Sterling K. Brown has joined the West Wing reunion special, so at least 2020 gave us that
Aux Features The West Wing
The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin has long spoken of his dream to reboot his former NBC political drama with This Is Us star and perennial Emmy nominee Sterling K. Brown as president. Since This Is Us still has at least two more seasons, we doubt we’ll be getting a full-on reboot any time soon. But it looks like at least a little bit of Sorkin’s dream is coming true: Brown has joined the growing cast of HBO Max’s upcoming reunion event A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote.
Over the weekend, a photo of Brown emerged alongside West Wing cast members Rob Lowe, Dule Hill, Allison Janney, Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, Janel Moloney, and Richard Schiff, who were all previously announced as participating in the special. Also present in the photo is Emily Procter, who guest-starred on The West Wing as Ainsely Hayes in seasons two, three, and seven of the series. Schiff also took to social media on Saturday to share shots from behind-the-scenes of the first day of taping for the special.
Helmed by series director and executive producer Thomas Schlamme, A West Wing Special To Benefit When We All Vote will bring the Bartlet administration back together to perform season three’s “Hartsfield’s Landing.” There is no word on what role Brown will play in the reading—or if he’ll play a role at all (someone’s gotta read the stage directions)—but there is at least one major role to be filled: Chief of Staff Leo McGarry, who was played by John Spencer until his death in 2005. While much of “Hartsfield’s Landing” deals with Donna (Moloney) and Josh (Whitford) trying to solidify New Hampshire primary votes and President Bartlet (Sheen) playing chess games with Sam (Lowe) and Toby (Schiff), Leo is at the President’s side in the Situation Room for war games the administration is trying to tamp down in the Taiwan Strait.
Procter’s Ainsley is actually not in “Hartsfield Landing” (and the script she’s holding in the photos seems to only be a few pages), so Brown may not be involved in the episode reading at all and simply recorded an intro or moderated a discussion. The HBO Max gods have yet to deign an answer. The special, airing this fall, is intended to raise awareness of When We All Vote, an organization dedicated to increasing participation in American elections. When We All Vote co-chair Michelle Obama will also make an appearance on the special.
Remember to make your voting plan ASAP. And while you’re at it, fill out your census form.
24 Comments
Sterling K. Brown would be an amazing pick for West Wing 2.0.But please, for the love of Beebo, don’t let Aaron Sorkin be involved.Actually the West Wing Weekly already came up with a new cast, so let’s just go with that.(Excepting Carrie Fisher, of course. *sniff*)
He’s writing the reunion GOTV special. They were filming over the weekend.
I’m asking him not to be involved in a potential reboot. I didn’t say anything about the special.
If you are speaking to Sorkin, can you ask him if he needs tomatoes? I just pulled my last crop from the garden and I’m trying to get rid of them.
The cast looks good but would people want a reboot or a sequel?I mean in the WW universe, we’re two years away from the election. There’s so many ways they can go.Was Santos a two term president?Did their universe like ours go full racist after a minority president?Was their racist president a two term president?Is 2022 an incumbent vs a new nominee or is it two nominees vying for their first term?Would be interesting to bring back someone from the old cast as the Biden and new cast being more progressive than the old cast and that fight in the Democratic Party.
As ever, the Onion shows the way:https://www.theonion.com/aaron-sorkin-announces-new-west-wing-animated-series-at-1819570030
I’m disappointed that the description of the animated series doesn’t include anything like ghosts, talking animals or the like that would take advantage of the animated format.
My West Wing reboot pitch is to start it in the middle of a Republican administration’s first term — the night of the midterms, to be exact. A conservative Republican succeeded Santos after two successful terms and the GOP took full control of the House and Senate. But Democrats win back Congress in the midterms, and the show is an ensemble piece set partly in the White House (the main character in that setting being a Democrat who came to work in the White House out of respect for the GOP president’s temperament and intelligence) and partly among the various Democratic contenders for the presidency.
