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‘The West Wing’ Celebrates 25th Anniversary With a New Book and Its First Ever Blu-Ray Box Set
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With the election ramping up, TV fans are revisiting The West Wing for a more idealistic vision of what our political system could be. The Emmy-winning series is also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and the cast and showrunner have been making the rounds, including a recent visit to the White House and a stop by The View.
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To commemorate the anniversary, cast members Mary McCormack and Melissa Fitzgerald, who played Kate Harper and Carol Fitzpatrick, respectively, co-authored the book What’s Next. The hardcover takes fans behind the scenes of the iconic show — with plenty of photos, too.
What's Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service
The hardcover is 608 pages and was published by Dutton on August 13. It’s available between $22 and $32, depending on the retailer.
Fans looking to revisit the show, which originally aired on NBC, can find it in its entirety on Max. Plans start at $9.99/mo, or you can get the bundle with Hulu and Disney+ for $16.99/mo
First Lady Jill Biden hosted castmembers Michael Sheen, Dulé Hill, Richard Schiff, Janel Moloney, Emily Procter, and the book’s authors Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack in the Rose Garden last week. Director and executive producer Thomas Schlamme was in attendance, as was West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin.
Sorkin told Variety after the event that the visit inspired him to consider a potential reboot, saying “I just got a couple of ideas for episodes just walking around the White House.” Sorkin also delivered a speech from the Rose Garden, stating, “Over the years, I’ve noticed that during times of peak political tension, pundits will warn us not to expect a ‘West Wing’ moment, not to expect the selfless act of statesmanship, not to expect anyone to put country first.”
“But the fact is, ‘West Wing’ moments do happen. And Dr. Biden, we saw proof of that on the morning of July 21,” referencing President Biden’s announcement dropping his reelection bid.
Fitzgerald and McCormack also stopped by The View alongside Martin Sheen, who starred in The West Wing as President Jed Bartlet. Sheen discussed meeting President Biden, telling the hosts, “What made me laugh there is he had gotten ready to get on the chopper and he just turned to me and I didn’t know what else to do, so I saluted him, and he saluted me back.”
BOX SET
The West Wing: Complete Series
$129.99 $139.99 7% off
$59.99 $109.99 45% off
West Wing fans have another big release to look forward to, as the acclaimed series is being released as a Blu-Ray box set on October 1. The show, which ended in 2006, was available as a DVD box set, but is getting the Blu-Ray treatment for the first time. The DVD is also available from Walmart.
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