''The West Wing Weekly'' is an American

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosin ...

hosted by

Hrishikesh Hirway Hrishikesh Hirway (born February 1, 1979) is an American musician, producer, and podcast and television host. He has made four albums under the name The One AM Radio, and has a side project with Lakeith Stanfield called Moors. He is the creator a ...

and

Joshua Malina Joshua Charles Malina (born January 17, 1966) is an American film and stage actor known for playing Will Bailey on the NBC drama ''The West Wing'', Jeremy Goodwin on '' Sports Night'', US Attorney General David Rosen on ''Scandal'', and Caltech P ...

. In each episode, the hosts discuss one episode of the television program ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

,'' which originally aired on

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

from 1999 to 2006. The podcast, which ran from 2016–2020, features various cast and crew members including series creator

Aaron Sorkin Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. Sorkin has earned an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime ...

, director Tommy Schlamme, series actors

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and podcast host. He made his acting debut at the age of 15 with ABC's short-lived sitcom ''A New Kind of Family'' (1979–1980). Following numerous television roles in ...

Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...

Richard Schiff Richard Schiff (born May 27, 1955) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on ''The West Wing'', a role for which he received an Emmy Award. Schiff made his directorial debut with ''The West Wing'', directing ...

Allison Janney Allison Brooks Janney (born November 19, 1959) is an American actress. In a career spanning three decades, she is known for her performances across multiple genres of screen and stage. Janney has received various accolades, including an Academ ...

Janel Moloney Janel Moloney is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Donna Moss on the television series ''The West Wing'', a role for which she received nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series ...

Marlee Matlin Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author, and activist. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a ...

, and

Dulé Hill Karim Dulé Hill (; born May 3, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as personal presidential aide and Deputy Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff Charlie Young on the NBC drama television series ''The West Wing'', for whi ...

, longtime series writer-producers

Eli Attie Eli Attie is an Emmy-winning writer, producer, and former White House staff member. He served as Vice President Al Gore's chief White House and campaign speechwriter through Gore's concession of the 2000 presidential election, which Attie and Gor ...

and

Lawrence O'Donnell Lawrence Francis O'Donnell Jr. (born November 7, 1951) is an American television anchor, actor, liberal political commentator, and host of '' The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell'', an MSNBC opinion and news program that airs on weeknights. H ...

, 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 hepolitical drama".

History

, who played Will Bailey in ''

'', 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 ''Song Exploder'' is a music podcast created by Hrishikesh Hirway, who hosted it from its 2014 inception until late 2018 and again from December 2019 onwards. In January 2019, Thao Nguyen became a guest host for the year, with Christian Koons se ...

'',

, to start the podcast. The first episode was released on March 22, 2016 and new episodes are released weekly on Wednesdays, the night on which ''The West Wing'' originally aired. In September 2016, the podcast was added to the

Radiotopia Radiotopia is a podcast network founded by '' 99% Invisible'' host Roman Mars and run by the Public Radio Exchange. The network is organized as a collective of some two dozen shows whose producers have complete artistic control over their work. ...

network.

Episodes

Season 1

The podcast debuted on March 22, 2016 with an episode discussing the pilot episode of ''

''. The first guest of the podcast was

, who played the role of Charlie Young on the series. Other guests during the season included cast members

Melissa Fitzgerald Melissa Fitzgerald is an American actress and the Senior Director of the nonprofit organization Justice For Vets. As an actress, she may be best known for portraying Carol Fitzpatrick on ''The West Wing''. Early life and education Fitzgerald ...

, William Duffy, Peter James Smith,

Liza Weil Liza Rebecca Weil (born June 5, 1977) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Paris Geller in the WB/ CW comedy-drama series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007) and its Netflix revival series '' Gilmore Girls: A Year in ...

Kathleen York Kathleen York is an American actress, screenwriter, and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter recording artist. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for " In the Deep" from the 2004 film ''Crash.'' Life and career Actress Ac ...

, Bill O'Brien, and

Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated '' Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 19 ...

, series writer-producer

, series costumer Lyn Paolo, and other guests such as Ronald Klain, Senator

Bob Casey Jr. Robert Patrick Casey Jr. (born April 13, 1960) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2007. A member of the Democratic Party, Casey previously served as Penn ...

, former White House spokesperson Jay Carney, Patrick Murphy, and Mayor

Karen Freeman-Wilson Karen Marie Freeman-Wilson (born October 24, 1960) is an American attorney, former judge, and politician who served as Indiana Attorney General from 2000 to 2001, as well as mayor of Gary, Indiana from 2012 to 2019. She has been President and CEO ...

