Don't count The West Wing out yet. The once-mighty series may have lost much of its buzz, but its loyal and upscale audience was enough to filibuster cancellation. Still, expect major changes when the seventh season begins this fall — starting with a move to Sundays at 8 pm/ET. Budget and potential pay cuts may result in the exodus of some veteran cast members. And if producers have their way, a certain dead Desperate husband will be returning to Washington.
"We had a licensing reduction of 50 percent [from NBC], and every actor's contract has to be renegotiated," executive producer John Wells says. "My hope is that everybody is going to want to come back."
So far, Martin Sheen (outgoing President Jed Bartlet), Alan Alda (Senator Arnold Vinick) and Jimmy Smits (Congressman Matt Santos) are signed for the new season. So is Stockard Channing (First Lady Abigail Bartlet), who will shoot her West Wing scenes ar
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Will Jimmy Smits win The West Wing's upcoming fake Democratic presidential nomination? We're guessing that's pretty much a yes, though NBC's making viewers wait until the sixth-season finale on April 6 for full confirmation. But more importantly, do Smits' fans — who by then will have enjoyed him for 18 of this season's 22 episodes — need to worry whether he'll return for WW's seventh (and possibly final) year?
"All of us players who have been involved this season will be part of next season, in some form or another," Smits confirms. Regarding his chances of beating out Alan Alda to succeed Martin Sheen as the prez, he says, "My hiatus will be a little bit like, 'Hmm... I wonder, wonder, wonder.' I'm OK anyway it goes. The way [executive producer] John Wells set it up, there's so much fodder for story lines that could happen, and we're all up for that."
Smits' fans everywhere just let out a collective "Phew!" B
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Just call them Endangered Series — those unlucky shows whose declining ratings are killing their chances of survival. Is your favorite on the list? Here's a rundown of the programs that might get the ax to make room for next season's new shows.NBCThe West Wing has chosen Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda as candidates for a post-Bartlet White House, and NBC has reelected Wing for a seventh term, but only after Warner Bros. reportedly offered to halve the show's hefty license fee. Ad-buying executive Tim Spengler believes the political drama's appeal to upscale viewers, which makes it valuable to advertisers, convinced NBC to finance another fictional presidential campaign.
Other shows in NBC's danger zone: Third Watch,
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Back in 1979, Alan Alda played a Ted Kennedy-esque senator in The Seduction of Joe Tynan. He returns to fictional political office in tomorrow's West Wing (9 pm/ET on NBC). Although he's well-known to be a member of Hollywood's liberal set, Alda joins the cast as Republican senator — and presidential hopeful — Arnold Vinick. The M*A*S*H star denies having any political qualms about taking the role.
"Although this guy on The West Wing is a Republican, he's one of those [idyllic] candidates because he's moderate on social issues and conservative fiscally," Alda says. "He is willing to debate issues, looks to do good for his country and is not trying to use public service as a way to increase his holdings in the bank.
"What I'm trying to do with my character is to show what's possible in the democratic process, not look at how awful they are," he adds. "We see how awful it is every night on the news."
Alda
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As reported by TV Guide Online last month, Leo McGarry's sudden heart attack will prompt The West Wing's President Bartlet to appoint himself a new chief of staff: C.J. Cregg. In tonight's episode (9 pm/ET on NBC), the spunky press secretary learns the stunning news of her promotion. Yeah, we can just hear you asking, "Isn't the choice of a PR flack to fill Leo's shoes just a bit silly?" Well, here's what the flack in question thinks...
"I'm sure it came up with [the writers]," says Allison Janney, "and yet, they found it a fascinating way to go and not that far-fetched. At the White House, job descriptions don't necessarily define who trusts your input. It's more relationship-driven, and C.J. has proved herself a respected member of the administration.
"When I first heard about it, I was terrified," she admits. "Then I thought, 'Why not? It's TV.' C.J.'s a great role model. This is very positive for wom
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The real-life showdown between Dubya and Kerry happens next month, but The West Wing's timetable for presidential elections is, of course, different. They've got more complicated considerations than Washington politics, like actors' employment contracts!
Just to catch you up: Back in 1999, NBC's White House drama launched almost two years into President Josiah Bartlet's first term. In Season 4, Bartlet (aka Martin Sheen) defeated James Brolin to score himself a second term. Presidential fever heats up again in Season 6 (beginning Oct. 20 at 9 pm/ET) when various guest stars — including Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda — start surfacing as candidates for Sheen's Oval Office digs. The decision as to when Sheen will pass the torch rests entirely in the star's hands, though."This is the last year of Martin's contract, and he has to decide what he wants to do next," says executive producer John Wells. "It
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White House staffers Josh Lyman and Donna Moss have been through so much on The West Wing. When he was shot, she was there for him. Now, she's been injured in a terrorist car-bombing, and he's there for her. They've had it rough, but darn it, they're still single, available and breathing! So why don't these two political vets just hook up already?
According to Donna's portrayer, Janel Moloney, Josh and Donna will grow closer as she recovers from her injuries in that German hospital. "You get to see the relationship become very intimate," she tells TV Guide Online. "There's an intimacy and an emotionality that you haven't seen between them."
Now, hold on. This teasing thespian doesn't mean that kind of intimacy. "I'm not sure it's totally necessary to put them together," Moloney says. "Like a lot of us, [WW producer John Wells] has a fear it's gonna get silly if we start running around together romantically. Three-quarters of the
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Last spring, The West Wing's quirky creator, Aaron Sorkin, ended his four-year run as the drama's head writer. Fellow exec producer/director Tommy Schlamme also took a powder. That left exec producer John Wells in charge, and the cast worried about the show's future. Flash-forward now to 2004. How's life after Aaron? Last week, the residents of his fictional White House mulled it over at the Television Critics Association press tour in Hollywood.
"I can only speak for myself," said Bradley Whitford, who plays Josh Lyman, the deputy chief of staff. "It was a hugely emotional and difficult thing to see Aaron and Tommy go away. It was bewildering and disorienting.
"I always say, being on a one-hour dram
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For Hollywood actors, getting cast often does depend on who you know. With Rob Lowe's Sam Seaborn exiting The West Wing on Feb. 26, the show's faux White House needed a new deputy communications director. Hence, creator Aaron Sorkin tapped Joshua Malina — an alum of his old ABC comedy, Sports Night — to play Will Bailey. Talk about connections!
For Malina, it was a neat trick getting his face in WW's opening credits. "I started out with a five episode contract," the 37-year-old tells TV Guide Online. "It was 'five and we'll see' — and final
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