Just giving a shout-out to an excellent podcast: The West Wing Weekly.
For those of you who pine for the return of President Josiah Bartlet, this may be the next best thing. (For those of you who don’t know who Jed Bartlet is, I have no clue why you’re reading my blog.)
Each weekly podcast episode is (mostly) a discussion of one episode of The West Wing – an award-winning political drama series from a couple of decades ago. The podcast covers the episode itself, the behind-the-scenes production, and the real-world issues being addressed. It’s a fascinating mix of politics and television as told through the series narratives of a phenomenal show. I’ve been amazed how often both the show and the podcast are reflective of current events – from government shutdowns to Supreme Court confirmations to presidential pardons.
The two hosts are Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina. Hrishi is a very knowledgeable fan of The West Wing and Josh played Will Bailey on the final four seasons of the show. The podcast runs sequentially through the TV series and brings on numerous cast members, guest stars, writers, directors, and other people associated with the show. It also interviews guests who have lived the show’s issues in real life and people from politics and the arts whose lives were influenced by The West Wing.
The podcast is nostalgic without being fawning, enlightening without being pedantic, and fun without being silly (well, most of the time). With all seven seasons of The West Wing available on Netflix, the podcast provides a great way to revisit the show from new perspectives. The TV series itself more than stands up; it is still one of the very best television shows of all time.
While the podcast is already into Season Six, all of the previous episodes are still available. I personally came across it well after it began and I spent some considerable time catching up. I’ve found it to be a wonderful drive-time listen. I skipped around quite a bit myself but that may have only worked since I was already very familiar with the story arcs of The West Wing. Just see what works for you.
With over 130 podcast episodes to-date, there is no shortage of material. Here’s a few episodes (okay, more than a few) that I’d suggest to-date of both the podcast and the show:
- 1.01: Pilot
- 1.03: A Proportional Response (with Dulé Hill)
- 1.10: In Excelsis Deo (with Richard Schiff)
- 1.15: Celestial Navigation (with Jay Carney)
- 2.0A: Special Interim Session (with Aaron Sorkin)
- 2.01: In the Shadow of Two Gunmen (with Thomas Schlamme, Bradley Whitford, and Michael O’Neill)
- 2.04: In This White House (with Emily Procter and Ambassador Deborah Birx)
- 2.10: Noël (with Bradley Whitford and Ellen Totleben)
- 2.18: 17 People (with Richard Schiff, Emily Procter, Rebecca Walker, and more)
- 2.21: 18th and Potomac (with Oliver Platt)
- 2.22.1: Two Cathedrals (Part I, with Lawrence O’Donnell and Mary Graham)
- 2.22.2: Two Cathedrals (Part II, with Aaron Sorkin and Kirsten Nelson)
- 3.08: The Women of Qumar (with Allison Janney, Fmr UN Ambassador Sarah Mendelson, and Tim Ballard)
- 3.09: Bartlet For America (with John Spencer)
- 3.15: Dead Irish Writers (with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau)
- 3.22: Posse Comitatus (Live with Aaron Sorkin, Allison Janney, and Melissa Fitzgerald)
- 4.0A: President Bartlet Special (with Martin Sheen)
- 4.06: Game On (with Rob Lowe, Bradley Whitford, and Joshua Malina)
- 4.0B: Hamilton Special (with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Thomas Kail)
- 4.20: Evidence of Things Not Seen (Live with Richard Schiff and Marlee Matlin)
- 5.12: Slow News Day (with Eli Attie and Nancy Altman)
- 6.02: The Birnam Wood (with Fmr. Ambassador Jacob Walles)
- 6.07: A Change Is Gonna Come (Live with Mary McCormack and Roman Mars)
- 6.08: In the Room (with Penn & Teller)
Enjoy!