. The season also included a 10 year reunion episode with ''The West Wing'' cast at the

ATX Television Festival ATX Television Festival is an annual event based in Austin, Texas, that celebrates and showcases the past, present, and future of the television industry. Screenings, Q&As, cast reunions, and industry panel discussions take place over four days an ...

and a discussion panel with the

FiveThirtyEight ''FiveThirtyEight'', sometimes rendered as ''538'', is an American website that focuses on opinion poll analysis, politics, economics, and sports blogging in the United States. The website, which takes its name from the number of electors in th ...

team.

Season 2

The second season episodes began on September 20, 2016 with a discussion with series creator

. The second season included Tommy Schlamme, set decorator Ellen Totleben, cast members

Emily Procter Emily Mallory Procter (born October 8, 1968) is an American actress and activist. She played Ainsley Hayes in the NBC political drama ''The West Wing'' (2000–2002; 2006) and Det. Calleigh Duquesne in the CBS police procedural drama '' CSI: M ...

, Michael O'Neill, Dave Chameides, Kim Webster,

Nina Siemaszko Antonina Jadwiga Siemaszko (born July 14, 1970) is an American actress. Best known for her film roles in '' Little Noises'' (1992), ''The Saint of Fort Washington'' (1993), and for her role as Eleanor Bartlet in ''The West Wing'' (2001–2006). ...

Oliver Platt Oliver Platt (born January 12, 1960) is a Canadian-born American actor. He is known for his starring roles in many films such as ''Flatliners'' (1990), ''Beethoven'' (1992), '' Indecent Proposal'', ''The Three Musketeers'' (both 1993), '' Execut ...

as well as other guests including

Eric Fanning Eric Kenneth Fanning (born July 2, 1968) is an American politician who is the current President and CEO of Aerospace Industries Association and served as the 22nd Secretary of the Army, holding office from May 18, 2016 to January 20, 2017. Prior ...

, Congressman

Brendan Boyle Brendan Francis Boyle (born February 6, 1977) is an American politician serving as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing a district in the Philadelphia area since 2015. He represented the 13th district ...

, Congressman Steve Gunderson, former

White House Communications Director The White House communications director or White House director of communications, also known officially as Assistant to the President for Communications, is part of the senior staff of the president of the United States. The officeholder is resp ...

, Donald A. Baer. 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 "The Crackpots and These Women" is the fifth episode from season one of ''The West Wing (TV series), The West Wing''. The episode aired on October 20, 1999 on NBC. Plot The staff participates in "Big Block of Cheese Day", a fictional workday on wh ...

", and a live episode at

SF Sketchfest SF Sketchfest, or The San Francisco Comedy Festival, is an American comedy festival founded in 2002 by Bay Area actor-comedians David Owen, Janet Varney and Cole Stratton. It takes place every January and February in a variety of Bay Area venues a ...

with

Season 3

The third season began on April 5, 2017 with the discussion of 9/11 special episode ''Isaac and Ishmael'', with

Ajay Naidu Ajay Kalahastri Naidu (born February 12, 1972) is an American actor best known for playing Samir in ''Office Space''. Naidu was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the film '' SubUrbia''. Ea ...

and former White House Press Secretary, Mike McCurry. It included interviews with guest star Mark Harmon, composer W. G. Snuffy Walden, writer

, Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

, a previously unaired interview with John Spencer and a live taping for the season finale episode with

and

Season 4

The fourth season began on October 4, 2017 with a special episode featuring

. It featured interviews with guest stars John Gallagher Jr.,

Clark Gregg Robert Clark Gregg Jr. (born April 2, 1962) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is best known for playing Agent Phil Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films ''Iron Man'' (2008), '' Iron Man 2'' (2010), ''Thor'' (2011), ' ...

, and

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

, director

Christopher Misiano Christopher Misiano is an American television director and producer. He is best known for his work on '' ER'', ''The West Wing'', and ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip''. In 2017, he sold his historic home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles, for US$4.3 m ...

, and former Education Secretary

John King Jr. John B. King Jr. (born January 5, 1975) is an American educator, civil servant, and former state and federal government official who is the 15th Chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY). He previously served as President & CEO of Th ...

The season concluded with a retrospective live episode with guests Aaron Sorkin and Emily Procter.

