The West Wing
Shutdown
Season 5, Episode 8 · Aired 2003-11-19
Synopsis
Jed's decision not to be held hostage by Haffley shuts down the federal government; unable to get through to Jed and fearing the worst, Leo calls in the reinforcements, and Abbey returns to Washington to deliver a message and provide her husband with a little perspective; after being benched from the staff meetings, Josh gets put back in the game by Jed and sets the stage for victory; disregarding the advice of more seasoned colleagues, Haffley makes a major misstep and loses his advantage over the White House; Jed and Haffley meet and reach an accord on the budget.
In the series
This episode is part of The West Wing (1999–2006) on NBC.
Walk-and-talk idealism — the White House as workplace epic.
Key cast
- Martin Sheen as President Jed Bartlet
- Allison Janney as C. J. Cregg
- Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman
- Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler
- John Spencer as Leo McGarry
- Dulé Hill as Charlie Young