
The West Wing Weekly
An episode-by-episode discussion of The West Wing, one of television’s most beloved shows, co-hosted by one of its stars, Joshua Malina, along with Hrishikesh Hirway of Song Exploder.
Latest episodes

Sep 19, 2018 • 1h 21min
5.15: Full Disclosure (with Lawrence O'Donnell)
Full disclosure: you’re going to hear the words 'full disclosure' a lot in this episode, as we discuss "Full Disclosure." Lawrence O’Donnell joins us to discuss how he wrote this episode, how Richard Schiff changed its meaning without changing a word, and how Josh Lyman’s plot line landed him in Hillary Clinton’s crosshairs.
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Sep 12, 2018 • 51min
5.14: An Khe
In this episode, the past is laid bare like a nude portrait, or at the very least, like a photo of your ex in a bikini. Grab your copy of Latin Phrases for Awkward Situations, and parachute in with us.
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Sep 5, 2018 • 1h 7min
5.13: The Warfare of Genghis Khan (with Fmr. Congressman John Tierney and Jacob Keaton)
A potential nuclear threat looms on the horizon, so let’s head down to the Situation Room to discuss The Warfare of Genghis Khan. We’re joined by former congressman and nonproliferation advocate John Tierney, who catches us up on nuclear politics then and now. And Josh and Hrishi manage to listen to the arguments of NASA analyst Jacob Keaton without him even having to take them stargazing or anything.
For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/513
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Aug 22, 2018 • 1h 19min
5.12: Slow News Day (with Eli Attie and Nancy Altman)
Sleep in! We'll wake up the President for you to tell him about our great idea to record a podcast about the Slow News Day episode of the West Wing. Joining us in this historic endeavor is returning guest Eli Attie, who shares his memories about real and fictional West Wing attempts to build a legacy. Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, also drops by to tell us just how Toby's efforts compare to the real history of Social Security reform. PS: we had a data glitch while recording and lost Josh's mic audio, so his side of the conversation is not up to our usual standards. Sorry about that!
For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/512
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Aug 15, 2018 • 1h 12min
5.11: The Benign Prerogative (with Janel Moloney)
This week, we discuss "The Benign Prerogative," and the not so benign aspects of Presidential pardons. We're joined once again by Janel Moloney to talk about Donna's moving storyline in this episode. Plus, Lin-Manuel Miranda makes a little cameo (#Hameo) to help us with the original text by Alexander Hamilton from which this episode takes its name.
For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/511
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Aug 8, 2018 • 1h 1min
5.10: The Stormy Present (with Bellamy Young)
It's the 100th episode of The West Wing! Our guest this week is Bellamy Young, who made her first appearance in a TV White House here, some years before joining Josh on Scandal as PRESIDENT Mellie Grant.
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Jul 31, 2018 • 1h 7min
5.09: Abu el Banat (with Joe Fab)
"Cauliflower."
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Jul 25, 2018 • 1h 2min
5.08: Shutdown (with Gene Sperling)
Shut! It! Down! Josh and Hrishi are walking right up to the hallway outside your office to talk about “Shutdown.” Gene Sperling, former White House Director of the National Economic Council, joins them to compare Bill Clinton's shutdown game plan to Jed Bartlet's apparent lack of one.
For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/508
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Jul 18, 2018 • 1h 7min
5.07: Separation of Powers (with Michael Hyatt)
The Supreme Court is looking at a case that relates to Korematsu v. United States, while the White House starts to make their moves towards appointing a new justice. But ai yai yai, we aren’t talking about last month’s headlines—we’re talking about “Separation of Powers,” from November 2003. And this week, we’re joined by special guest Michael Hyatt who plays Angela Blake. She gave us a wonderfully candid interview about how she got the role—and why Angela didn’t stick around for longer.
For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/507
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Jul 11, 2018 • 49min
5.06: Disaster Relief (with Alexa Junge and Lauren Schmidt Hissrich)
We're joined this week by Alexa Junge and returning guest Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. They co-wrote "Disaster Relief," and together, we try to propulgate the backstory of this episode onto the frontstory. Like President Bartlet in Oklahoma, you'll never want to go back to work!
For more, visit thewestwingweekly.com/506
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