The West Wing Why Rob Lowes Sam Seaborn Left the Series

The West Wing: Why Rob Lowe’s Sam Seaborn Left the Series

Sam Seaborn was a fan-favorite character on The West Wing, but left in the fourth season along with actor Rob Lowe — here’s why.

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The West Wing Why Rob Lowes Sam Seaborn Left the Series

The West Wing completed its 7-season run in 2006, but its legacy of political drama walk-and-talks endures. Part of the show’s charm and success is due to the beloved character of Sam Seaborn, played by beloved actor Rob Lowe. Despite his charm and charisma, Sam was written out of the show in the fourth season as a result of disagreements over pay and the diminishing size of his role on the show.

Rob Lowe played Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn, a standout character of the first 4 seasons. Initially intended to be the main protagonist of the entire series, Sam was a principled speechwriter whose rigid morality and belief in the best of people sometimes got him into trouble.

Lowe’s departure from the series was bolstered by a number of behind-the-scenes reasons, most notably money. While Lowe was originally paid more than many other members of the cast, he was not granted a raise when many others were. Martin Sheen, who portrayed President Bartlet, had negotiated a raise that nearly quadrupled his salary, while the rest of the actors that played senior staff members had more than doubled their initial salaries. While sources say that The West Wing executives would have considered raising Lowe’s salary if he had been willing to wait a year, this slight likely contributed to Lowe’s decision to leave.

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Another reason for Lowe’s departure was his character’s diminished role in the series. While Sam had started out as the lead character — with much of the series’ premiere focused on his exploits — other characters had grown in popularity, eventually eclipsing Sam. Losing the limelight to other characters may also have contributed to Lowe’s decision to leave the show altogether.

Despite these behind-the-scenes conflicts, Lowe expressed nothing but love for The West Wing. In a statement about his decision to leave, he describes feeling lucky to depart the show in the same manner in which he arrived: “grateful for it, happy to have been on it and proud of it.” His castmates were similarly sad to see him go. According to Sheen, his costars were heartbroken over the loss. Regardless of any animosity over his salary, it seems that Lowe had truly bonded with the other actors and that he was genuinely missed.

Robe Lowe’s departure was written into the fourth season of The West Wing when Sam decided to run for Congress in a special election to replace the Democratic candidate who had won Sam’s home district posthumously. Sam’s campaign reduces Lowe’s role in the fourth season and paves the way for his disappearance from the main series. His character does, however, return for the final season of The West Wing to rejoin his friends in the new Santos administration, creating a nice bookend for the character and providing further evidence that, despite his departure, Lowe still loved the show.

Link Source : https://www.cbr.com/the-west-wing-why-rob-lowe-sam-seaborn-left/

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