Season 5

The fifth season began on May 29, 2018 with a live episode recorded at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

featuring Bradley Whitford and Ronald Klain. It included interviews with writers Lauren Schmidt Hissrich and Alexa Junge,

Debora Cahn Debora Cahn is an American writer and producer of television and film. She was a writer and executive producer on the Showtime series ''Homeland'' for its final two seasons ''(''2018–2020). She was also a writer and consulting producer on FX's ...

, and Josh Singer; guest stars

Bellamy Young Bellamy Young (born Amy Maria Young; February 19, 1970) is an American actress, producer and singer, best known for her role as Melody "Mellie" Grant in the ABC drama series'' Scandal'' (2012–2018). In 2014 for her portrayal of Mellie, she won ...

Wilson Cruz Wilson Cruz (born Wilson Echevarría; December 27, 1973) is an American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on ''My So-Called Life'', Angel in the Broadway tour production of ''Rent'', Dr. Hugh Culber on '' Star Trek: Discovery'', and the re ...

and

Jason Isaacs Jason Isaacs (born 6 June 1963) is an English actor. Isaac's film roles include Col. Tavington in '' The Patriot'' (2000), Michael D. Steele in '' Black Hawk Down'' (2001), Lucius Malfoy in the ''Harry Potter'' film series (2002–2011), Ca ...

; and real life political staffer

Jennifer Palmieri Jennifer M. Palmieri (; born November 15, 1966) is an American political advisor and media personality who served as White House Director of Communications from 2013 to 2015 and Director of Communications for the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidentia ...

, and former politicians John Tierney and Tom Daschle.

Season 6

The sixth season began on December 4, 2018, with special episodes replacing regular episodes in the last week of each month. Regular episodes featured interviews with cast members Allison Janney,

Mary McCormack Mary Catherine McCormack (born February 8, 1969) is an American actress. She has had leading roles as Justine Appleton in the series '' Murder One'' (1995–97), as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper in ''The West Wing'' (2004–06), a ...

, Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff and

Alan Alda Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...

; guest stars

Penn & Teller Penn & Teller, Penn Jillette and Teller, are American magicians, entertainers, and scientific skeptics who have performed together since the late 1970s. They are noted for their ongoing act that combines elements of comedy with magic. The duo h ...

, Evan Arnold and

Karis Campbell Karis (; fi, Karjaa ) is a town and former municipality in Finland. On January 1, 2009, it was consolidated with Ekenäs and Pohja to form the new municipality of Raseborg; fi, Raasepori. It is located in the Finnish province of Southern ...

; politicians Jacob Walles, Pete Buttigieg and Tony Blinken; and Professor

Lawrence Lessig Lester Lawrence Lessig III (born June 3, 1961) is an American academic, attorney, and political activist. He is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the former director of the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard ...

, who was portrayed by

Christopher Lloyd Christopher Allen Lloyd (born October 22, 1938) is an American actor. He has appeared in many theater productions, films, and on television since the 1960s. He is known for portraying Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown in the ''Back to the Future'' tril ...

on an episode of the TV series. Special episodes included interviews with writer

Paul Redford Paul Redford is an American television writer and producer. Redford's family, originally Canadian, moved to Mission Hills, Kansas in the early 1970s. Paul graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School in 1976, and in 1980 from Harvard University ...

, political consultant David Axelrod, graphic designer

Michael Bierut Michael Bierut (born 1957) is a graphic designer, design critic and educator, who has been a partner at design firm Pentagram since 1990. He designed the logo for Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign. Early life and education Michael Bier ...

and actor

Gary Cole Gary Michael Cole (born September 20, 1956) is an American television, film and voice actor. Cole began his professional acting career on stage at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 1985. On television, he has had starring roles in the ...

and producer

David Mandel David Mandel (born ) is writer, actor, director, and producer. He was an executive producer and showrunner of '' Veep'', and was also an executive producer and director of '' Curb Your Enthusiasm'' and '' Seinfeld''. He is also a comedian, an ...

from ''

Veep ''Veep'' is an American political satire comedy television series that aired on HBO from April 22, 2012, to May 12, 2019. The series was created by Armando Iannucci as an adaptation of his sitcom ''The Thick of It''. The protagonist of ''Veep' ...

''.

Season 7

The seventh and final season began on July 9, 2019.

Reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called it "A podcast with a ringer". ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' also reviewed it positively calling it, "The new ''West Wing'' podcast is a tonic to Trumpmania".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:West Wing Weekly, The Audio podcasts Film and television podcasts 2016 podcast debuts Radiotopia