The long-running and critically acclaimed drama series, The West Wing, is returning for a special on the new Warner Media streaming service HBO Max, according to Deadline. The special will be a version of the “Hartsfield’s Landing” episode. Created by Aaron Sorkin (Moneyball, Molly’s Game, The Social Network), the political drama premiered on NBC in 1999 and ran until 2006. The series was executive produced by Sorkin, Christopher Misiano (ER, The Good Wife), Alex Graves (Game of Thrones, Fringe), Peter Noah (Scandal, Kingdom), John Wells (ER, Shameless), Thomas Schlamme (Sports Night), Lawrence O’Donnell Jr. (Big Love), and many more. The announcement of the special coincides with the upcoming 2020 Presidential Election in addition to being another successful NBC show to be conducting a reunion special on HBO Max after Friends.
The West Wing centered on the inner workings of The White House and the Oval Office as well. The series cast included Martin Sheen (Apocalypse Now, The Departed) as President Bartlet, Bradley Whitford (Get Out) as Josh Lyman, John Spencer (L.A. Law) as Leo McGarry, Rob Lowe (Parks and Recreation, The Outsiders) as Sam Seaborn, Richard Schiff (Ballers, The Good Wife) as Toby Ziegler, and Allison Janney (Mom, The Way Way Back) as C.J. Cregg. Additional cast members include Dulé Hill (Psych, Ballers), Janel Moloney (The Leftovers), Moira Kelly (The Lion King, One Tree Hill), Stockard Channing (Anything Else, The Good Wife), and many more. Currently, Sorkin is reuniting with Hill, Moloney, Schiff, Whitford, Lowe, Janney, and Sheen for the upcoming special entitled A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote in addition to Schlamme coming on board to direct the upcoming special.
The upcoming The West Wing special is in order to support the non-profit organization When We All Vote which is backed by Michelle Obama, who will be included in the special in guest spot. The special is set to be shot in early October in Los Angeles, via Deadline. Sorkin commented on the reunion and special as a whole. “Tommy [Schlamme] and I are incredibly excited to be getting The West Wing cast back together for this staged reading and to support When We All Vote in their efforts to get all of us involved in this election,” according to Deadline. Currently, there is no concrete premiere date announced for the special on HBO Max.