The West Wing Weekly
| The West Wing Weekly | |
|---|---|
| File:The west wing weekly artwork.png | |
| Presentation | |
| Hosted by | |
| Updates | Weekly |
| Publication | |
| Original release | March 23, 2016 – present |
| Provider | Radiotopia |
| Website | http://thewestwingweekly.com/ |
The West Wing Weekly is an American podcast hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway and Joshua Malina. In each episode, the hosts discuss one episode of the popular television program The West Wing, which originally aired on NBC from 1999 to 2006. The podcast has featured various cast and crew members including series creator Aaron Sorkin, director Tommy Schlamme, series actors Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney, Marlee Matlin, and Dulé Hill, longtime series writer-producers Eli Attie and Lawrence O'Donnell, and many former government officials, academics, and pundits, among others.
The New York Times described the podcast as "taking a fine-tooth comb to each episode of [the] political drama.[1]
History[edit | edit source]
Joshua Malina, who played Will Bailey in The West Wing, said, "I've been a frequent guest on other people's podcasts, and I have always wanted to find something that I could call my own," collaborating with his friend and the host of the podcast Song Exploder, Hrishikesh Hirway, to start the podcast.[2] The first episode was released on 22 March 2016 and new episodes are released weekly on Wednesdays, the night on which The West Wing originally aired.[3] In September 2016, the podcast was added to the Radiotopia network.[4]
Episodes[edit | edit source]
Season 1[edit | edit source]
The podcast debuted on March 22, 2016 with an episode discussing the pilot episode of The West Wing.[5] The first guest of the podcast was Dulé Hill, who played the role of Charlie Young on the series. Other guests during the season included cast members Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, Melissa Fitzgerald, William Duffy, Peter James Smith, Liza Weil, Kathleen York, Bill O'Brien, and Tim Matheson, series writer-producer Eli Attie, series costumer Lyn Paolo, and other guests such as Ronald Klain, Senator Bob Casey Jr., former White House spokesperson Jay Carney, Patrick Murphy, and Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson.[6] The season also included a 10 year reunion episode with The West Wing cast at the ATX Television Festival[7] and a discussion panel with the FiveThirtyEight team.[8]
Season 2[edit | edit source]
The second season episodes began on September 20, 2016 with a discussion with series creator Aaron Sorkin.[9][10] The second season included Tommy Schlamme,[11] set decorator Ellen Totleben, cast members Bradley Whitford, Emily Procter, Michael O'Neill, Dave Chameides, Kim Webster, Nina Siemaszko, Rob Lowe, Marlee Matlin, Oliver Platt as well as other guests including Eric Fanning, Congressman Brendan Boyle, Congressman Steve Gunderson, former White House Communications Director, Donald A. Baer.[6] The season also featured a Q&A episode with the hosts, called "Big Block of Cheese", named after the eponymous day from the episode "The Crackpots and These Women",[12] and a live episode at SF Sketchfest with Bradley Whitford.
Season 3[edit | edit source]
The third season began on April 5, 2017 with the discussion of 9/11 special episode Isaac and Ishmael, with Ajay Naidu and former White House Press Secretary, Mike McCurry.[13] It included interviews with guest star Mark Harmon,[14] composer W. G. Snuffy Walden,[15] writer Eli Attie[16], Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau,[17] a previously unaired interview with John Spencer[18] and a live taping for the season finale episode with Aaron Sorkin and Allison Janney.[19]
Season 4[edit | edit source]
The fourth season began on October 4, 2017 with a special episode featuring Martin Sheen.[20] It has featured interviews with guest stars John Gallagher Jr.,[21] Clark Gregg,[22] and Aimee Mann,[23] director Christopher Misiano,[24] and former Education Secretary John King Jr..[23]
Reception[edit | edit source]
The New York Times called it "A podcast with a ringer".[25] The Guardian also reviewed it positively calling it, "The new West Wing podcast is a tonic to Trumpmania".[26]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Smith, Erin Geiger (2017-03-24). "Welcome to the Podcast. First, a Word From Our Celebrity". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-07-02.
- ↑ "'The West Wing Weekly' Podcast Promises To Break Down Every Episode". 20 March 2016.
- ↑ "Joshua Malina's West Wing Podcast Is Here". 16 March 2016.
- ↑ "Radiotopia Welcomes The West Wing Weekly". Variety. 21 September 2016.
- ↑ "1.01: Pilot — The West Wing Weekly". 22 March 2016.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Index — The West Wing Weekly". Retrieved 21 December 2016.
- ↑ "'The West Wing' Reunion: Aaron Sorkin and Cast Remember How the Internet Saved the Series". IndieWire. 11 June 2016.
- ↑ Jody Avirgan (31 May 2016). "FiveThirtyEight's Elections Podcast Is Coming To California!".
- ↑ "Aaron Sorkin talks writing for TV on West Wing podcast". 19 September 2016.
- ↑ "2.00: Special Interim Session". 23 September 2016.
- ↑ ""The West Wing Weekly" Podcast Controversy! Director Tommy Schlamme Has A "Bone To Pick" With Joshua Malina & Hrishi Hirway". 14 June 2016.
- ↑ "0.03: Big Block of Cheese — The West Wing Weekly". 21 December 2016.
- ↑ "3.00: Isaac and Ishamel — The West Wing Weekly". 4 April 2017.
- ↑ "3.20: The Black Vera Wang — The West Wing Weekly". 6 September 2017.
- ↑ "3.07: The Indians in the Lobby — The West Wing Weekly". 24 May 2017.
- ↑ "3.20: Ways and Means — The West Wing Weekly". 25 April 2017.
- ↑ "3.15: Dead Irish Writers — The West Wing Weekly". 25 July 2017.
- ↑ "3.09: Bartlet for America — The West Wing Weekly". 6 June 2017.
- ↑ "3.22: Posse Comitatus — The West Wing Weekly". 19 September 2017.
- ↑ "4.00: President Bartlet Special — The West Wing Weekly". 3 October 2017.
- ↑ "4.01: 20 Hours in America, Part One — The West Wing Weekly". 10 October 2017.
- ↑ "4.07: Election Night — The West Wing Weekly". 21 November 2017.
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 "1.01: College Kids — The West Wing Weekly". 25 October 2017.
- ↑ "4.02: 20 Hours in America, Part Two — The West Wing Weekly". 17 October 2017.
- ↑ Robert Ito (24 June 2016). "'The West Wing Weekly,' a Podcast With a Ringer".
- ↑ Graeme Virtue (23 March 2016). "Bartlet for president! The new West Wing podcast is a tonic to Trumpmania".
