The West Wing - What's Next?

Democracy. It’s messy, it’s uncomfortable – but it’s better than the alternatives, as Winston Churchill famously assured us. And it is certainly better than Authoritarianism.

The idea of a self-governing society, where all are considered equal, is humankind’s dream. It’s one of the things that makes The West Wing so attractive to its tens of...

The West Wing has a fandom that rivals that of Star Trek, Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad. As with those shows, fans like us buy the DVD box sets and put the show on endless loop – or we used to, until it started streaming. Some re-watch all seven seasons every few years; some watch it annually; some just never stop at all (I’m somewhere...

Those of us who deeply love The West Wing, and would choose TWW reruns over the finest muffins and bagels in the land without even thinking about it, are all too aware that it is the most quotable TV show in history (surpassing even Star Trek). When we hear a colleague in a meeting at work say, innocently, “What’s next?”, we can’t help but hear...

The West Wing generates loyalty on a par with that of Star Trek fans and Deadheads. The most loyal fans own the DVD box sets of all seven seasons and watch them over and over, and know the show inside out.

This book is for them. It contains quizzes for every episode of the series, as well as a number of topical trivia challenges.

When I was watching The West Wing during its original run, I was appreciative of how Aaron Sorkin and his team didn’t just serve up good drama, but built stories out of what was going on in the real world. And as time passed after the series ended, and I re-watched it over and over, I was struck by how prescient it turned out to be: many things...

For seven glorious years, Aaron Sorkin’s masterpiece The West Wing served up a vision of American democracy and governance that informed us, challenged us and inspired us. In this collection of more than 20 essays, all prompted by memorable moments in the series, Scott Robinson surveys the issues, crises, and core principles of greatest impact,...