The Killing Season

DEARLY DEPARTED Mrs. Landingham (Joosten) was ''The West Wing'''s sweeps casualty

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That's why Martin Sheen won't get permanently vetoed anytime soon. True, ABC's ''The Drew Carey Show'' successfully hyped a February episode in which Drew briefly kicks the bucket. ''People thought we were going to kill him,'' laughs ''Carey'' producer Bruce Helford. ''But nobody dies on a comedy.'' And despite Anthony Edwards' publicly declared desire to leave ''ER'' (and his character's brain tumor), NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker vows, ''Everyone returns next season for the whole season.''

Still, prime time death isn't always final. Given his fondness for flashbacks and undead characters, Whedon says: ''On my show you die, you still work.''

But dying is no picnic for actors. ''The day scripts were handed out, I got a call from [''Practice'' creator] David E. Kelley. He's too busy writing to come to the set very often, so when you get a call from David, things can't be good,'' recalls Kravits, who became a regular last fall. How did he take the news? ''You feel somewhat disappointed,'' he admits. ''Rejected in some ways. That's normal.''

All that mortality can be tough on viewers, too. Hearing about the statehouse eulogy for Mrs. Landingham, ''Wing'' producer Thomas Schlamme sighs, ''It made me think this power problem in California will never be solved by this group of people.''

Meanwhile, Joosten, 61, who's guested on shows like ''ER'' and ''Seinfeld,'' welcomes the sympathy from fans. (There was none from ABC, which just passed on her sitcom pilot, ''The Back Page.'') ''Next time I die,'' she gushes, ''I hope it's this much fun.''