West Wing. What's Next?

If you are a fan who enjoys following the cut and thrust of politics then you may have turned back to The West Wing in recent years. The aspirational show lasted for seven seasons and is a beautiful counterpoint to the political turmoil of recent years. The show finished in 2006 but has surged in popularity in recent years. The West Wing Weekly podcast guided viewers through each episode and the cast recently reunited for a staged performance of an episode as part of a ‘Get Out The Vote’ fundraiser on HBO, with fans like Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton lending their support to the show.

If you have binged every episode, laughed, and cried with the development of the brilliant ensemble of actors then you may feel bereft watching the last episode of season seven. As President Bartlett famously says, What’s Next?

SORKIN

Well, you could follow it up by looking for similar works in the canon by the show’s creator Aaron Sorkin. Aaron wrote every episode of the first four seasons of the West Wing, so chances are you like his style? His fast-paced dialogue forensically the subject matter, which is what makes his movies like The Social Network, Molly’s Game, and A Few Good Men so interesting. However, arguably Sorkin works best when working in longer form, and he has time to let you into the lives of his characters.

Before West Wing, Sorkin wrote Sports Night. The premise was a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional sports television show. The tone is light, and it doesn’t have the moral heft that the West Wing has. But you can get glimpses of Sorkin fleshing out his ideas and beginning to tackle some of the trickier moral conundrums that eventually pay off in the West Wing. The show, in many ways, is a prequel to the West Wing with the same premise of a small band of likable characters dedicated to doing the best they can to serve the people.

On the flip side of this is The Newsroom. It takes a while to get going, but this is a spiritual successor to the West Wing, looking at the integrity required to report the news diligently to the public. It has a fantastic lead-in Jeff Daniels, who in many ways is the equivalent to Martin Sheen’s Bartlett. While the show was made much later than the West Wing, it has got a slightly dated feel to it. This may be because the Newsroom tied itself closely to real-world political events unfolding at the time.

The final recommendation based on Sorkin’s TV writing is the short-lived Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip. If you love Josh Lyman, this show is for you. It feels like Bradley Whitford has taken this beloved character and beamed him out of the White House and onto the set of Saturday Night Live. And with Matthew Perry as a fellow co-star this sharply written, fast-paced show was made straight after the West Wing and gives you a similar cozy feeling of being in the company of people who love their jobs and want to perform with integrity.

ENSEMBLE

Of course, The West Wing was beloved as much because of the fantastic acting as it was of its razor-sharp writing. The ensemble cast of actors won multiple awards for their performances on the show and many have gone on to generate similar acclaim in other roles.

One such superstar of the silver screen is Allison Janney. Even in the tiniest parts, she lights up the screen and her characters are always filled with depth. In Bombshell, she has a small role as Roger Ailes’ attorney. Even with the limited scope of the role, you can see her wrestle with her commitment to a dear friend against her passion for defending fellow women.

In, I, Tonya she again takes a real-life persona, Tonya’s mother, and transforms her into a personality that you will find yourself both absorbed by and repelled with. Allison is a master of humor too and her current role as cynical Bonnie Plunkett in Mom will have you giggling aloud. Bonus point if you can find her in the 90’s remake of Miracle on 34th Street

Bradley Whitford has had a bit of a resurgence in recent years and has shown a different side to his personality with performances that couldn’t be any further from loveable Josh. For instance, Bradley Whitford’s creepy turn in the Oscar-winning Get Out is bone-chilling. He is also captivating in The Handmaids Tale where he stars alongside fellow West Wing alumni, Elizabeth Moss.

Joshua Malina continues in his political roles playing David Rosen on Scandal. In many ways Scandal is the flip side of the West Wing, showing how conniving and cutthroat politics can be.

POLITICS

If you loved watching the West Wing because you like to pull-out little-known facts about the American Constitution at dinner parties then following up with some other political shows might be for you.

Armando Iannucci is similar to Aaron Sorkin, working as an auteur who skewers his subjects with pinpoint accuracy. However, where Sorkin manages to make you feel like politics is reaching for higher pinnacles, Iannucci likes to show you the dirt underneath the fingernails that have scratched and clawed their way to the top. The Thick Of It is the UK equivalent to the West Wing but it is not a lofty drama but an acidic darkly humored piece of writing. The show in many ways feels more truthful with the ensemble shambolically trying anything to survive and get through the day. For US fans, The Thick Of It is partnered with Iannucci’s other dark political creation, Veep. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is so unlikeable as the power-hungry vice president that she is captivating. Veep feels like a show that has taken every element of what made the West Wing great, twisted it, stamped on it, put it through a paper shredder, and pasted it back together. But this mangled Frankenstein is every bit as watchable and filled with insider pollical jokes that will make you gasp in horror and delight!

With a plethora of options to choose from The West Wing, really is a springboard to some of the finest that cinema and television have to offer but with 156 episodes, it might just be that once you’re finished you only want to rewind and do the whole thing again!! What’s next? West Wing? Well, why not!