The West Wing Weekly

Friends, Romans, people in other places, lend us your ears. We come to dissect this episode, and to praise it, or at least the parts we liked. So cry "havoc!" and let slip this podcast into your downloads. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/502

Josh and Hrishi take a deep breath and dive headfirst into the post-Sorkin years. They're joined by guests Bradley Whitford and Ronald Klain to discuss the suspense of the Season 5 premiere — a fateful moment for the characters, and the show itself. Recorded live at Georgetown University. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/501

We’ve reached the end of the fourth season, and the end of Aaron Sorkin’s tenure on The West Wing. For this special farewell, Aaron himself joined us on stage at the historic Town Hall in New York to teach us how to say goodbye. He surprised us with his candor, and we surprised Aaron and the audience with special guest Emily Procter, as well as heartfelt messages sent in by the cast and crew. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/424

Recorded live in Boston, Tommy Schlamme joins Josh and Hrishi to talk about the last days of the Sorkin-Schlamme era as they recap the episode Twenty Five. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/423

Live from the Lincoln Theatre in Washington, DC, Josh and Hrishi discuss the penultimate episode of Season 4—and all its trip-hop-laced anomalies—with special guests Bradley Whitford, Ronald Klain, and Melissa Fitzgerald. Plus: a surprise guest who’s surprised to be part of the podcast. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/422

We’re live in London! Josh and Hrishi discuss Life on Mars with guests Richard Schiff (@Richard_Schiff) and Eli Attie (@EliAttie). Plus some special West Wing-themed musical performances from Debbie Fiderer’s favorite a capella group, The Swingles (@swinglesingers). For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/421

We’re live in Dublin to discuss Evidence of Things Not Seen with special guests Richard Schiff, Marlee Matlin, her interpreter Jack Jason, and a pint of Guinness that is like an angel crying on Richard’s tongue. Cilantro! For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/420

AARON BURR: How does a podcast, web thing,  Recap and chat on The West Wing,  Dropped on the internet by nostalgic pals On a fake President—it makes no sense! How do Josh and Hrish, on balance, Manage to land two major Broadway talents? The two gallants, Lin-Manuel and Tommy Kail, Got a lot farther by working a lot harder By being a lot smarter, by being self-starters By watching Bartlet, who's based a bit on Jimmy Carter Well, the word got around that they’re like, "Sorkin is insane, man" So we sent a lot of emails till we got into their brainpan: "Do a special episode, lend us some acclaim and Let's talk about the napkin in the frame." Roll the name, son: West Wing Weekly Hamilton  This thing is West Wing Weekly Hamilton There's a million things these guys have won  So just hit play, just hit play… For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/006

Please set your cell phones to airplane mode, it’s Angel Maintenance time. In this episode we’re joined by former Acting Secretary of the Air Force (and former Secretary of the Army) Eric Fanning for lots of juicy details about Air Force One, including the fact that there’s more than one Air Force One. And Josh looks back fondly on filming this episode, for reasons involving Vaseline. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/419

Privateers has a special place in our hearts because we love the scene where Allison Janney can’t stop laughing - and she’s here with us to talk about the fugue state necessary to create such memorable giggles. We’re also joined by Josh’s Scandal costar Jeff Perry, and Helen Slayton-Hughes, who played Marion Cotesworth-Haye of Marblehead. And we get the final word on the privateer question from Bren Landon of the DAR. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/418

The Laurens make good! West Wing writer Lauren Schmidt Hissrich joins us to recap Red Haven's on Fire and share stories of the real world Lauren confusion behind this episode. And Senator Tammy Duckworth tells us what to expect when you're a senator who's expecting. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/417

Ah, Miss Hamantaschen! It's the California 47th. Josh and Hrishi discuss the linguistic nuance of Rice Krispies and what one calls the treats made from them. And, Mrs Hottentot, Hrishi introduces a handy online tool for President Bartlet: the Debbie Fiderer nickname generator. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/416

A live Big Block of Cheese Day from San Francisco Sketch Fest! Hrishi and Josh are joined by Dulé Hill to answer questions from fans - including a semi-surprise guest. Nate DiMeo of The Memory Palace (@thememorypalace) podcast tells the history of the big block of cheese, and Helen Zaltzman of The Allusionist (@AllusionistShow) gets VERY salty with her language as she explains the origin of the word “sh**hole.” Saltiest of all, though, is the 50 pound wheel of Pecorino Romano that we actually had delivered to the Marines’ Memorial Theater to feed our hungry questioners. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/005

For our discussion of Inauguration: Over There, Josh regales Hrishi with tales of shooting in his underwear and throwing snowballs at Janel Moloney. Plus, we’re joined by West Wing writer and former Director of the National Economic Council Gene Sperling (@genebsperling). He tells us how the Clinton administration's regrets over the handling of the Rwandan genocide led to the Bartlet administration's doctrine for the use of force. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/415

Inauguration: Part I is the first part of our two-part series about a two-part series of West Wing episodes. Josh and Hrishi dig up fun facts about presidential bibles, and cast a critical eye on CJ's flirting and Josh's mean sass about Jack Reese. They also talk with Danica McKellar (@danicamckellar) about how a character named Tracy became Elsie Snuffin. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/414

As the West Wing takes a trip to Dayton, OH, for The Long Goodbye, Josh and Hrishi talk to playwright Jon Robin Baitz, who playwrought the episode. He talks about how his own father's illness informed the script in ways he didn't realize at the time, and gets props from our hosts for finally letting C.J. get some. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/413

For our discussion of Guns Not Butter, Josh and Hrishi go on a hunt for Hrishi’s Hebrew name that is almost as intense as Donna’s quest to get Josh’s phone into the hands of Senator Hardin. Tom Hart of ONE (@OneCampaign) makes the case for foreign aid, and MAZON’s CEO & President Abby Leibman (@MAZONusa) backs Charlie up on the subject of food stamps on the military, but not one single person sides with poor Josh Lyman on the remote prayer issue. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/412

On the West Wing, it’s Toby’s birthday (December 23), and his father visits. On the West Wing Weekly, it’s Josh’s birthday (January 17), and HIS father visits. We turn to Mr Robert Malina for some Yiddish info and some Joshish insights. Plus, we’re joined by a couple of the Yale Whiffenpoofs who appeared in "Holy Night" to tell us about how they ended up singing for President Bartlet. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/411

One of us! One of us! Will Bailey finally arrives in the West Wing and we've got a trio of guests to welcome him. Former Cabinet Secretary Chris Lu (@ChrisLu44) talks about the (nonexistent) precedent for cabinet resignations; director John David Coles breaks down his unusual camera choices; and Richard Schiff (@Richard_Schiff) reveals what song Toby had stuck in his head the first time he met Will. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/410

Eli Attie (@EliAttie) and Kevin Falls (@KevinFalls) are our guests to talk about the “break glass in case of emergency” writing that went into “Swiss Diplomacy”, a rare episode without a Sorkin writing credit. These guys have stories! And they’ll tell you why, when in doubt, you should always run for president. For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/409