The West Wing corrections

The West Wing (1999) - 16 corrections

starring Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, John Spencer, Joshua Malina, Martin Sheen, Richard Schiff, Rob Lowe, Stockard Channing

Comments made in brackets are corrections from other visitors. As such, any aggressive/abusive corrections (and I get quite a few) written as if they're comments I've made myself will be ignored. To submit your own corrections for mistakes, just click "make changes" when viewing mistakes, and click "correct entry". Some entries have "duplicated entry" after them - these are entries which were already listed on the main page, but were submitted again. I occasionally leave these online for a while, just in case they were moved in error, so don't worry about pointing them out to me.

Only show series: Whole show 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 All

Across whole show

There are occasional references throughout the show to the Bartlet family owning a farm in Manchester, NH. Manchester is the largest city in that state, and not in a rural area: saying they "have a farm in Manchester" would be like saying they "have a farm in Baltimore" (or Glasgow, for the UK readers among us). No one with roots in New Hampshire as deep as the fictional Pres. Bartlet's are supposed to be would ever be so inaccurate as to refer to the agricultural parts of the state as being Manchester. [Many people that live in the outskirts or suburbs of a large city say that they live in the actual city so that people not from that area know where they live. They may have meant the outskirts, or just outside of Manchester, rather than directly in the middle of it.]

In the first season, every employee in the west wing (except the president) is wearing an ID badge. Since then, only a few people are seen wearing them, but surely the policy of the White House hasn't changed since then? [After a while, the guards and Secret Service would come to recognize the "big players" - Leo, Josh, Toby. They wouldn’t be required to wear their badges, although others might be.]

Political consultant Mandy Hampton disappeared completely with absolutely no explanation between the first and second seasons. She was in the last episode of the first season and not in the first episode of the second (which took place only a few minutes later) and no one ever explained where she went. [Her departure is not explicitly explained to the viewer, but the fact that the show's characters are not similarly confused suggests they are aware of when and why she left, and have moved on. The actress' departure as well as the choice to not specifically explain it 'in-show' were both intentional, and are not mistakes. (Humorously, the writers could easily have killed her with the season-ending shooting, nice and smooth)] Corrected by John W Rosa

20 Hours in L.A. (series 1)

At the party, Donna leaves Josh to go talk to Matthew Perry after she spots him. Yet, in later episodes, Matthew Perry guest starred, playing White House counsel Joe Quincy. [Hardly a mistake though. You never see the 'Matthew Perry' that Donna leaves to speak to, it might be a different person. Even if it is the same person, Joe Quincy just happens to look a bit like Matthew Perry.] Corrected by umathegreatstationarybear

In Excelsis Deo (series 1)

During the funeral they only show 4 people. There should be at least one more. The Arlington Ladies are a group of volunteers dedicated to insuring that no soldier is buried alone. Each branch of the military has its own group that represents them. You can find more on them at www.arlingtoncemetery.net. [As Toby, Mrs. Landingham and the deceased's brother are all in attendance, this veteran is not 'alone'. A "Ladies" volunteer still may offer to attend such a service, but family and friends can opt to not accept the offer.] Corrected by John W Rosa

The title card tells us it's 12/23 sometime in the morning. Sam mentions he's going to Bermuda in 27 hours (so noonish on 12/24?). Later that day CJ asks if Sam and Josh are doing anything, "tonight?" Sam acts guilty and CJ offers to cook them dinner. Sam says he's leaving for Bermuda that night, which is not in the 27-hour time period previously mentioned. The next day, marked 12/24, Sam is in full black suit hanging around the White House. Granted, the flight could be leaving around noon and it may be only 9am. But no further mention is made of Bermuda. [The title card indicates 7:30am. Time passes without being marked, but the President meets with a large group of small school children (which we can assume isn't at 7:30am, but perhaps as early as 9am). Still later, Sam mentions to his assistant that he's going to be in Bermuda in 27 hours. Assuming that is around 10am, 27 hours is 1PM on 12/24. Later, Sam tells CJ he's leaving for Bermuda "tonight" but he's lying (poorly) to cover his visit with Josh to Laurie. The next morning (and we've established he's there 7:30am the previous day), Sam is in the office while CJ is heard telling reporters that today is a "half day". The episode ends still early that morning. Thus, Sam is putting in a couple of hours work on the 24th, then leaving for the airport in time for a less-than-two-hour flight that arrives in Bermuda in the early afternoon. No mistake.] Corrected by John W Rosa

The State Dinner (series 1)

Leo addresses the visiting President Sakuro as "Mr. President" twice. The proper form of address for a president other than the President of the United States is "Your Excellency." The White House Chief of Staff should know that. [So should George W Bush, but he addresses foreign presidents as "Mr. President" all the time (and rather famously greeted Prime Minister Tony Blair with "Yo, Blair". "Your excellency" is an optional term more often used for royalty, and less for elected officials. See this link for text of speeches wherein the US and Mexican Presidents do exactly as Leo did: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/03/20070313-9.html.] Corrected by John W Rosa

