The West Wing: Matthew Perry’s Joe Quincy Was Wasted On The Show
Matthew Perry’s performance on The West Wing earned him two Emmy nominations, but his character Joe Quincy was unfortunately underused.
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Matthew Perry impressed with his brief stint on NBC’s political drama The West Wing but his character Joe Quincy was unfortunately underused. The West Wing had a lot of great characters come and go after just one season or a handful of episodes. In fact, it was such a common thing the phenomenon even had its own name in The West Wing fandom; ‘going to Mandyville’. This is a nod to the abrupt departure of Mandy Hampton (Moira Kelly) after season 1, with the term referring to West Wing characters whose tenure ended suddenly and without explanation.
Joe Quincy, Matthew Perry’s West Wing character, was a victim of going to Mandyville too. Succeeding Ainsley Hayes (Emily Procter) as Associate White House Counsel to President Bartlet’s administration, Quincy appeared in just three West Wing episodes before disappearing into TV oblivion. Still, as short-lived as Perry’s West Wing role was, the Friends star certainly made an impact with what little time he had on the show.
Quincy’s first real day on the job came in Matthew Perry’s second West Wing episode “Life On Mars.” This season 4 episode gave the actor a great storyline to work with as Quincy unearthed a scandal involving Vice President John Hoynes (Tim Matheson, Child’s Play) and the extramarital affair he had with a Washington D.C. socialite that forced his resignation. Quincy returned in season 5 episode “Separation Of Powers” as part of another great plotline that saw him negotiate the retirement of his former colleague and close friend, the ailing Chief Justice Roy Ashland (Milo O’Shea).
Brief as it was, Matthew Perry’s West Wing guest role – especially his final episode – gave him a chance to show off his dramatic acting chops in a way his role as Chandler Bing on Friends didn’t allow. Perry went on to score two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Quincy and it would’ve been wonderful to see him play a more prominent role. Alas, his obligations to Friends probably prevented him from taking on any other major regular TV roles, hence Joe Quincy went to Mandyville after “Separation Of Powers.”
Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about a possible reboot of The West Wing and now Friends has long come to an end, Matthew Perry would be free to play a more prominent role as Joe Quincy. Perhaps West Wing fans might see Matthew Perry reprise his role in the not-too-distant future.
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