While we all wait for the West Wing reunion of our dreams, Josh Malina and his co-host, Hrishikesh Hirway, are bringing us a great new way to dive back into the series.
Fans of The West Wing have been hungry for more from their favorite show and its cast members since the series ended in 2006, and one such cast member has stepped up in a big way. It’s been hard to find ways to experience the series in new ways beyond sharing it with anyone that hasn’t watched before. That isn’t the case any longer.
Josh Malina, known to The West Wing fans as Will Bailey, who first appeared in the show’s fourth season, will be bringing us a brand new way to experience the series we all know and love so much: a weekly podcast titled The West Wing Weekly.
Josh and his co-host, Hrishikesh Hirway (creator of the podcast Song Exploder), will be diving in to the series and providing an episode-by-episode discussion of the show. They’ve promised some guest hosts along the way, including one former cast member who has all but confirmed his participation:
.@JoshMalina has already invited me. Oh, the stories I've saved for a platform like this. https://t.co/HdgsuCNgKb
— Peter James Smith (@PJSActor) March 16, 2016
Peter James Smith played Ed, of infamous staffer duo Ed and Larry, in assorted episodes throughout the entire series run. He’s got to have some truly great behind the scenes stories.
Superfan Lin Manuel Miranda, who you might know for a little Broadway show called Hamilton that’s popular these days, has also tweeted Malina with his own plea to co-host an episode:
Can Tommy Kail and I be on your podcast @JoshMalina
— Lin-Manuel Miranda (@Lin_Manuel) March 16, 2016
And Malina responded quite promptly with:
Let me think about it. I'll get back to you.
— Joshua Malina (@JoshMalina) March 16, 2016
It seems that Malina didn’t have to think too long about that one.
We can’t wait to see which other series stars will join Malina and Hirway on their 154 episode quest. We’re definitely crossing our fingers to hear our favorites appear including Alison Janney, Martin Sheen, Bradley Whitford, and Richard Schiff, amongst many, many others.
Seeing the passion for this series continue through its own stars reminds us all of the influential nature of the show. It’s a series that sticks with you once you’ve seen it, and can have a dramatic effect on how you see the world.
You can listen to their one minute long first episode called “Cold Open” and get a first listen in on their music and style on their website or on iTunes where you can also subscribe and never miss a minute.