Based on what another used pointed out, I think my pitch would be it’s the final year of a Trump like Republican.Santos lost re-election to a moderate Republican who rode the status quo of what Bartlett and Santos built to two term presidency.Trump-Republican runs to push further to the right and wins.Show would start in the election year as Republicans try to rush through things in fear of losing. While Baker (Ed O’Neill) is brought back to piece together a Democratic Party.You get to show how the Republican Party has fallen apart and show why uniting around a democratic candidate is more important than fighting over every progressive stance.Of course if Trump wins in November, refuses to leave and the military supports it, or Democrats can’t flip the senate none of this matters anyway.
No. The only West Wing I will tolerate is the prequel. Set it in the 1980s with Jed running for Governor. Emilio is right there.
Annabeth Gish as Abby. Keifer Sutherland for Leo. Alan Ruck for a younger Arnie Vinick. Anthony Ramos for a young fighter pilot, name of Santos and Dove Cameron as his wife, Helen.James Spader for Josh Lyman’s father, who was friends with Leo.
OR… the Bartlet’s basically founded New Hampshire, which, to quote Danny, sounds like fun. Set it in the 18th century and make the Bartlet’s Revolutionary heroes and early abolitionists.
Ed O’Neill as Vice President Eric Baker would fit the Biden bill p e r f e c t l y. O’Neill is 74 years old, Baker was from Pennsylvania, it’s spot on.
Especially since the White House is haunted.
…that’s…. OK, no, that’s a pretty great cast, actually. I’m normally skeptical of fan recasts, particularly with gimmicky things like complete gender swaps, but in this case, that seems like a cast that would be pretty faithful to the original, while also being interestingly new. Kendrick and Spencer as Sam and Toby, in particular, are inspired choices.Not sure who the President would be. Laura Linney? She’s only 3 years younger than Sheen was when the series started, might be able to do a similar blend of whimsy/authority.The tricky one might be the First Gentleman, who has to be a blend of arm-candy and also the President’s intellectual equal. Most of the people I can think of would be a generation too old. One cute idea: since the character’s a doctor, how about Hugh Laurie? Has the disadvantage of reversing the age gap, but they’re close enough that it wouldn’t be too noticeable…
It’s kinda crazy that in 2020 the worst thing about The West Wing is that it didn’t make the Republicans evil enough.
Boy, I don’t know.
And now I have to kick your ass.
The show totally plays to the status quo Democrat position that eventually, we will appeal to our better angels and choose duty and conviction over party politics. Which, well, that’s obviously not the direction our government is heading. It was super appealing during the days of “Operation: Iraqi Freedom,” but these days it’s downright whimsical and a tad annoying.
It’s like Charlie Brown and the football. Or, I guess, Leo and his defense missile technology fixation.
I guess thats fine, but what about the East, South and North Wings? so much wasted potential
“The North Hall, named after admiral William North, is located in the western portion of East Hall, gateway to the western half of North Hall, which is named not after William North, but for its position above the South Wall.”
I don’t know why I was initially seeing “Stephen King has joined the West Wing Special” as I read the headlines.
It’d probably be awesome anyway!
Given the dialogue between Bartlett and Sam in this episode a reboot could also have us meeting President Seaborn. But I’m all for Brown too!This is my third-favorite episode (1. Two Cathedrals, 2. In Excelsis Deo) of a series I’ve watched through 15 times at least. I just finished S7 last week again. Already set to go again!Also, reading that Hartsfield Landing review by Steve Heisler reminds me how great AV Club used to be.
Does the WW hold up over time? I was an on again, off again viewer simply because of work/life. I kinda think that best viewing would be an episode of WW then an episode of Veep. I may be a little pessimistic about politics…That said, I do think I need to do a re-watch of WW.
I think it does because the characters are so great. Season 5 still is a bit of a slog but it feels better than it did in early re-watches. I’m sure biased but I think you should give it a shot. Once Mandy starts getting less screen time in S1 it really starts popping.
I’ve just taken a break from endlessly re-watching TWW (I watch it while I knit, I need something I don’t have to pay 100% attention to) and re-watched The Newsroom. Obviously there were parts that were corny and pompous in a way that was cute in 2001 but not so much in 2014, but boy oh boy did they have it right re the Tea Party and the radicalisation of the Republican party. Would be great to see them cover the Trump era, not least because it would show them trying, and failing, to fact check and bring accountability to an administration that doesn’t care if you catch it lying.