The West Wing (television)

The West Wing is a popular and widely acclaimed American television serial drama created by Aaron Sorkin for NBC which has aired since 1999 and is currently airing shows from its seventh season in its new time slot, 8pm on Sundays (Eastern and Pacific). The show is set in the White House ? which serves as the residence of the President and his family ? during the fictional Democratic administration of Josiah "Jed" Bartlet. The West Wing of the White House is the location of the President's Oval Office and the offices of most of his senior staff. The show is produced and co-written by John Wells.

The West Wing universe

The West Wing parallels the real world in many ways, yet also has several key differences. Sorkin, the show's creator, has noted in a DVD commentary track for the second season episode "18th and Potomac" that he has tried to avoid tying the show to a specific period of time. Despite this, real years are occasionally mentioned (usually in the context of elections, see below) and the show's events take place during President Bartlet's two-term administration.

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Some real-world leaders such as Queen Elizabeth II, Fidel Castro, and Yasser Arafat exist, or have existed, in the show's universe, but most foreign countries are given fictional rulers (the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is female, for example). Fictional countries are also invented —"Qumar," a terrorist-sponsoring Middle Eastern state based in part on both Taliban Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, is repeatedly a source of trouble for the Bartlet administration. According to maps shown on the show, Qumar appears to consist of a small part of southern Iran, including the important Strait of Hormuz. Another hotspot is "Equatorial Kundu," an African nation blighted by AIDS and civil war, resembling that of Sudan and Somalia. The September 11, 2001 attacks did not unfold in the same way in which they did in the real world, but the country has entered into a variation of the War on Terrorism, which began with the end of Season 4 when Zoey Patricia Bartlet, the president's youngest daughter, was kidnapped by Muslim extremists. Like 9/11, this act sparked an invasion and bombing campaign of a terror-supporting Muslim country. Osama bin Laden exists on the show as of Season 2 and he is apparently still at large; it is unclear if he has prominence in terrorism. Some recent concerns have also been reflected in the show; in the West Wing universe, for example, North Korea has nuclear ambitions similar to those it has in the real world. Iran also allegedly pursues nuclear weapons, and the International Space Station is faced with problems recirculating oxygen. Some world events happened as they did in our world but with different Presidents in office. The US invasion of Grenada in 1983 happened, as did the 1990-1991 Gulf War. Also US forces have been mentioned taking part in operations in Bosnia. The 1998 Irish Good Friday Agreement is also mentioned with, presumably Republican President Owen Lassiter as a major player in its drafting rather than Bill Clinton as he never was President in this world.

Related Topics:
Queen Elizabeth II - Fidel Castro - Yasser Arafat - Qumar - Middle East - Taliban - Afghanistan - Saudi Arabia - Iran - Strait of Hormuz - Equatorial Kundu - Africa - AIDS - Sudan - Somalia - September 11, 2001 attacks - War on Terrorism - Zoey Patricia Bartlet - Osama bin Laden - North Korea - International Space Station - Grenada - Gulf War - Bosnia - Good Friday Agreement - Owen Lassiter - Bill Clinton

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