‘West Wing’ has time to adjust

Writers on “The West Wing” aren’t expected to begin grappling with how to deal with actor John Spencer’s death until after the holidays.

Spencer, 58, who played former White House chief of staff and now vice presidential candidate Leo McGarry in the political drama, died of a heart attack Friday.

Because there are five episodes of the Emmy-winning drama already filmed, staff members need not begin discussing how Spencer’s death will be addressed on the show until production meetings start again in two weeks, said a spokeswoman for Warner Bros. Television.

Also, the series airs no new episodes until Jan. 8, with the last of the completed episodes not scheduled to air until March 19, due to the Winter Olympics and other specials, NBC said.