An air of uncertainty surrounds the characters on "The West Wing" this season. New goals and new jobs have popped up as the Bartlet administration nears the end of its second term, splintering what was once a fairly cohesive White House staff. In the center of it all is C.J. Cregg (Allison Janney), recently promoted from press secretary to White House chief of staff after the former chief, Leo McGarry (John Spencer), suffered a heart attack. As she works to strengthen her relationship with the president (Martin Sheen), C.J. also has to deal with being a boss to people with whom she formerly held equal status. The demands are a little overwhelming for her. Janney, who has won four Emmys playing C.J., can relate. "It wasn't until a couple weeks before we started up that (executive producer John Wells) called me to tell me what my new job was," Janney recalls. "It was terrifying, and exciting. I was like, 'Are you sure?,' because I thought it was a really interesting choice to make." Janney says she's thrilled to be playing the first female White House chief of staff, even if it's only fictional (no woman has ever held the post in real life). Some followers of the show have wondered whether a real-world press secretary would be considered for the job, but she thinks it makes sense in the context of the series. "I've found from talking to a lot of people that have worked in the White House that sometimes job descriptions don't necessarily define who you get to talk to or who trusts your input," she says. "It's more relationship-driven. I think C.J. has proven herself to be a respected member of the administration." The changing dynamics on "The West Wing," which include the addition of Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda as would-be replacements for President Bartlet, have helped the show rebound some this season following a down year in the ratings. Although the series hasn't returned to the heights of three or four years ago, it is back in the Nielsen top 20 among total viewers, drawing 13.1 million people per week. Dramatically, the shakeup has given viewers a chance to see familiar characters adjusting to new situations, not always smoothly. "With Toby (Richard Schiff), Josh (Bradley Whitford), Will (Joshua Malina), C.J. was sort of . . . on the same level as those guys, and now she's their boss," Janney says. "So it does shake things up and make for a lot more tension between the characters." Then there's the matter of whether C.J. will have a job this time next year. Wells has said that in the show's timeline, an election to replace Bartlet would happen next fall, meaning the White House staff would be clearing out for a new group in early 2006. Janney says with a laugh that the situation "does make for some paranoia" among the cast, but she can hardly complain about what the show has given her for the past five-plus seasons. "I certainly hope that if they go into the next administration, that if there's room for C.J., they'd ask me to be part of it," she says. "If not, I'd have to just, you know - I'm happy with the ride I've had so far, and I'd go on and do something else. . . . It's a little scary, but I've never known what's next anyway."