White House Planning Event Celebrating 25th Anniversary Of ‘The West Wing’

EXCLUSIVE: The White House is planning an event next week to mark the 25th anniversary of The West Wing, with President Joe Biden marking the occasion with cast and creators, according to sources familiar with the plans.

The event is scheduled for Sept. 20, which is two days before the debut anniversary. The Aaron Sorkin series, produced by Warner Bros. Television, premiered on NBC on Sept. 22, 1999, and went on to run for seven seasons. It also proved to be an inspiration to many who went into politics, with its idealistic depiction of what politics can be.

Martin Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet on the series, had a brief meeting with Biden at the White House last month. Sheen was with cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, authors of the recently published What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast And Crew And Its Enduring Legacy Of Service.

In an appearance last month tied to the release of the book, Sorkin reflected on the differences between now and then. He said at the Skirball Center event, “This is simply what would be different. I’m afraid to say that right now, and maybe things will different a year from now or two years from now. But right now, it would be implausible that the opposition party, that the Republican Party, was reasonable. People would watch that and it would be unfamiliar to them as the country they live in. On the show, while the Republicans were the opposition, they were reasonable.”