Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Riverdale Avenue Books, and author Joshua Stein for the advanced reader copy of this book. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

This was a book I really wanted to like. I was a huge fan of the television show The West Wing when it aired more than 25 years ago now. I reviewed the DVD sets when they came out on Epinions, and have debated doing a series rewatch of it for this blog. I went into this thinking I might have another great resource for that endeavor.

In The Binge Watcher's Guide to The West Wing Seasons One and Two, author Joshua Stein basically does the same thing. Written from the perspective of all these years later, some of what is in the series resonates differently than it did at the time. It's that historical context that Stein is missing. You can study it all you want, but unless you lived through that time, or listened to the people that did, you're going to miss out on some of the nuances.

Seasons One and Two of The West Wing were pre-9/11. Thus, the first two seasons had a lot to do with domestic issues. Terrorism was out there, but it hadn't really come home just yet. Series creator Aaron Sorkin had a tight hold on the reins for this one and much of the show was his vision for how government could be if we all worked together, even when we disagreed.

In the forward, author Joshua Stein describes how he set out to write this book. He began in 2015 and didn't finish until this year. Thus, his impressions of the show are colored a bit by what the ensuing years have brought us. Indeed, the way the show depicts Democrats and Republicans getting along can be considered quaint, and he stresses this over and over again. He also addresses criticism of the show as being a "liberal fantasy." It was not. In fact, I have gotten flak from more than one liberal friend for saying this is how government should work.

Sorkin was very critical of President Bill Clinton and his administration, which Stein addresses throughout the book. Each chapter addresses several episodes. Stein gives a recap of the episode and provides important historical context. Sometimes it's something that was going on in the world at the time. This can be very helpful when watching the series again.

Why can't I give it four or five stars? Well, there are a few facts Stein got wrong, that make me wonder about his research. For instance, he credits the song, New York Minute to The Eagles when it was a Don Henley solo production on his album, The End of the Innocence. He also criticizes the Clinton Administration for Don't Ask, Don't Tell legislation about gays in the military. I'll admit that all these years later, it doesn't seem to be progressive, but at the time it was huge. This meant that the military wasn't going to seek to learn someone's sexual orientation anymore. If no one said anything, soldiers would not be discharged. In a sense, it was turning a blind eye to the issue, but it was a huge step forward at the time that likely cost Hillary Clinton the ability to enact any health care legislation.

I also felt that Stein missed an opportunity to put the events depicted in The West Wing in a more modern context with how it would play in this era when government is more about scoring points off of the other party and serving the wealthy donors than working for the people. He brings up Citizens United several times, which is how we arrived at a point in history where corporations influence the government more than everyday people.

I did like the book, but will I be looking for guides for the ensuing seasons? I doubt it. While Stein manages to touch on a lot of important parts of the series, he seems to be reinterpreting it in his own vision, rather than letting it speak for itself. The recaps are the bulk of the book, yet more than the last quarter of it is just his footnotes. I would think some of these footnotes are part of the context needed for each episode and he should have found a way to address it within his recap and commentary of the episodes themselves.

I think there are some insights that can be gained from reading The Binge Watcher's Guide to The West Wing Seasons One and Two if you are a fan of the series, but it reads more like a position paper than a reflective guide to the series.

Not what we were expecting from this book.
It was bascially a synopsis of each episode and we were hoping for more an analysis, behind-the-scenes commentary and discussions about the way it connected to opther storylines, character development etc.

But if you're a fan who wants a book to add to your collection that gives you all the details about each episode, then this could be the book for you.

A very academic overview of my favorite Aaron Sorkin television series of all time, The West Wing. Highly recommend to the Wing Nuts.

I was very excited to see this book because I was a huge West Wing fan, and still quote lines in everyday life. I just wish this book went through the entire series and not just the first two seasons. While the first two season had some classic episodes and scenes I would like that to continue through the end of the series. The first episode was classic and set the tone for the series. No one before or since have had to dialogue and the walk and talk like West Wing. The cast became family to us as we watched them every week to see what obstacles they would undertake. No one will forget Sam's speech to Leo's daughter, or POTUS falling off the bike.
While I enjoyed the recaps of the episodes at the end the book got a little too political for me. I won't let that dampen the enjoyment of the rest of the book.

