVEMBER 1999	Aaron Sorkin
	Toby and Mandy work to convince some congressmen to approve a commerce bill that includes a vital census-counting provision. Elsewhere, C.J. swallows her pride and asks Sam for help to understand the basic components of the administration's stance on random census-taking in 2000.
7	The State Dinner	10 NOVEMBER 1999	Aaron Sorkin & Paul Redford
	As that night's stylish state dinner honoring the Indonesian president looms in the background, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) keeps his eye on a spate of potentially explosive problems.
8	Enemies	17 NOVEMBER 1999	Ron Osborn & Jeff Reno
	A crucial banking bill is at risk when political rivals of environmentally sensitive President Bartlet attach a land-use rider to it that would allow strip-mining some of the Montana wilderness while C.J. tries to kill a story that the Chief Executive chastised the Vice President during a cabinet meeting.
9	The Short List	24 NOVEMBER 1999	Aaron Sorkin Patrick Caddell
	When a Supreme Court justice retires, President Bartlet has a golden opportunity to impact the court's composition by nominating a favorite judge. In addition, a headline-seeking congressman (guest star Holmes Osborne) on the House Government Oversight Committee accuses the White House staff of substance abuse.
10	In Excelsis Deo	15 DECEMBER 1999	Aaron Sorkin Rick Cleveland
	As Christmas Eve approaches, President Bartlet eagerly sneaks out of the White House for some last-minute Christmas shopping, while a haunted Toby learns more about a forgotten Korean War hero who died alone on the district's cold streets while wearing a coat that Toby once donated to charity.
11	Lord John Marbury	5 JANUARY 2000	Aaron Sorkin Patrick Caddell
	The Kashmir border powderkeg becomes more explosive when the Indian army invades Pakistani-held territory, making the threat of a nuclear confrontation frighteningly real to President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), who calls in Lord Marbury (guest star Roger Rees, "Cheers"), an eccentric British diplomat with ties to both warring nations -- and a weakness for booze.
12	He Shall, from Time to Time...	12 JANUARY 2000	Aaron Sorkin
	The White House staff is in full crisis mode when President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) is found unconscious as he prepares for the State of the Union speech while the India-Pakistan border skirmish flares again when a fearful Pakistan gives its field commanders control of its nuclear arsenal.
13	Take Out the Trash Day	26 JANUARY 2000	Aaron Sorkin
	While President Bartlet and his staff debate the appropriate response to a controversial new sex education study, there are concerns that the parents of a murdered gay teenager should not attend the signing of a hate crimes bill because the father might be hateful against people who are LGBTQIAP+.
14	Take This Sabbath Day	9 FEBRUARY 2000	Aaron Sorkin
	After the Supreme Court refuses to stay the execution of a Federal prisoner convicted of killing two drug kingpins, President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) must decide whether or not to commute his sentence in less than 48 hours. Elsewhere, a deaf, combative campaign manager (guest star and Oscar winner Marlee Matlin) adamantly seeks an audience with the President on behalf of her Democratic congressional candidate.
15	Celestial Navigation	16 FEBRUARY 2000	Aaron Sorkin
	Sam and Toby are dispatched to Connecticut for some damage control and to secure the secret release of President Bartlet's primary choice (guest star and Emmy Award winner Edward James Olmos, "Miami Vice") for the Supreme Court, who has been jailed for alleged drunk driving and resisting arrest.
16	20 Hours in L.A.	23 FEBRUARY 2000	Aaron Sorkin
	President Bartlet and several of his staff head to Los Angeles for a whirlwind visit that is topped off by a star-studded fundraiser hosted by a wealthy film honcho (guest star Bob Balaban, "Seinfeld") who threatens to cancel the bash unless Bartlet announces his opposition to a congressional bill banning gays in the military.
17	The White House Pro-Am	22 MARCH 2000	Lawrence O'Donnell Jr. Paul Redford Aaron Sorkin
	The President's and First Lady's (guest star Stockard Channing) staffs feud over rival agendas when her public statements about foreign child-labor abuse inspires a Congresswoman (guest star Amy Aquino) to attach an amendment that will surely torpedo a long-delayed international tariff bill favored by the President.
18	Six Meetings Before Lunch	5 APRIL 2000	Aaron Sorkin
	An uncomfortable Josh is assigned to talk with the administration's nominee for assistant attorney general for civil rights (guest star Carl Lumbly, "Cagney & Lacey," "EZ Streets") who advocates that African-Americans receive financial reparations for slavery. Elsewhere, Sam crosses swords with Mallory (guest star Allison Smith) over the issue of private school vouchers.
19	Let Bartlet Be Bartlet	26 APRIL 2000	Peter Parnell Patrick Caddell
	Rumors percolate about a scathing memo that outlines the weaknesses of President Bartlet's administration for his political rival and grip the White House until C.J. learns it came from one of the trusted staff. Meanwhile, Sam and Toby meet with opposing military officers and congressmen to discuss amending the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy towards LGBTQIAP+ in the armed forces.
20	Mandatory Minimums	3 MAY 2000	Aaron Sorkin
	A newly energized President Bartlet bucks tradition and throws down the gauntlet when he names two Democrats -- both campaign finance reformers -- to the Federal Election Commission despite threats from his political opponents to introduce embarrassing legislation that would dare him not to sign.
21	Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics	10 MAY 2000	Aaron Sorkin
	While President Bartlet and his staff nervously await the results of a poll to determine his favorability rating, he begins a heady transfer of ambassadors and members of the Federal Election Committee designed to kickstart campaign finance reform and defuse a embarrassing incident overseas.
22	What Kind of Day Has It Been?	17 MAY 2000	Aaron Sorkin
	President Bartlet prepares for a town hall meeting with college students while the U.S. military races to find a downed American pilot in the Iraqi desert before the Iraqi military captures him. C.J. doesn't relish the notion of misleading the press over rescue preparations. Likewise, Toby tries to ignore updates from the distressed orbiting space shuttle which includes his brother.