The West Wing/Trivia


 * Actor Allusion:
 * Hoynes' line about his alcoholism - "I liked beer a little bit too much in college." - may reference actor Tim Matheson's previous role as a drunken lout in the classic movie Animal House.
 * Abigail Bartlet makes a Sesame Street appearance to mollify the public about her having resumed medical work after voluntarily surrendering her license in the wake of a political scandal over her misusing it. Talking with the president's secretary about the Muppets' impending arrival, Abbey makes various knowledgeable remarks about the distinctions between the casts of Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, likely a reference to actress Stockard Channing's having appeared in several of the "Mad Painter" sketches on Sesame Street in the 1970s.
 * But I Play One on TV: After the first season, people around Hollywood started treating Martin Sheen like he was the President for real.
 * The Character Died with Him: John Spencer's death from a heart attack was written into the show. Several episodes where he was still alive aired after Martin Sheen's tribute to him before one episode, and the in-universe death occurs on "Election Night".
 * The Danza:
 * Connie Britton as Connie Tate during the re-election cycle.
 * Oliver Platt as Oliver Babish.
 * Disabled Character, Disabled Actor: Marlee Matlin (Joey Lucas) is deaf in real life.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Captain Greg Stillson Willard is the President, Rizzo is the first lady, FBI Director James Womack became the Chief of Staff, Eric Gordon is his deputy, Eddie Carr is the communications director, Billy Hixx is his deputy, Al Bundy is a governor and The Sheriff of Rottingham, Robin Colcord, is an ambassador. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
 * Nala the Lion is a media consultant (OK, it's actually a Hey, It's That Voice!), Elliot Weston is a reporter, and Lawrence Van Dough is White House Counsel.
 * Tackleberry is a Colonel.
 * Not to mention Hawkeye Pierce (with the help of Jill Taylor) and Bail Organa (with wife Pam Byrnes) running for president.
 * And Mayor Wilkins as the Secretary of Agriculture. I can just see the Giant Snake Demon plowing through the walls of the White House...
 * Q himself likes to give conservative, pandering advice to the President as a pollster.
 * Lucius Malfoy is a reporter in Palestine who takes an interest in the Deputy Chief of Staff's secretary.
 * Doc Brown is a famous constitutional scholar.
 * Jeremy Goodwin gets brought in as the new Deputy Communications Director, with stepsister Winnie Cooper for initial support.
 * Retroactive Recognition: Juno and Skeeter Phelan's mom was the White House press secretary (after work as Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's high school guidance counselor), and Gus used to be the President's personal aide.
 * Calleigh Dusquesne was a Blonde Republican Sex Kitten before joining up with Horatio and co.
 * Dr. Lisa Cuddy is a call girl! (Though, I'm pretty sure House already made that joke).
 * Her friend Jeanine from law school is Michelle Dessler.
 * Congressman David Wallace argued against gays in the military before becoming CFO of Dunder-Mifflin.
 * Ron Swanson as a wildlife campaigner. Who'd have thought...
 * Admiral Adama as a judge!
 * And Admiral Forrest arrested him due to racial profiling. Awkward...
 * Sometime between retiring as Chief of Police of New York City and raising a four generation cop family, Henry Reagan ran a drug company trying to work out a deal with AIDS-stricken African nations.
 * Leroy Jethro Gibbs as secret service protection for the Press Secretary.