Season five of The West Wing follows the emotional and professional dilemmas that President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) faces after his youngest daughter Zoey has been kidnapped. To better deal with the crisis, the president temporarily passes down his Democratic government to Glen Allen Walken (John Goodman, Roseann), the Republican Speaker of the House. President Bartlet eventually returns to the Oval Office but the international and domestic issues that haunted him before continue. As season five unfolds, the president is forced to make imperative albeit difficult decisions in order to protect his country, his family and his life. Season five also marks the beginning of Executive Producer John Wells' debut as the new series writer following the departure of series creator Aaron Sorkin.
The ensemble cast for the fifth season includes Stockard Channing as First Lady Abigail Bartlet, Dulé Hill as President Bartlet's aide Charlie Young, Allison Janney as Press Secretary C.J. Cregg, Josh Malina as Will Bailey, Deputy Communications Director and later as Chief of Staff to the Vice President, Richard Schiff as White House Director of Communications Toby Ziegler, John Spencer as White House Chief of Staff Leo McGarry and Bradley Whitford as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman. Season five of The West Wing was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards scoring one win for Allison Janney for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
Special bonus features in the DVD set include:
In POTUS We Trust - Featurette that takes an in-depth look at President Bartlet and the man who helped define his character.
Gaza: Anatomy of an Episode - Featurette that documents the elements it took to create this true-to-life episode.
Political Missteps - Features deleted scenes.
Audio commentary by John Wells and Alex Graves on "7A WF 83429."
Audio commentary by John Wells and Christopher Misiano on "The Dogs of War."
Audio commentary by Alex Graves, Jessica Yu and Debora Cahn on "The Supremes."
