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Season 4 – The West Wing

Play trailer Poster for Season 4 – The West Wing Sep 2002 Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 13 Reviews 98% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Cutthroat presidential advisers get their personal lives hopelessly tangled up with professional duties as they try to conduct the business of running a country. Fictional Democratic President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet suffers no fools, and that policy alienates many. He and his dedicated staffers struggle to balance the needs of the country with the political realities of Washington, D.C., working through two presidential terms that include countless scandals, threats and political scuffles, as well as the race to succeed Bartlet as the leader of the free world.
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The West Wing — Season 4

The West Wing — Season 4

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Critics Consensus

The pressure of re-election reinvigorates both the Bartlet administration and The West Wing itself in a comeback season that'll leave viewers rooting for four more years.

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Critics Reviews

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Mike Duffy Detroit Free Press 07/10/2023
In Aaron Sorkin's admirably optimistic storytelling world, the jaded cynics and attack dogs of American political discourse haven't hijacked the democracy bus. Go to Full Review Gerard Gilbert Independent (UK) 07/07/2023
The White House of President Josiah Bartlet may be anachronistically (nostalgically, even) Clintonesque, but Aaron Sorkin's political saga is still one of the most intelligent, savvy and richly comic dramas currently on TV. Go to Full Review David Hiltbrand Philadelphia Inquirer 07/07/2023
Mr. Speaker, my fellow Americans: The state of the series is sound -- despite what you may have heard. Go to Full Review Terry Lawson Charlotte Observer 07/07/2023
4/4
Too suspenseful and surprising to ruin. Go to Full Review Alan Pergament Buffalo News 07/07/2023
It was an uneven year for West Wing, but outgoing writer Aaron Sorkin certainly left with a bang. Go to Full Review Basem Boshra Montreal Gazette 07/07/2023
With all the series has working for it, I think it's safe to say the prospects for a rejuvenated West Wing this season are about as solid as those for a Barlet re-election. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Hunter B. @JohnRickC-137 Jan 30 Didn’t think it could get any worse, toby is absolutely horrible in this. See more Mick O. @Greenguy33 Dec 29 If only we could have Bartlett as our real President! See more William D @Williams0604 12/18/2023 This is the greatest show ever made. See more 05/01/2017 You know how most horror/science-fiction/fantasy shows have a season where our heroes have made some grave mistake, or pissed off the wrong people, and are unknowingly sending themselves into a trap that will inevitably give evildoers the upper hand? Imagine this trope within a reasonable alternate reality of U.S. politics. Not to say that this season is full of gloom. Implicit gloom, yes, even after the election is over. It's a season that specializes in building hope it plans to destroy by the end of the episode, a different approach from its previous seasons. Each season feels closer to the post-golden age we live in now, and I imagine matters are not going to look much brighter by next season. (Although *SPOILERS* with a missing daughter to the President and John Goodman as Republican Speaker of the House in temporary charge of the White House, it would HAVE to look brighter soon.) See more Grant S @grantss 08/01/2014 It's between this and Season 3 for the best West Wing series. Good drama, and less preachy and idealistic than the first two series. On the down side, Toby is still there and Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) has been replaced by the almost-as-irritating-as-Toby Will Bailey (Joshua Malina). See more 02/19/2014 This is where it all goes downhill . . . for obvious, too obvious a reason . . . See more Read all reviews
The West Wing — Season 4

