Whats next a backstage pass to the west wing

From the publisher:

A behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing as told by cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with compelling insights from cast and crew exploring what made the show what it was and how its impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure.

Step back inside the world of President Jed Bartlet’s Oval Office with Fitzgerald and McCormack as they reunite the West Wing cast and crew in a lively and colorful “backstage pass” to the timeless series. This intimate, in-depth reflection reveals how The West Wing was conceived, and spotlights the army of people it took to produce it, the lifelong friendships it forged, and the service it inspired. 
 
From cast member origin stories to the collective cathartic farewell on the show’s final night of filming, What’s Next will delight readers with on-set and off-camera anecdotes that even West Wing superfans have never heard. Meanwhile, a deeper analysis of the show’s legacy through American culture, serv

"This is the book The West Wing deserves." Allison Janney

"A delight and a MUST READ for all the Wingnuts out there!" Brad Whitford

A behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing as told by cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with compelling insights from cast and crew exploring what made the exhibit what it was and how its impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure. Includes an exclusive foreword by showrunner Aaron Sorkin and introduction by cast member Allison Janney.

Step support inside the world of President Jed Bartlet's Oval Office with Fitzgerald and McCormack as they reunite the West Wing cast and crew in a lively and colourful "backstage pass" to the timeless series. This intimate, in-depth reflection reveals how The West Wing was conceived, and spotlights the army of people it took to produce it, the lifelong friendships it forged, and the service it inspired.

From cast member origin stories to the collective cathartic farewell on the show's final night of filming, What's Next will delight readers with on-set and off-camera anecdotes that even West Wing super fans h

What's Next : A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service PAPERBACK OUT NOW

Hardback/Paperback
13 August 2024/ 13 July 2025
Headline

A behind-the-scenes look into the creation and legacy of The West Wing as told by cast members Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack, with compelling insights from cast and crew exploring what made the show what it was and how its impassioned commitment to service has made the series and relationships behind it endure. Includes an exclusive foreword by showrunner Aaron Sorkin and introduction by cast member Allison Janney. Step back inside the world of President Jed Bartlet's Oval Office with Fitzgerald and McCormack as they reunite the West Wing cast and crew in a lively and colourful "backstage pass" to the timeless series.

This intimate, in-depth reflection reveals how The West Wing was conceived, and spotlights the army of people it took to produce it, the lifelong friendships it forged, and the service it inspired. From cast member origin stories to the collective cathartic farewell on the show's final night of filming, What's Next will delight readers with on-set and off-camera anecdotes that

Thoroughly Modern Reviewer

Revisit the making of The West Wing in Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack’s What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service. Featuring a host of newly-conducted interviews and archival anecdotes, What’s Next offers readers a glimpse behind the scenes of this beloved show. And, as you might expect, it’s a bit of a tome. Exhaustive, some might say. That thoroughness is both the book’s greatest strength and biggest weakness.

Fitzgerald and McCormack weave a tapestry exploring both the history and making of The West Wing – how it came to be greenlit, how each of the major characters was cast, deep dives into specific episodes, etc – while also shining a light on the cast’s history of political and social activism. This combination makes for an intriguing read; one-part behind-the-scenes book, one-part memoir. But there’s just so much information crammed into these 600 pages that it makes for a daunting read. And while those glimpses at the cast’s activism are insightful and often moving, they really break the flow of the book’s exploration of The West Wing’s seven-ye

What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to the West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service

Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack. Dutton, $35 (608p) ISBN 978-0-593-18454-7

Actors Fitzgerald and McCormack—who played Carol Fitzpatrick and Kate Harper, respectively, on The West Wing (1999–2006)—deliver an entertaining history of the show grounded in extensive interviews with its stars, writers, and crew. The authors recount how creator Aaron Sorkin largely improvised his pitch for The West Wing after realizing that what he had assumed was a friendly dinner with ER producer John Wells was actually a development meeting. Elsewhere, Fitzgerald and McCormack explain that the show’s signature walk-and-talk shots stemmed from pilot director Thomas Schlamme’s efforts to recreate the hustle and bustle he witnessed while visiting Bill Clinton in the Oval Office, and that Glenn Close confessed to feeling nervous about keeping up with the show’s frenetic production schedule when guest starring as a Supreme Court nominee. The insider stories amuse, and meditations on the show’s legacy highlight its influence on real-life politicos (Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow q