A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote

It plays immaculately. Some of the appreciation for this special can be chalked up to nostalgia – for the show and its idealism about public service; for a simpler, comparatively chaos-free time in American politics – but this “West Wing” special also delivers a patriotic balm with entertaining calls to vote, delivered with clever word play, that substitute for commercials.

What these hypothetical viewers will see is a group of skilled performers telling a reasonably engaging story, and a group of committed citizens speaking to them frankly and with warmth and humor about the reality of this election. But the people who are most likely to watch ... “Hartsfield Landing” is undeniably theatrical, more “Our Town” than “E.R.” It’s not an attempt to make a typical episode of television, and in abandoning such a fruitless pursuit, they create something truly beautiful.

Between those high production values and Whitford’s sober introduction, The West Wing special immediately defused a lot of my cynicism. There’s no doubting how passionate this cast is about performing together. ... It is competence porn. This is what The West Wing has to offer in the moment of Trump: the idea of our big, scary world stewarded by an old man you can trust. It’s not about politics; it’s about having someone to tuck you in at night.

It's easy to debate whether that sounds naive. But for an hour or so, "The West Wing" special manages to bring the show, and its central ideals, back to life.

If you’re a West Wing fan, you’ll love this special. If you’re not, you won’t even go find this on HBO Max. And that’s what makes us wonder about if the special’s message will actually land with the people with whom they’re trying to communicate.

An elegantly staged reading of the standout episode “Hartsfield’s Landing.” ... Part nostalgic reunion, part COVID-production triumph, and part rudimentary celebrity PSA, the special boasted more gravitas than usual, as far as these things go. It also suffered the same exasperated whiff of “what’s the point” that all similar efforts battle in today’s whirlpool news cycle. ... But for an hour, at least, it was nice to cozy up with.

So many words, words upon words, the effluence of the dialogue being the show’s draw, as well as one of its drawbacks. What sounded so glidingly lyrical back then verges on the ridiculous and grating now, unless, of course, you have too much invested in “The West Wing’s” idealized Washington. ... The best parts are the interstitial breaks, taking up an additional 20 minutes, which feature Sorkinesque banter between cast members in the form of get-out-the-vote messages.