Season 5
The West Wing
Executive producer John Wells admirably attempts to maintain the spirit of Aaron Sorkin's vision after succeeding him, but The West Wing's fifth season is a sloppy changing of the guard that bears the Bartlet administration's agenda but possesses not of its finesse or flair.
62%
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Critic Ratings: 1384%
Audience Score
User Ratings: 77Where to watch
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Episodes
The desperate search continues for the president's abducted daughter; House Speaker Walken (guest star John Goodman) addresses the nation after news breaks that the president authorized assassination of a terrorist leader. Annabeth Gish also guest stars.
House Speaker Walken (John Goodman) presides over the bombardment of terrorist camps; Zoey's kidnappers deliver an ultimatum; Toby visits his newborn twins while drafting two presidential speeches that hinge on Zoey's fate.
Bartlet endures the painful process of nominating an appropriate candidate for vice president; Amy champions the first lady's violence-prevention provisions for an upcoming bill.
A North Korean pianist slips President Bartlet a message saying he wants to defect; a backdoor campaign seeks approval for the vice president (Gary Cole), but there is one holdout; Donna gives her aunt and uncle a tour.
Josh skirmishes with a conservative senator (Tom Skerritt) over a backlog of military promotions; the new vice president (Gary Cole) makes a flattering offer to Will; CJ's unscripted statements anger Leo.
Bartlet flies to Oklahoma to lend support to tornado victims, while Leo contends with crises that need the president's immediate attention; Josh lands in the dog house after a miscalculation costs the Democrats dearly.
Toby dispatches former Supreme Court clerk Joe Quincy (Matthew Perry) to check on the condition of the stricken chief justice; the president focuses on a crucial national television interview.
The president engages in a war of wills with the House speaker (Steven Culp), resulting in a government shutdown; Bartlet seeks to end the fiscal crisis by challenging Republicans in the halls of the Capitol.
News of relief workers jailed in northern Sudan oppresses the holiday spirit at the tree-lighting ceremony; the president welcomes his three daughters; Toby tries to keep the administration out of a debate over doctor-assisted suicide.
En route to a funeral, Bartlet discusses the burdens of office with a former president (James Cromwell) and the House speaker (John Goodman); a congresswoman demands the return of her state's Bill of Rights, stolen by a Union soldier.
The West Wing: Season 5 Photos
Tv Season Info
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Genre:Drama
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Network:NBC
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Premiere Date:Sep 24, 2003
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Executive producer:
Cast & Crew
Episodes
The desperate search continues for the president's abducted daughter; House Speaker Walken (guest star John Goodman) addresses the nation after news breaks that the president authorized assassination of a terrorist leader. Annabeth Gish also guest stars.
House Speaker Walken (John Goodman) presides over the bombardment of terrorist camps; Zoey's kidnappers deliver an ultimatum; Toby visits his newborn twins while drafting two presidential speeches that hinge on Zoey's fate.
Bartlet endures the painful process of nominating an appropriate candidate for vice president; Amy champions the first lady's violence-prevention provisions for an upcoming bill.
A North Korean pianist slips President Bartlet a message saying he wants to defect; a backdoor campaign seeks approval for the vice president (Gary Cole), but there is one holdout; Donna gives her aunt and uncle a tour.
Josh skirmishes with a conservative senator (Tom Skerritt) over a backlog of military promotions; the new vice president (Gary Cole) makes a flattering offer to Will; CJ's unscripted statements anger Leo.
Bartlet flies to Oklahoma to lend support to tornado victims, while Leo contends with crises that need the president's immediate attention; Josh lands in the dog house after a miscalculation costs the Democrats dearly.
Toby dispatches former Supreme Court clerk Joe Quincy (Matthew Perry) to check on the condition of the stricken chief justice; the president focuses on a crucial national television interview.
The president engages in a war of wills with the House speaker (Steven Culp), resulting in a government shutdown; Bartlet seeks to end the fiscal crisis by challenging Republicans in the halls of the Capitol.
News of relief workers jailed in northern Sudan oppresses the holiday spirit at the tree-lighting ceremony; the president welcomes his three daughters; Toby tries to keep the administration out of a debate over doctor-assisted suicide.
En route to a funeral, Bartlet discusses the burdens of office with a former president (James Cromwell) and the House speaker (John Goodman); a congresswoman demands the return of her state's Bill of Rights, stolen by a Union soldier.
Critic Reviews for The West Wing: Season 5
Audience Reviews for The West Wing: Season 5
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Dec 21, 2019The season of transition, so to speak. With Sorkin and co jumping ship after S4 the noticeable shift in writing styles is all too apparent for season 5. From a foundation of solid drama and subtle wit from earlier season, we now find a confused season 5 where all the lead characters seem to have grown massive chips on their shoulders, bickering and arguing with everyone; while also watering down the tight drama into a wishy-washy melodrama fit only for a second rate TV soap. That said, there are a handful of stellar episodes in "The Supremes", "Separation of Powers" , "Slow News Day" and "The Warfare of Genghis Khan". It is just a shame these are in the minority compared to the relative poor offerings from the remaining episodes.
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Jun 15, 2017What pervades the airs of the West Wing is greater distrust in each other, for accomplishing whatever is on the agenda. Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) and Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) bicker more frequently, Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) and Will Bailey (Joshua Molina) are each other's red alert, Abby Bartlet (Stockard Channing) gives close to zero shits about what the public thinks of her, and, generally, no one character seems to be able to find joy, even when the resources are right in front of them. And this is most true for President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), who is far less compromising with his staff, Congress, his family, his constituents, in the wake of a family tragedy. Not on the issues you might expect, though. Individual episodes still resound, be it for phenomenal performances by this now all-star cast, compelling topical discussions, or appreciable storytelling techniques. Still a great show, continuing to grow subtler in its development.
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Aug 28, 2014The season when the writers jumped the shark. Started well enough but it gets quite silly and overly preachy (again) towards the end. Plus, they killed off one of the best and most likable characters in the series, Admiral Fitzwallace. If they had killed off Toby and Will Bailey instead, it would have been a great season.
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