Joshua Stein, The Binge Watcher's Guide to The West Wing Seasons One and Two, Riverdale Avenue Books The Binge Watcher’s Guide, August 2024.

Thank you, Net Galley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Reading The Binge Watcher’s Guide to The West Wing while also watching the 2024 Democratic National Convention could not have been more propitious. At the same time Joshua Stein deftly outlines the real stories associated with some of the episodes, the way in which he points to criticisms of some of the positions held by President Clinton and demonstrates the demeaning way in which women were treated, thereby undermining the dream that this series seemed to portray, another possibility of a better West Wing is unfurling in Chicago at the Democratic National Convention. Together with the enthusiasm, joy, abounding optimism and inspiring speeches, there are words of caution and solid understanding of what it means to govern, to adopt the mantle of responsibilities of the presidency and West Wing staffers.

These realities are worth thinking about when reading The Binge Watcher’s Guide to the West Wing. As Michelle Obama opined, people running for office are not perfect, and cannot be expected to be. Committed Democrats must continue to work to win office, regardless of how well their contribution is acknowledged and publicly appreciated. Everyone cannot expect perfection from others - there is no time for pettiness. In this instance, she and others cautioned that working for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to become President and Vice President is too important for such minor concerns. In short, the dream and essential reality being offered by this team must be supported. So, at the same time as reading that our West Wing heroes and heroines can be less than perfect, that the president’s ideals and policy initiatives are not always the height of integrity, and squirming at the way in which women’s contributions and lives are not valued it is also worth maintaining the wonder with which we watched The West Wing in our unadulterated enthusiasm to believe in a better political way and integrity beyond that possible in an environment in which to introduce worthwhile polices winning is necessary.

The forward explains the writer’s purpose and his belief about what politics is and what it should be. He began writing in 2015 and is informed by the political events of 2016. There is a section on The West Wing 25 years later, that includes President Joe Biden’s decision not to run for a second term of the presidency. Each chapter covers one or more episodes. The introduction to Season 1 includes the Reagan quote about the problem of government, the cynicism invoked by that idea and The West Wing as a reaction. Before setting out the details of each episode, the introduction highlights some of the issues that will be covered and Stein’s responses to these.

The book is well organised, with enough information to provide the main storylines, the subtexts, whether these were based on some real event and both the episode arch and the contribution the episode made to the longer-term dramatic arches. Details of the personnel such as the major characters; recurring characters; and the production staff covering the creator and writer, the director and producer, executive producer, the musician and composer of the West Wing theme, and other major contributors to the production staff are included. Recurring plot lines are listed. References to ‘Sorkinisms’, in reference to the creator and writer are a feature of the book. The detail in each chapter covering one or more episodes makes a wonderful read, as do Stein’s comments and the references to the moral and political imperatives associated with each event.

Reading The Binge Watcher’s Guide to the West Wing Seasons One and Two was an engaging return to the series which to date I have watched twice. With this book’s illumination of events that I might have seen differently I look forward to watching The West Wing again. In particular, the term ‘patriot’ used by Ainslie (a Republican staff member) about her Democratic Party colleagues now resonates more strongly with me, as an Australian reader who was new to the term then but has now heard it used almost unremittingly in the context of current American politics. Ainslie’s observation was prescient, suggesting that although The West Wing may not have worn well in some ways, it still has something to say that is worthwhile. Joshua Stein’s book makes a valuable contribution to understanding the series and is important in the current American political environment. It is also engaging, fun and a temptation to sentimental reminiscences - yes, a thoroughly enjoyable read. Thank you, Joshua Stein.

I love The West Wing. My dad introduced this show to me when I was in my teens and I still rewatch it a couple of times a year. So, when I saw this book I was so excited and it had to potential to be one of my favourite books of the year but it just fell flat. I didn’t feel like I was reading a new book but a book that was written alongside the show when it was originally airing. It felt like a summary of the book that I would read online. Unfortunately it was a DNF

I wanted this book to be so much more than it ended up being - but it reads like something that was written 15 years ago and only just published now.

