The West Wing was originally broadcast in the United States on NBC.
The political drama premiered on September 22, 1999, and followed the fictional Democratic administration of President Josiah Bartlet. NBC carried the series throughout its seven-season run, which ended with the finale on May 14, 2006.
The show was created by Aaron Sorkin and developed after ideas connected to his earlier film The American President. Its ensemble cast included Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Rob Lowe, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford, John Spencer, and Janel Moloney. The series initially aired on Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. Eastern.
NBC later moved The West Wing to Sunday evenings for its seventh season. That scheduling change placed it against strong competition, including ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and CBS’s Cold Case, and contributed to a major ratings decline. Fox, CBS, and ABC were not the original U.S. network homes of the series.