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Title details for What's Next by Melissa Fitzgerald - Available

What's Next

A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy ofService

by Melissa Fitzgerald
Mary McCormack
Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
2 of 5 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 5 copies available
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, service, government, and civic life underscores how the series envisaged an American politics of decency and honor, creating an aspirational White House beyond the bounds of fictional television. 
 
What’s Next revisits beloved episodes with fresh, untold commentary; compiles poignant and hilarious stories from the show’s production; highlights initiatives supported by the cast, crew, and creators; and makes a powerful case for competent, empathetic leadership, hope, and optimism for whatever lies ahead.
* This audiobook edition has been adapted for the audio format, and the content deviates slightly from the printed version. It includes a downloadable PDF that contains a list of organizations important to the cast and crew and behind the scenes photos and images from The West Wing.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 13, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593786932
      • File size: 466780 KB
      • Duration: 16:12:26

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 10, 2024
      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 quips, “We accept that our day-to-day is Parks and Recreation... but we always aspire to be The West Wing”). This will be catnip for fans of the show. Agent: Matt Latimer, Javelin.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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