Winning the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series four years in a row, The West Wing was a huge critical and commercial hit. The political drama was an incredibly written show taking place in the White House that kept viewers entertained for its entire seven-season run from 1999 to 2006. Now the 28-disc The West Wing: Complete Series Blu-ray has been released, giving fans a chance to own the whole series in HD.
“The West Wing ventured where no other TV series had gone before: an extraordinarily intimate look at an American President and the inner workings of the White House. Experience all the crises, triumphs, lofty idealism, and hard realities of the acclaimed series that won 26 Emmys, including 4 for Outstanding Drama Series,” says the description.
What is there to say about The West Wing that hasn’t already been said? This is Aaron Sorkin’s sharp writing at his peak, the show that popularized the walk and talk, and this set features seven highly bingeable seasons available on Blu-ray for the first time. It’s top-tier television that is boosted by some really great performances by Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, and Alan Alda in the final two seasons.
While the show is entertaining for its entire run, there’s no doubt that it peaked with the first four seasons, which focused on Rob Lowe’s Sam Seaborn. Season 5 would feature a creative shakeup as Sorkin, main director Thomas Schlamme, and Lowe all left. John Wells did a good job of taking over as head writer, though, with the final two seasons featuring a very entertaining election storyline after a slightly bumpy transition period.
While a lot of complete collections don’t feature many special features, that isn’t the case here. There are over 20 commentaries across the seven seasons, and each season has behind-the-scenes featurettes (and unaired scenes for Seasons 1-5). There are two really solid documentaries included as well, so you’re getting a lot to chew on either as you go along or after you wrap up your rewatch.
It’s also worth noting that the packaging for The West Wing: Complete Series Blu-ray is quite nice. Housed in a sturdy box sits two separate Blu-ray volumes, with the first four seasons in one and then the final three in the other. Some other complete collections put them all in one case, which can be quite unwieldy and this is a far better alternative.
The West Wing: Complete Series Blu-ray Review: Final Verdict
The West Wing: Complete Series Blu-ray is an easy recommendation for fans of the legal drama. The show looks great in high definition, has aged about as well as any political show can, and features some standout performances across its 156 episodes. Throw in many hours of special features, and you have an appropriately rich set for one of the greatest television series ever.
Disclosure: ComingSoon received the product from the distributor for our The West Wing: Complete Series Blu-ray review.