Aaron Sorkin, the creator of The West Wing, originally wrote Josh Lyman with long-time friend Whitford in mind.

[3] In researching the role, Whitford said he found former Clinton communications director George Stephanopoulos's book All Too Human very helpful, "just because it gave a sense of the sort of smell and the texture and the level of intimacy with the president, which I was just unaware of.

[14] However, when trying to explain his lack of skill in serious relationships, he claims that his IQ does not "break the bank," so he had to work hard in college, quipping that "by the time [his] roommates notched their 100th party of the year, I think I got my first full night of sleep.

His father died in 1998 on the night of the Illinois primary, after developing an unexpected pulmonary embolism while undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified form of cancer.

[19] Though idealistic like every other member of the Bartlet administration, Josh is perhaps the most willing to resort to less-than-honorable tactics and on occasion suggests solutions and methods that others in the staff would not condone.

In the first-season finale, Josh is critically wounded by gunfire during an assassination attempt on African-American presidential aide Charlie Young.

Josh undergoes fourteen hours of surgery and is subsequently put through intensive psychotherapy with psychiatrist Stanley Keyworth after displaying symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, including raising his voice to President Bartlet in the Oval Office and breaking a window in his apartment.

[22] Josh's position in the Bartlet administration is temporarily compromised after he leaks information to the press about an anonymous hold on military promotions placed by Idaho Senator Chris Carrick.

Carrick tries to secure a promise from the White House that a missile defense system will be built in his home state, but Josh's competitive nature will not allow him to make a compromise.

Ultimately Santos wins the nomination after an inspiring convention speech that was expected to be a concession, and behind-the-scenes maneuvering by President Bartlet.

Josh's assistant Donna Moss, portrayed by Janel Moloney, was originally slated to be a minor recurring character; however, the chemistry between the two actors caught producers' attention early on.

Although Mandy Hampton was originally intended to be Josh's romantic interest, by the end of the show's first season the character had been written out and the role taken over by Donna.

Sorkin admits that he was more inclined to move the relationship forward, but every time he discussed the possibility fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme would shout, "No!

[34] Following Sorkin and Schlamme's departure from the series at the end of the fourth season, the relationship takes some new turns, with Donna attempting to broaden her horizons past Josh and pursue her own social life outside of the White House.

In season 5, when Donna is badly injured in a terrorist attack in Gaza, Josh rushes to keep vigil at her bedside at a military hospital in Germany.

In the sixth-season episode "Impact Winter," Donna quits her job as assistant to Josh, seeing no chance of career advancement.

Donna applies for a job in the Santos for President campaign in the Season 7 premiere "The Ticket," but Josh finds himself forced to reject her as she is on record trashing his candidate while she was working for the other team.

In the Season 7 episode "The Cold," Josh and Donna kiss passionately as she brings him the good news that Congressman Santos has caught up to Vinick and that they are tied in the national tracking polls.

After Santos is elected, Josh quickly resolves to include Sam (who lost his congressional bid) by flying out to Los Angeles on a same day round trip and offering him the position of Deputy Chief of Staff.

Bartlet regards his young Deputy Chief of Staff as an integral part of the machine that makes the White House run properly; the brain behind the political strategic planning of the administration.

During the primary and general election, Josh works to keep Santos from making any comments that would put Bartlet in any form of negative light.

When Josh first meets then-Congressman Matt Santos he is impressed by his conviction and sees in him the same willingness to put his beliefs before political profit as he did in President Bartlet.

The two start a close relationship which appears to be complicated when they got into a number of fights—for example, in the Season 6 episode "La Parabla", Josh urges Santos not to put his personal financial future at risk just to continue the campaign—but they clearly care for each other.

They go on to say that while Josh and Donna's relationship was perceived as flirtatious and romantic in the time it was released, viewing the show after the Me Too movement shed a negative light on their story.

The Post calls it "The Donna Problem" - that society and culture have moved on from what was acceptable back then, and now shows that are still well-written and produced are relics of that older time.

The relative public anger at the release of the list on social media, particularly of Lyman's low ranking, prompted two of the writers to interview themselves on a separate piece.

The writer who gave the bad ranking, Kevin O'Keefe, explained that he saw Josh as "loud and immature... his attitude towards women – including and especially his treatment of his assistant Donna – is pretty terrible."

O'Keefe also drew a parallel to Will McAvoy on another television show by Aaron Sorkin, The Newsroom, talking about a similarity in their pattern of sexual harassment.

The writer who rated Lyman the highest, David Sims, argued that Josh is well-written regardless of his attitude, and is a central figure to the show.

[42] Vulture ranked Josh as 7th on their list of all characters created by Aaron Sorkin, remarking that he takes his professional position quite personally.