It feels like an academic exercise that's doubling as an excuse to summarize West Wing in his own words. The author claims in the intro to have been working on this for years, which definitely feels accurate… the issue is, it's written with the hindsight of post-9/11 world (and even the post-Obama / Trump era) BUT without actually applying the present situation. So it sits in this strange out-dated but yet attempting to be reflective and interpretive. Its neither primary contextualization nor accurate secondary analysis. Its 178 pages of writing and nearly 100 more of endnotes and supplemental episode references to backup the various points being made.

Each episode features a thorough summary in the author's own words, inter-spliced with interpretation, context and sometimes explanations of references that is neither past nor present but in many cases tries to define the context of the time through the lens of c.2010. As a big fan of the West Wing I was really hoping for some nostalgia and / or some actual political analysis. Instead, it feels like I'm reading an endless college paper.

I can't say I recommend this to anyone… if you've watched the show the summaries are accurate but the analysis is unsophisticated and out of date. If you haven't watched the show, I worry that the summaries and analysis will just be confusing and make the show sound far more boring than reality. This would have been a great read 20 years ago, unfortunately in today's political climate, we're so far removed from this period it just reads out of date. (There is a small write-up at the end that was written in 2024 - between when Pres. Biden dropped out of the presidential race and when the election was held, but the author spends most of the time explaining the current political setting and the rise of cynicism in politics today instead of wrapping the story into the present.)

I received an ARC from NetGalley. This is definitely (and unfortunately) my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Joshua Stein, and Riverdale Avenue Books for the ARC in exchange for a honest review!

As a massive West Wing fan (or a Wingnut as I recently saw Bradley Whitford refer to us as), this immediately caught my attention. The show is the forever background noise of my life, a comfort, and the door that opened my eyes to what politics COULD be. I found the show during the height of the 2016 campaign and never looked back when I needed it as a light in such a dark time in the political climate. Reading over the synopsis for each episode, I felt like I revisiting with an old friend; the Sorkinisms and other notes were a highlight for me, but the best parts, in my opinion, was the discussion of Ainsley Hayes and West Wing 25 Years Later. The latter of which was much needed in time that we are in right now. Truly a wonderful discussion for any Wingnut watching American politics right now!

Thank you, Riverdale Avenue Books. for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I just finished The Binge Watcher’s Guide To The West Wing Seasons One And Two, by Joshua Stein, Ph.D.

This was a very good episode by episode review of the first two seasons of the West Wing. The author did a great job describing the key moments, as well as providing discussions of what historical parallels the show was referring to.

I didn’t always agree with all of the choices as to which script excerpts were included or not included, but I wouldn’t expect everyone to agree on. I admit to being disappointed that Toby’s speech on how he would bet every dollar in his pocket vs. every dollar in your pocket that Leo was the one in control in the White House the night of the assassination attempt and that night, we had a coup in the US, didn’t make it. That’s my favorite scene of the series. I love the Toby line in response to the President asking if he looked like Joe McCarthy and Toby responded with nobody ever looks like Joe McCarthy, that’s how they get their foot in the door in the first place. But, it’s really just nitpicking to mention them not being included. There were enough great scenes that were included to satisfy any West Wing fan.

I hope the author continues this series and has subsequent editions that will cover seasons three through seven.

I give this book an A. Goodreads and NetGalley require grades on a 1-5 star system. In my personal conversion system, an A equates to 5 stars. (A or A+: 5 stars, B+: 4 stars, B: 3 stars, C: 2 stars, D or F: 1 star).

This review has been posted at NetGalley, Goodreads and my blog, Mr. Book’s Book Reviews

I originally finished reading this on August 19, 2024.

This is an essential and rather excellently nerdy guide to my favourite tv show. The one that I return to everytime that I need hope and decency in my life.
I loved learning new things about the best show ever.