Specials
Two special episodes, not part of the official continuity, were produced to complement the series and broadcast on NBC. The first was a terrorism-themed episode produced in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The episode pushed the scheduled season premiere back a week and encouraged viewers to donate to charity—profits from the episode and cast members' weekly pay were also donated. The episode "was written and produced in record time" – less than three weeks. Although charitable, timely, and well-intentioned, the episode was criticized for being condescending and preachy.
The second special interspersed the characters' fictional lives with interviews of real West Wing personnel, including Presidents Ford, Carter and Clinton; press secretaries Marlin Fitzwater and Dee Dee Myers; presidential advisors David Gergen, Paul Begala and incumbent Karl Rove; Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; Chief of Staff Leon Panetta; presidential personal secretary Betty Currie; and speechwriter Peggy Noonan. The documentary won a Primetime Emmy Award in 2002 for "Outstanding Special Class Program". Both episodes ran within the season 3 television season and were included on the season's DVD.
A third retrospective "clip-and-interview" special was slated to air in the hour before the series finale; however, it was axed and replaced with a re-run of the "Pilot" episode, as cast members were not contracted to do the special and there were disputes over pay.
| Special No. |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Rating/share | Original airdate | Production code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | "Isaac and Ishmael" | Christopher Misiano | Aaron Sorkin | 18.0/25 | October 3, 2001 (2001-10-03) | 227206 |
| S2 | "Documentary Special" | William Couturié | Eli Attie, William Couturié & Felicia Willson (interview materials) | 11.7/17 | April 24, 2002 (2002-04-24) | 227223 |
Read more about this topic: List Of The West Wing Episodes