Spin City - Characters

Characters

• Michael J. Fox as Mike Flaherty

Deputy Mayor of New York and womaniser. Flaherty lives in a New York apartment and is constantly juggling his personal life and his job, trying to maintain a healthy balance between the two. Mike leaves the show at the end of season 4, after taking the hit for an unknown mob connection the Mayor had. He returns for the first three episodes of the sixth season, as we see him get married.

• Charlie Sheen as Charlie Crawford

Replacement for Mike during the final two seasons. He too is a womaniser and at first struggles to keep his troubled past from getting in the way of his new job. He eventually becomes romantically involved with Caitlin by the end of the series' run. He was romantically involved with Jennifer Duncan, played by Sheen's real ex-wife Denise Richards. His father is also played by real life father Martin Sheen.

• Carla Gugino as Ashley Schaeffer

Journalist and romantic interest for Mike during the first twelve episodes. She was written out when the show started to focus more on the workplace. She returned once more in Season 3.

• Heather Locklear as Caitlin Moore

Caitlin came into the show in Season 4, to ease Michael J. Fox's workload after he announced he had Parkinson's Disease. Her job was as the marketing campaigner and took her desk where James used to reside, while James became Mike's secretary. She was romantically involved with both leads during the end of each of their respective tenures on the show.

• Richard Kind as Paul Lassiter

Press Secretary at City Hall. A known cheapeskate and gullible member of the group, often being mislead in regards to practical jokes or slip ups at City Hall. During the show he marries Claudia Sachs, who in Season 5 leaves him to become a nun. By the end of the show he moves into an apartment across the hall from Carter and Stuart.

• Michael Boatman as Carter Heywood

Head of Minority Affairs at City Hall. His character was met with positive reaction because of his portrayal as a prominent gay black character in a TV series. He also owns a suicidal old dog named Rags. Near the end of the show, Rags dies, and in the same season, Carter decides he will adopt a baby, which he does in the final episode, a boy, named Sam.

• Alan Ruck as Stuart Bondek

Co-worker at City Hall. He is known as shallow and sex-crazed, although he is unsuccessful at garnering a relationship. Early on in the series he moves into an apartment with Carter, which generates a clash of personalities as he is a homophobe and is generally misanthropic towards Carter's dog and his high-strung lifestyle, however they eventually become best friends.

• Connie Britton as Nikki Faber

Co-worker at City Hall. She is a promiscuous and outgoing member of the group and is often seen dating unreliable men. She develops an on-again-off-again relationship with Mike. She leaves between seasons 4 and 5 for unknown reasons.

• Alexander Chaplin as James Hobert

Speech writer at City Hall. James is shown to be nervous and paranoid, and early in the show has a crush on Nikki. While he is first the speech writer, during season 4 he is fired in favour of Caitlin being hired as marketing campaigner and James is hired as Mike's secretary, although he is led to believe his position is as 'Deputy Deputy Mayor'. He also leaves between seasons 4 and 5 for unknown reasons.

• Victoria Dillard as Janelle Cooper

Secretary For Mike during the first season, and is promoted to the Mayors secretary during the second. She develops a relationship with The Mayor during Season 3. Janelle, James and Nikki leave between seasons 4 and 5 for unknown reasons, although behind the scenes it was due to the fact that filming was being moved from New York to Chicago. She was part of the recurring cast during season 1, but was promoted to the main cast for the rest of her tenure on the show.

• Jennifer Esposito as Stacey Paterno

Replaces Janelle as Mikes secretary for seasons 2 and 3, after Janelle becomes the secretary for The Mayor. She is from Brooklyn and is shown to be very outgoing, much like Nikki. She left the cast after advice from Director Spike Lee. Her absence is never explained in the show, although it is pointed out that a new secretary for Mike is needed, and her role is replaced by James, who was once the speech writer.

• Lana Parrilla as Angie Ordonez

Secretary for Charlie after the character of James left the show in between seasons. She was only featured in season 5, Parrilla left, thinking her character was underused. There is no secretary during season 6, and her desk is left empty. Some of the cast are shown using it, albeit not permanently, implying Chalie is no longer using a secretary and the desk is filling other roles.

• Barry Bostwick as Mayor Randall Winston

Dim-witted Mayor of New York City. At one point during the show he runs for senate, although between seasons he apparently decided not to. He develops a relationship with his secretary Janelle, during season 3. At the beginning of the show he is married, although he gets divorced during the show's run and his now ex-wife writes a tell all book about life with The Mayor. During the final season he develops a relationship with Judge Claire Simmons, played by Farrah Fawcett, however, she dumps him when she reveals she does not want to live life in the public eye as The Mayor does.