"West Wing" Terms Out

It's the little things that doom a presidency: the Depression; Watergate; Aaron Buerge proposing to Helene Eksterowicz.

The West Wing leaves office Sunday night having survived 154 episodes, seven seasons, cast and crew departures and the death of a beloved costar, but never having recovered from The Bachelor.

Once a Top 10 hit, the Oval Office drama faltered four seasons ago, when it was up against ABC's then-new, then-hot matrimonial-minded franchise. In one year, viewership fell 22 percent. And it never got back up. This season, the show was about as popular as such quickly forgotten series as The Book of Daniel and Threshold.

Sunday's finale, airing at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) on NBC, looks forward to a new administration that audiences will never see, barring a reunion movie or series sequel. Titled "Tomorrow," the episode takes place on Inauguration Day--Congressman Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) is moving into the West Wing; President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) is moving out.

In real life, Sheen is moving onto Ireland and undergrad studies; among his costars, Bradley Whitford is moving onto West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin's new Saturday Night Live-inspired series, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, starring Matthew Perry.

Borrowing from Will & Grace, The West Wing has loaded up on guest stars, or at least distinguished alumni, in its final days. Mary-Louise Parker, Marlee Matlin and Tim Matheson were among those who reprised their recurring roles in recent weeks. Rob Lowe, who left the show in 2003 after squabbling over his role and his paycheck, returns Sunday for a cameo as Sam Seaborn, Bartlet's former spin doctor.

Like the real Washington, D.C., the fake Washington, D.C., of The West Wing relied on a large, revolving crew of steady pros, not flashy stars, to get its business done. Since things tend to run smoother if the president sticks around, Sheen stuck around for the full run, his character having staved off several international crises, not to mention a 2002 campaign challenge from Barbra Streisand's better half.

Key West Wing staffers Whitford (as Josh Lyman), Janel Moloney (as Donna Moss), Allison Janney (as C.J. Cregg), Richard Schiff (as Toby Ziegler) and Dulé Hill (as Charlie Young) also remained loyal to the cause. Stockard Channing, as Bartlet's wife Abigail and the nation's first lady, appeared in more than 50 episodes from 1999 through Sunday.

John Spencer was a West Wing lifer, too, his battle-tested Leo McGarry, Bartlet's confidante and former chief of staff, was a linchpin of the show and a key player in this past season's election storyline (his character was Smits' running mate). When he died last Dec. 16 from a heart attack, it seemed a final, fatal blow to a series already listing. NBC announced West Wing's cancellation a month later, although the network said the pink slip was being written prior to the actor's death.

As far as Bartlet and company were concerned, McGarry lived on until April, when he died (off screen) on election night--something that would be called a neat dramatic twist had it not been necessitated by a real-life tragedy.

Spencer's death was the gravest of The West Wing off-screen dramas, which included the Lowe falling out, the 2001 salary holdouts of Janney, Schiff, Spencer and Whitford, the 2003 exits of Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme, and most recently, the reputed pay demands of unnamed "key castmembers" over a planned retrospective special.

NBC defused the last one by pulling the plug on the retrospective, once slated to air before the finale. In its place, at 7 p.m. (ET/PM) Sunday, the network will rerun the show's inaugural episode, originally broadcast Sept. 22, 1999.

Through it all, The West Wing won Emmys, lots of Emmys--24 for the series, including four for Outstanding Drama, four for Janney and one trophy each for Channing, Spencer and Whitford. Its haul puts it sixth on the all-time series wins list behind Frasier (37 Emmys), The Mary Tyler Moore Show (29), Cheers (28), Hill Street Blues (26) and The Carol Burnett Show (25). It's possible it could claim even more glory at this coming fall's Emmys--nominations are announced in July.

As a TV president, Sheen outlasted the likes of Geena Davis (of the one-and-done Commander in Chief), Patty Duke (of the one-and-done Hail to the Chief) and the marked chief executives of 24.

Perhaps if Aaron and Helene hadn't looked so in love, The West Wing would still be flying high--and Sheen would be lobbying for an end run around term limits.