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Cast & Crew

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Rob Lowe

Sam Seaborn

Martin Sheen

President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet

Bradley Whitford

Dep. Chief of Staff Josh Lyman

John Spencer

Chief of Staff Leo McGarry

Richard Schiff

Communications Dir. Toby Ziegler

Allison Janney

Press Secretary Claudia Jean "C.J." Cregg

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 25, 2002 20 Hours in America President Bartlet hits the campaign trail; a probe into the circumstances surrounding a downed airplane deepens. Details Episode 2 Aired Sep 25, 2002 20 Hours in America President Bartlet hits the campaign trail; a probe into the circumstances surrounding a downed airplane deepens. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 2, 2002 College Kids The president's team gathers lawyers for an assassination inquiry; Sam, Toby and Josh hatch a new idea to pay for college education. Details Episode 4 Aired Jan 8, 2004 The Red Mass The president greenlights a raid on homegrown terrorists in Idaho; the staff tries to negotiate more debates with Bartlet's Republican rival. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 16, 2002 Debate Camp An Israeli air strike in Qumar interrupts Bartlet's preparations for presidential debates; the staff reflects on the administration's early days in Washington, D.C. Details Episode 6 Aired Oct 30, 2002 Game On President Bartlet engages in what may be the final debate of his political career. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 6, 2002 Election Night President Bartlet and his staff count exit poll results on election day; Sam pays close attention to a conservative congressional district in California. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 13, 2002 Process Stories Election night draws to a close. Details Episode 9 Aired Nov 20, 2002 Swiss Diplomacy The Iranian leader makes a secret request of Bartlet to allow his son to be flown to the United States for life-saving surgery. Details Episode 10 Aired Jan 8, 2004 Arctic Radar Sam packs up to begin his California campaign; C.J. deals with a reporter who is upset with his seat assignment in the press room. Details Episode 11 Aired Dec 11, 2002 Holy Night A winter storm blankets the Northeast with snow; a White House staffer gets a surprise visit from his father; Bartlet and Leo hear footsteps. Details Episode 12 Aired Jan 8, 2003 Guns Not Butter The staff pulls together to fight a losing battle in the Senate over foreign aid. Details Episode 13 Aired Jan 15, 2003 The Long Goodbye C.J. returns to Dayton, Ohio, for her 20th high-school reunion, encountering a rich and handsome classmate (Matthew Modine). Details Episode 14 Aired Feb 5, 2003 Inauguration An international incident prompts the staff to rewrite the president's address on the eve of his inauguration. Details Episode 15 Aired Feb 12, 2003 Inauguration: Over There The staff scuttles the president's inaugural speech, as the White House moves closer to a military action. Details Episode 16 Aired Feb 19, 2003 California 47th President Bartlet is willing to campaign on Sam's behalf, but controversy over the president's tax plan may cause more harm than good. Details Episode 17 Aired Feb 26, 2003 Red Haven's on Fire The president waits for the results of a military rescue mission in Africa; Toby tries to help Sam with his congressional campaign. Details Episode 18 Aired Mar 26, 2003 Privateers Abbey seeks to torpedo a foreign aid bill with an anti-abortion rider attached; Toby gets into a legal bind when an ex-classmate blows the whistle on a chemical company. Details Episode 19 Aired Jan 8, 2004 Angel Maintenance A warning indicator leads the crew of Air Force One to believe the landing gear may have malfunctioned. Details Episode 20 Aired Apr 23, 2003 Evidence of Things Not Seen The staff remains under lockdown after a gunman fires at the White House; Josh interviews a candidate (Matthew Perry) for the position of associate counsel. Details Episode 21 Aired Jan 8, 2004 Life on Mars A minor press-leak begins to snowball until it becomes a major problem discovered by the new White House attorney (Matthew Perry). Details Episode 22 Aired May 7, 2003 Commencement The president works on a speech to give at Zoey's graduation; several suspected terrorists disappear; Charlie decides whether to follow through a romantic promise he made to Zoey when they were dating. Details Episode 23 Aired May 14, 2003 Twenty-Five President Bartlet shuts down Washington, D.C., and orders the Fifth Fleet to the Persian Gulf, as he contends with a national crisis on the night of his daughter's graduation. Details

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The West Wing — Season 4

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Season Info

Director
John David Coles, Vincent Misiano, Alex Graves, Christopher Misiano, Lesli Linka Glatter, Jessica Yu, Bill D'Elia
Executive Producer
Aaron Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, John Wells
Screenwriter
Aaron Sorkin, Mark Goffman, Eli Attie, Kevin Falls, Debora Cahn, Josh Singer
Network
NBC
Rating
TV-PG
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 25, 2002