TV News

The West Wing Cast to Reunite for Staged Reading of Season 3 Episode

The filmed reading on HBO Max will benefit Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote organization.

Robe Lowe as Sam, Allison Janney as CJ, and Martin Sheen as President Bartlett in The West Wing
Robe Lowe as Sam, Allison Janney as CJ, and Martin Sheen as President Bartlett in The West Wing
(© Warner Bros. Television)

The original cast of The West Wing will reunite for a "special theatrical presentation" of a third-season episode to benefit Michelle Obama's When We All Vote organization.

The newly staged version of the episode "Hartsfield's Landing" will be the centerpiece of HBO Max's A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote. It will feature new material penned by West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin and will be staged by the show's longtime producer and director, Thomas Schlamme.

This staged reading will be filmed over multiple days at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles in early October, following strict Covid safety protocols. Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Allison Janney, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford, and Martin Sheen will reprise their roles, with further casting to be announced.

In the 2002 episode "Hartsfield's Landing," President Bartlett (Sheen) plays a game of chess with Sam (Lowe) and Toby (Schiff) while dealing with a foreign policy showdown with China. At the same time, Josh (Whitford) waits to find out the results in a small New Hampshire town's presidential primary, which is known for accurately predicting the state's winner.