''Mister Sterling'' is an American serial

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television series created by Lawrence O'Donnell for

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

. The series ran from January 10 to March 14, 2003. Starring

Josh Brolin Joshua James Brolin (; born February 12, 1968) is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as ''The Goonies'' (1985), '' Mimic'' (1997), '' Hollow Man'' (2000), '' Grindhouse'' (2007), '' No Country for Old Men'' (2007), '' American Gan ...

as an idealistic United States

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, the series featured

Audra McDonald Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...

William Russ William Russ (born October 20, 1950) is an American actor and television director. He played Alan Matthews on the sitcom '' Boy Meets World'' (1993–2000) and appeared in the television series '' Wiseguy'', the soap operas '' Another World'' an ...

David Noroña David Noroña, usually simplified as David Norona, (born December 14, 1972) is a Cuban American actor and director who has appeared in films including '' Though None Go with Me'', TV series including ''The Mentalist'' and '' Jack Ryan'', and variou ...

, and

James Whitmore James Allen Whitmore Jr. (October 1, 1921 – February 6, 2009) was an American actor. He received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Theatre World Award, and a Tony Award, plus two ...

as members of his staff. Despite mostly positive reviews, the series aired on Friday nights. It was cancelled after 10 episodes after the show only ranked 58th in the yearly ratings (9.83 million viewers, 6.7/12 rating/share) Although it had numerous similarities to ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'' in style and tone (especially the show's idealistic attitude towards politics) and the unnamed president in the series is stated to be a Democrat, it was not set in the same universe as O'Donnell's other political show. It is unknown if a cross-over would have ever occurred had ''Mister Sterling'' not been cancelled; however

Steven Culp Steven Bradford Culp (born December 3, 1955) is an American actor. Culp appeared in films '' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'' (1993), ''James and the Giant Peach'' (1996), ''The Emperor's Club'' (2002), and most notably in the 2000 politica ...

played presidential aspirant Sen. Ron Garland on ''Mister Sterling'' and House Speaker Jeff Haffley on ''The West Wing'', and Democrats appeared to be in the majority in the US Senate on ''Mr Sterling'', while in ''The West Wing'' consistent Republican control of both Houses of Congress was a key plot point.

was nominated for a 2003

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for playing former Governor Bill Sterling, the senator's father. The series was produced by Bernadette Joyce, co-producer; Garry A. Brown, co-producer; Michael Dinner, co-executive producer; Sandy Frank, co-producer; Jim Hart, co-executive producer; Jeff Melvoin, co-executive producer; Andrea Newman, producer; Lawrence O'Donnell, executive producer; Chip Vucelich, co-producer; William Bradley, consulting producer.

Cast

as Bill Sterling *

as Jackie Brock *

as Tommy Doyle * David Norona as Leon Montero *

as Bill Sterling, Sr. (recurring role)

Characters

Senator Sterling's office

*Senator Bill Sterling (I-California) *Chief of Staff Jackie Brock *Legislative Director Tommy Doyle *Legislative Assistant Leon Montero *Secretary Pat Conway (Dale Raoul) *Deputy Press Secretary Derek Larner (Dean Cameron)

Senators

*Senator Albert Bailey (D-CA) **Sterling was appointed to his seat after Bailey died of a heart attack. *Senator Burt Gammel (R-Louisiana) **Senate Minority Leader *Senate Majority Leader (D-New Mexico) *Senator Dan Wilson (D-Illinois) *Senator Jack "Thunder Hawk" Jackson (R-Arizona) *Senator Kate Robertson (Nevada) **Elected in 1998. *Senator Millman *Senator Ron Garland (R-Ohio) **Running for the Presidency. *Senator Bowles *Senator Dave Crandall (D-Delaware) *Senator Roger Morris (D) *Senator Andersen *Senator Buckley *Senator Burke *Senator Carver *Senator Gilmartin *Senator Lane *Senator Eaton *Senator Porter *Senator Preston *Senator Raymond *Senator Smith *Senator Stanton *Senator Stewart *Senator Taylor *Senator Trimble *Senator Troy *Senator Grayson

Governors

*Governor Carl Marino (D-CA) *Former Governor William Sterling (D-CA)

Lobbyist

*Barry Reed

Democratic leadership

*Arthur Peyton, Executive Director of the

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is the Democratic Hill committee for the United States Senate. It is the only organization solely dedicated to electing Democrats to the United States Senate. The DSCC's current Chair is Se ...

, former Chief of Staff to Senator Bailey (D-CA)

Senate contenders

This is a list of candidates who are running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Bill Sterling:

Democrat

*Anthony Marino, son of the Governor (D-CA) *Chuck Stanley, millionaire (D-CA) *G.M. Clooney, coffee maker (D-CA)

Republican

*Sarah Burwell (R-CA) *Congressman Bob "The Bomber" Brennan (R-CA)

Other

*Lauren Barnes, Actress *Laura Chandler, Reporter (Chandra West) *Rebecca Everton, Assistant

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development The United States secretary of housing and urban development (or HUD secretary) is the head of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, a member of the president's Cabinet, and thirteenth in the presidential line of succe ...

Episodes

References

"Testing Our Mettle"
review by Andrew Stuttaford, ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...

'', January 31, 2003
"Mister Sterling"
reviewed by Ken Tucker, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'', January 17, 2003
"Sterling silver"
by Heather Havrilesky, '' Salon.com'' Magazine, February 27, 2003

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0348966 2000s American drama television series 2003 American television series debuts 2003 American television series endings NBC original programming Television shows set in Washington, D.C. 2000s American political television series Television series by Universal Television