Ever since The West Wing aired its finale back in 2006, we've been waiting in vain for another show to come along and fill the President Bartlet-shaped hole in our hearts.

And as much as we love Scandal, House of Cards and a handful of other stellar White House-set dramas that have emerged, nothing has really come close.



Aaron Sorkin's idealistic yet nuanced take on the politics behind the politics combined his characteristically razor-sharp dialogue with lovingly crafted characters and political insight.

Digital Spy has partnered with Sky - which offers the full Box Set of The West Wing - to take a look at what the cast have been up to since the show wrapped up its run.

Martin Sheen (President Jed Bartlet)

Getty Images/John M. Heller



Sorkin originally conceived the series as a completely behind-the-scenes affair where the President himself would never be shown, and even after Sheen was cast, the plan was to have him only appear in four episodes per season.

That changed fairly quickly once the pilot was filmed, and it became clear what a powerful central presence Sheen was as Bartlet - his character was the favourite with test audiences by a long way.

Since the show's end, Sheen has appeared in a handful of notable projects including Martin Scorsese's The Departed and Marc Webb's rebooted The Amazing Spider-Man. He has a recurring role as his real-life son Charlie's fictional father on FX sitcom Anger Management.

Sheen is also active within left-wing politics, and has lent his support to a huge array of causes including Earth First, Free The Children and the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

Members of the Democratic Party tried to persuade Sheen to run for the Senate in 2008, but he declined, telling them: "I'm just not qualified - you're mistaking celebrity for credibility."

Rob Lowe (Sam Seaborn)

James Sorensen/Getty Images/Jesse Grant



With Sheen on board, Sorkin was opposed to casting another film star to play what was originally intended to be the show's lead character. But as soon as Lowe auditioned, Sorkin began "thinking of stories for a character who has no idea he looks like Rob Lowe".

Sam was a fan favourite throughout the early years, but the show became more of an ensemble than Lowe had anticipated, and he departed during the fourth season after disputes regarding screen time and money.

Lowe has been a consistent presence on the small screen since: he starred alongside Sally Field and Calista Flockhart in ABC's Brothers and Sisters for four of its five seasons, and soon afterwards joined Parks and Recreation for five years as pathologically upbeat and health-conscious government official Chris Traeger.

Allison Janney (CJ Cregg)

Mike Ansell/Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic



Janney won viewers' hearts as arguably The West Wing's most iconic and fully-realised character, the strong and whip-smart yet endearingly vulnerable CJ. Her lip-synced rendition of 'The Jackal' alone qualifies her as a TV legend.

Since the show ended Janney has been a consistently entertaining presence in indie movies including Juno, Margaret and last year's The Way Way Back.

Last weekend, she pulled off the rare feat of winning two Emmy awards in one night for her roles in Showtime's Masters of Sex and CBS's Mom , having previously earned four for playing CJ.

Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman)

Getty Images/Michael Tran/FilmMagic



Whitford was initially offered the role of Sam despite auditioning for Josh, and had to convince Sorkin that he was a better fit for the latter role. Josh became one of the show's most beloved and prominent characters throughout its run; the season two opener in which he's shot remains a memorably emotional standout.

Whitford reunited with Sorkin on the short-lived Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and his character Danny Tripp - a television producer and recovering drug addict - is believed to be heavily based on both Sorkin himself and his long-time collaborator Thomas Schlamme.

More recently, Whitford played a memorable role in the Joss Whedon-penned horror movie Cabin in the Woods, and was a series regular on acclaimed but recently cancelled ABC sitcom Trophy Wife.

Richard Schiff (Toby Ziegler)

Michael Ansell/Getty Images/Andrew H. Walker



Schiff narrowly beat out Eugene Levy to play the White House's morose Communications Director. Despite his Eeyore-esque demeanour Toby embodies the idealism and patriotic spirit at the show's core, and the decision to have him fired in season seven angered both Schiff and many fans.

The actor returned to his stage roots for a period after the show ended, appearing on the West End stage in Underneath the Lintel among other productions.

Schiff has appeared regularly since in series including House of Lies, White Collar and Bones, and played military scientist Dr Emil Hamiltion in last year's Superman reboot Man of Steel. He's slated to appear in several upcoming releases including Seth MacFarlane's Ted 2 and the Entourage movie.

John Spencer (Leo McGarry)

Michael Ansell/Getty Images/Amy Tiernet/WireImage



Spencer was the only actor Sorkin had in mind to play the President's unflinchingly competent but warm Chief of Staff Leo, who acts as something of a father figure to most of the West Wingers.

Tragically, Spencer died of a heart attack in 2005, and Leo - who had suffered a heart attack on screen only a season earlier - subsequently passed away in the show, leading to an emotionally gruelling episode midway through season seven.

"You don't want to exploit anything, but we all felt that honouring his character in the show would have been something he'd be comfortable with," said Whitford.

Janel Moloney (Donna Moss)

Michael Ansell/Getty Images/Jim Spellman/WireImage



Not originally intended to be a regular, Moloney was promoted from guest star status after season one because the chemistry between her character and Josh was so palpable.

The sparky banter and unresolved romantic tension between Josh and Donna became key to the series all the way through to its finale, as did Donna's own career ambitions independent of her role as Josh's assistant.

Moloney has made guest appearances in shows including House, 30 Rock and The Good Wife, and can currently be seen as the catatonic Mary Jamison in HBO's The Leftovers.

Dulé Hill (Charlie Young)

Getty Images/Rommel Demano



Hill played the president's obliging, quietly steely personal aide Charlie throughout all seven seasons, and his performance was praised by real White House veterans as one of the show's most realistic portrayals of presidential staff.

Since 2006, Hill has starred on USA's Psych as pharmaceutical rep and private detective Gus, the long-suffering straight man to James Roday's eccentric Shawn Spencer.

Elisabeth Moss (Zoey Bartlet)

Mike Ansell/Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic



Less than a year after the show ended, Moss was cast in what would become an even more pivotal small-screen role: Mad Men's glass ceiling-smashing Peggy Olson.

Initially Don Draper's secretary, Peggy gradually works her way up to become Sterling Cooper's first female copywriter since the war, and her relationship with Don has become the emotional core of the show. The role has earned Moss five Emmy nominations, and she earned a sixth last year for Jane Campion's haunting Top of the Lake.

Moss's post-Mad Men career is looking similarly bright. Her romantic drama The One I Love earned raves at Sundance this year; she just completed filming on Ben Wheatley's JG Ballard adaptation High Rise, and she's one of several actors rumoured to be in negotiations for the second season of HBO's True Detective.

Joshua Malina (Will Bailey)

Getty Images/Joe Scarnici





After Rob Lowe's departure was announced in season four, several actors were rumoured to be in line to replace him, including Macaulay Culkin, Dermot Mulroney and Jon Cryer. Malina was eventually cast to play Sam's replacement Will Bailey.

While less well-known than many of the other contenders, Malina was an old friend of Sorkin's and had worked with him on every project since A Few Good Men.

After racking up a series of guest appearances on shows including House, Psych and Bones, and a recurring role on In Plain Sight, Malina returned to the White House on ABC's political drama Scandal. Promoted to a regular from season two onwards, Malina is a standout as white hat-wearing attorney David Rosen.

As with all Sky Box Sets, The West Wing is available on demand to watch whenever you want if you are a Family Bundle customer.

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