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The short-lived drama Deadline provided Platt's first lead role on television.

Created by Dick Wolf, who also created Law & Order, Deadline focused on the lives of newspaper journalists in New York City.

Platt starred as Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Wallace Benton, an " unlikely hero ".

The strong cast, which also included Bebe Neuwirth and Hope Davis, could not compensate for sub-standard writing and the series was soon canceled.

After Deadlines failure, Platt avoided work on television until he read a script for The West Wing and signed on for a guest role.

He received an Emmy nomination for his portrayal of no-nonsense White House Counsel Oliver Babish, brought in during season two to compile a defense for President Bartlet and others who covered up his non-disclosure of multiple sclerosis.