The West Wing Weekly

Pivots, lit bits, and a hookup in a pond. Plus plenty of plenipotentiary, as Hrishi and Josh welcome Ambassador A. Elizabeth Jones and her husband Don Ruschman to tell us what it’s really like inside the world of high stakes diplomacy. 

For more info and to discuss the episode, visit thewestwingweekly.com/thediplomat-105.

You’ve said you’d listen to us talk about anything, and today we test this thesis. We touch on pigs, contractions, James Bond, and offscreen butts. And we still find time to discuss Russian mercenaries, a sudden death, and onscreen butt.

For more info and to discuss the episode, visit thewestwingweekly.com/thediplomat-104.

We’re joined by director Andrew Bernstein to discuss his work on this episode (as well as his work on The West Wing)—and that fight scene between Kate and Hal!

For more info and to discuss the episode, visit thewestwingweekly.com/thediplomat-103.

We’re digging into the dynamics of Kate & Hal, Eidra & Stuart, the breathless pace of the show, and its “no good guys” worldview. Josh has an important PSA about drugs. 

For more info and to discuss the episode, visit thewestwingweekly.com/thediplomat-102.

Our discussion of The Diplomat begins at the beginning with the creator of the series, Debora Cahn, who tells us about the show's origin story. 

For more info and to discuss the episode, visit thewestwingweekly.com/thediplomat-101.

We’re very excited to announce a new series here on The West Wing Weekly, discussing the Netflix hit political thriller The Diplomat, episode by episode. Coming soon!

Join us LIVE in London for the season 1 finale, on Saturday November 14. Tickets here: thewestwingweekly.com/live

We're discussing the 1976 Oscar-winning classic directed by Alan Pakula and written by William Goldman (one of Aaron Sorkin's screenwriting heroes). WOODSTEIN! 

If you'd like to watch the video version of this episode, subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/thewestwingweekly.

Here are some extra tidbits:

Did you order the Code Red? You're goddamn right I did!—if by "Code Red" you mean an hour of Josh & Hrishi discussing this Aaron Sorkin / Rob Reiner classic. (We're not in the Marines, but we still like giving things code names.) We wanted to pay tribute to the late Rob Reiner and this film that, in some ways, would eventually lead to The West Wing. Plus, A Few Good Men was Josh's film debut, based on the play that was his Broadway debut, so he has lots of stories. We hope—we strenuously hope—you'll join us for this conversation about one of the all-time great courtrooms drama.

We've got a bonus installment of the Film Fest—with special guest Adam Scott! In addition to his work on Severance, Parks & Recreation, Party Down, and so much more, he's just a genuinely thoughtful and kind person, so we are thrilled to have him back on the podcast. We're discussing the 1992 film Bob Roberts, a satirical mockumentary by Tim Robbins.

You can find The West Wing Weekly lapel pin, t-shirts, and more at thewestwingweekly.com/merch.

We're trying to savor the Capra-esque quality of this experience by wrapping up with Mr. Smith.

Supplemental materials:

Thank you so much for joining us again for this series!