‘The West Wing’ Special Sets Premiere: See the Cast Back Together (PHOTOS)
The West Wing reunion, A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, finally has a premiere date at HBO Max. The staged special will begin streaming Thursday, October 15 on the platform as the stars of Aaron Sorkin‘s political drama come together for the first time in 17 years.
The special staged presentation will see the cast perform a theatrical version of the Season 3 episode “Hartsfield’s Landing.” Along with announcing the special’s premiere date, HBO Max has also revealed that former First Lady Michelle Obama, Lin-Manuel Miranda and former President Bill Clinton will participate in the event, sharing commentary between acts.
These announcements, made in celebration of National Voter Registration Day, are a fitting way to promote the special, which will occur two weeks prior to the 2020 Presidential Election. The special will also feature musician and composer W.G. Snuffy Walden who will open the episode on guitar, playing The West Wing‘s iconic theme song. Meanwhile, The Avett Brothers will close out the evening with a special performance of their own.
Coming together under the creator Aaron Sorkin, as well as executive producer/director Thomas Schlamme, stars Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford and Martin Sheen will reprise their roles from the series. The special will raise awareness for and support the mission of When We All Vote, a non-profit, nonpartisan organization co-chaired by Michelle Obama that promotes voter participation in American elections.
Spanning seven seasons, The West Wing captivated audiences from 1999 through 2006 as it told the story of presidential administration staffers dealing with various issues from the Oval Office and West Wing of the White House. Overall, the series earned 27 Emmy Awards during its run and won plenty of other accolades, as well.
Since the special’s announcement in August, the stars have been getting ready to take on their roles once more. And this week, they’ve started sharing some pretty exciting behind-the-scenes photos on social media. Below, catch a few of them and don’t miss the reunion this October on HBO Max:
At a certain point mom and dad started wearing the same clothes. pic.twitter.com/kTJQzRfEmU
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) September 21, 2020
#WhenWeAllVote pic.twitter.com/AMJfjjMTDk
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) September 22, 2020
#WhenWeAllVote pic.twitter.com/iux9VM40Mi
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) September 21, 2020
Joy. @DuleHill pic.twitter.com/yFDo2A6woY
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) September 22, 2020
— Bradley Whitford (@BradleyWhitford) September 20, 2020
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, Premieres Thursday, October 15, HBO Max