Five Votes Down (series 1)

In this episode the President says he has been married to Abby for 32 years. But later in the first season he says that she was dating someone else 30 years ago. [It is a natural (and not necessarily consistent) human trait to simply 'round off' numbers in conversation. I tell people I'm with my wife 25 years, even tho it's actually 22.5 now. My hour drive to work is really between 50 and 55 minutes. Merely a character choice.] Corrected by John W Rosa

The Stackhouse Filibuster (series 2)

When Josh is at his computer in front of a part-written e-mail, as Donna asks "what are you doing?" he taps a few keys, at most 10, and two new paragraphs appear on the screen. Can't just be pasting text from elsewhere, as that would involve fewer keypresses. [Not if he is copying, pasting and then doing a minor edit.] Corrected by John W Rosa

In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part II (series 2)

During CJ's 5th press briefing, she states that the Secret Service shot the gunmen with .726 caliber rifles. I find it unlikely that Secret Service sharpshooters would utilize a round almost 3/4 of an inch in diameter, when far more effective and efficient calibers exist. [All references to any weapons carried and used by the Secret Service has been removed from their official website, but 7.62mm (the correct caliber) is the standard caliber for Warsaw Pact rifles. 7.62mm is the common caliber for sniper rifles.] Corrected by Rlvlk

In the Shadow of Two Gunmen: Part I (series 2)

Josh is rushed to GW hospital with a collapsed lung and ruptured pulmonary artery. However, when Toby finds him at the shooting scene, Josh is holding his left abdomen, and the bullet, being fired from the building across the street, would have ranged downward, far from the pulmonary artery. [Bullets travel, deflect and even splinter. Example: The bullet can have struck the sidewalk, bounced upward, hitting him in the abdomen and traveling up under the ribcage, piercing his lung and cutting the artery.] Corrected by John W Rosa

Posse Comitatus (series 3)

In this episode, Charlie says that he was hired by Debbie Fiderer, and that she was fired for it. However, in season one, we see that Josh is the one that hires Charlie. [In the scene where Josh first interviews Charlie (who had applied for a messenger job), Josh says that "Mrs. DeLaGuardia in personnel" had sent Charlie to Josh because she thought Charlie would be a good candidate for the "body man" position. Mrs. DeLaGuardia was later fired for this, since the son of a supporter of President Bartlet's was supposed to get the job that ultimately went to Charlie. This is why Charlie fought so hard for Debbie Fiderer (who is actually Mrs. DeLaGuardia, now divorced and going by her maiden name) to get Mrs. Landingham's old job - he felt responsible for her being fired in the first place.]

Dead Irish Writers (series 3)

President Bartlett prides himself on his elocution and knowledge of trivia. However, as he escorts Abbey toward the party, he goes on about a vintage from the Willa-mette Valley. One would think he would know that Willamette is pronounced "Will-a-mette", with the emphasis on the second vowel. [The President has been shown to make mistakes, even when 'showing off' intellectually. This isn't the first time, and a minor gaffe in a private conversation. If this type of thing happened in a diplomatic situation and went un-noticed, it would be a 'mistake', but as is, it's merely a human trait.] Corrected by John W Rosa

Evidence of Things Not Seen (series 4)

When CJ Cregg is balancing the egg in the final scene, the clock on the wall says midnight, which in the show it is, but her wristwatch shows 7.20. [Wristwatch batteries go dead and people forget to wind watches, too.] Corrected by John W Rosa

Access (series 5)

At the end of this episode the narrator of the documentary claims that C.J. Cregg is the only woman in history to serve two full terms as White House Press Secretary. In later episodes C.J. is promoted to Chief of Staff; not serving a full eight years as Press Secretary. [The narrator only says "two terms", never "two full terms". Her first term was served in full, her second term partially served (perhaps 2/3 of it).] Corrected by John W Rosa

The Wake Up Call (series 6)

CJ is awakened at 03:45 Eastern time by Kate telling her about the British plane being shot down. This would have been 08:45 GMT and 12:15 Tehran time, so the Iranian Air Force must be pretty stupid shooting down a commercial airline in the middle of the day thinking it was a US spy plane. Plus when the radio transmissions come through to the President and Marbury we get told the Iranians can shoot the plane down at 02:33 GMT which would be 21:33 Eastern. So all the times between the US, the UK and Iran are pretty screwed, or Bartlett's administration isn't on the ball. [Regarding the suggestion that the Iranians would be 'stupid' to mistake a commercial jet for a spy plane (and thus it's a "movie mistake"), I submit that the US Navy shot down an Iranian passenger jet, thinking it was an F-14 Tomcat, in 1988 at about 10:35am local time (nearly the middle of the day)- proof that 'stupid' things can and do happen. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655.] Corrected by John W Rosa