A third term for the Bartlet administration? Feel free to sign us up. The cast and crew of The West Wing reunited in the heart of Washington, D.C., to celebrate the iconic show’s 25th anniversary — and what better place than the White House itself? First Lady Dr. Jill Biden was on hand to pay tribute to the legendary multi-Emmy winning series that, for many, served as an introduction and a gateway into a love of politics. Dr. Biden joked that, although her husband was out president-ing at that moment, she still wanted to make sure that Martin Sheen‘s President Josiah Bartlet and his staff got to walk down memory lane.
“We just came from the Oval,” Dr. Biden said. “But even though Joe [Biden] is away hosting leaders of Australia and India and Japan in Delaware, he wanted to make sure that President Bartlet and his staff had a chance to see the Oval Office again.” Sheen stepped up to the podium, too, giving a passionate speech, while he was joined by other cast members like Richard Schiff (the ever-grumpy Toby Ziegler), Dulé Hill (Charlie Young), Janel Moloney (Donna Moss), and more, while executive producer Tommy Schlamme and the brilliant series creator, Aaron Sorkin, were also there to soak in the nostalgia of the day.
Will We Get a ‘West Wing’ Reunion?
After the event concluded, Sorkin admitted in an interview that he would consider bringing back the show. “If I had an idea, sure,” he told Variety. “I didn’t think about it seriously, frankly, until today… We’ll see what happens when I wake up tomorrow. But if you’re asking me now, this is how I feel.”
The showrunner did admit that he felt inspired during the event, adding that just being in the presence of the White House was enough to spark some suggestions in his mind. He did confess that he was afraid, however, any rebooted series would seem too similar to real world events.
“I just got a couple of ideas for episodes just walking around the White House. Like, ‘Why didn’t we ever do this? Why didn’t we ever do that?’
The worry would be that everything we did on the show would be seen as a rebuttal to the world of Donald Trump.”
Sorkin also revealed his reluctance was linked to a fear that fans would struggle to accept seeing a new person behind the Resolute Desk. “I suspect that a new president would have a hard time living up to people’s memories of Martin,” he said. “But maybe enough time has gone by, and it’s a whole new generation. A generation which, by the way, thanks to streaming, thinks we’re making the show today!”
The West Wing is streaming now in its entirety on Max.
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