Revisiting the West Wing

 


"We Will Do What Is Hard. We Will Achieve What Is Great. This Is A Time For American Heroes And We Reach For The Stars." — President Josiah Bartlett, "The West Wing"

Last week on vacation, I started re-watching "The West Wing." I was a college freshman when the show debuted, and throughout the seven years it was on, "The West Wing" was among my favorite shows. I remember seeing some of the moments for the first time, and I remember re-watching it several times. In fact, whenever we hit election season, I often feel like watching Season 7.

For my wife, it's been a first time experiencing the show. We like to watch things together, and during this pandemic season, it's been fun to find shows we can watch (or re-watch) together. This seemed like a great one to tackle. In a little over a week, we've watched 20.5 episodes, cruising to the end of Season 1 and, for those who've seen it, a fairly iconic moment. It's also been interesting to watch the show during this period in our history.

"The West Wing," from creator/writer Aaron Sorkin, was always an idealized vision of what government should be, or at least could be. It feels even more idealized in our current climate. As I told a friend, I don't know if I was emotionally prepared to dive back into a world where people in government genuinely seemed to care for the people it served. 

And that's why it makes sense that, given the current climate, "The West Wing" has returned. HBO Max, last week, released a new special. It's a stage reading of a classic episode of "The West Wing," titled "Hartsfield's Landing," that's about the election. The stars of the original series returned, with the addition of Sterling K. Brown as Leo since original star John Spencer is no longer with us. It was equally emotionally to see these folks reunite, 21 years after the series originally debuted, to speak to America again.

If you've never seen "The West Wing," now is a great time to start. Whether it's the full series, now streaming on Netflix, or the special on HBO Max, it's a great world to jump into. And we might need it now more than ever.

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