The West Wing: Season 3 [2001] (4 discs)

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• Although Lily Tomlin (Deborah Fiderer) did not join the cast until season three, episode twenty-two in 2002, her character was mentioned all the way back in season one, episode three ([A Proportional Response]) as Debbie DiLaguardia, the White House personnel employee, who first sent Charlie's resumé to Josh's attention. The name discrepancy is explained when she corrects Charlie (who has warmly greeted her as Mrs. DiLaguardia) by pointing out that she is no longer married to Mr. DiLaguardia, and she's plain old Ms. Fiderer now.
• Once while the show was filming in Georgetown at about three o'clock in the morning, an irate lady reportedly came out in a bathrobe with a bunch of guys. She said, "What the hell's going on? I have an early morning at the State Department, and, by the way, you people don't even have a Secretary of State on your show, and I think you should have one, and it should be a woman." The woman was Madeleine Albright.
• The Black Vera Wang - {Don't Know Why} by ^[?] Norah Jones, featured when CJ and her niece are shopping, also plays (albeit in a karaoke bar in Sorkin's other political program [The Newsroom].
• The Oval Office set originally designed by ^[?] Michael J. Taylor, was constructed for Dave and then subsequently used for The American President, which was also written by Aaron Sorkin and included Martin Sheen, Joshua Malina, and Anna Deavere Smith in its cast. It was also used during the filming of Contact, when the carpet, made by the original company, had to be replaced for twenty-eight thousand dollars.
• Final project of John Spencer, who quit acting in movies to fully concentrate in his role as Leo McGarry (which earned him one Emmy and two SAG Awards).
• Won the Best Drama Series Emmy in each of its first four seasons.
• In 2011, Kal Penn told The New York Times, that on the first night of his job in the Obama Administration's White House Office of Public Engagement, he was at the office until 11 p.m., and suggested to his colleagues that they order in some Chinese food. When his new co-workers told him that ordering food deliveries is not actually allowed in the White House, Penn's response was: "but they do it on West Wing!"
• Gone Quiet - Stockard Channing really did break her ankle in real life (it was a hiking accident). Rather than shelving the character or severely limiting where she could be shown, it was decided to give the First Lady the same injury in the show.
• The Indians in the Lobby - When the Butterball hotline operator recognizes President Bartlet's voice, he thinks fast and makes up that he sounds familiar because he "does radio commercials for... products" (instead of the real reason, which is that he is the president). Martin Sheen, who plays Bartlet, has actually done many radio voice-overs for products such as Midas Auto Shops and causes such as Catholics for Working Families. He is also a frequent guest performer on the radio variety program [A Prairie Home Companion].
• The Women of Qumar - Qumar is not a real country.
• Dead Irish Writers - Although the Americans refer to him as Lord John Marbury, Marbury describes himself as "John, Lord Marbury" and gives a list of his other family titles. This means that he should always be addressed as Lord Marbury, not Lord John. The two are mutually exclusive. The only way he could be Lord John Marbury would be if he were the younger son of a Duke or Marquess, and thus not due to inherit the actual family title.
• Stirred - The reason a martini would be stirred is not to avoid chipping the ice, but to prevent air from being dissolved rapidly into the gin causing it to taste bitter. Regardless, James Bond prefers a vodka martini which is indeed supposed to be shaken so that it will get colder faster.
• Isaac and Ishmael - This episode was written and filmed in less than two weeks as the show's reaction to the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. The episode was not written to be part of the show's continuity.
• Manchester: Part 2 - The map in the situation room uses the Peter's Projection. In the Season 2 episode, The West Wing: [Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail] CJ meets with a group that wants the White House to encourage use of the Peter's Projection.
• Gone Quiet - The Assistant Secretary of State, played by Hal Holbrook, refers to the U.S.S. Pueblo incident, saying, "I was there." Holbrook played the captain of the Pueblo in Pueblo.
• Enemies Foreign and Domestic - First appearance of Mark Harmon in a four episode arc as Secret Service agent Simon Donovan. It was Harmon's commanding performance that led ^[?] Donald P. Bellisario to cast him as Jethro Gibbs on [NCIS].