Update: After being temporarily removed, The West Wing will return to Max starting Wednesday, January 8th. According to Deadline, higher-ups at Warner Bros. Discovery were not consulted about the decision to cancel the iconic series, which ultimately led to its cancellation. The original story continues.
The fictitious president was removed from Max a few weeks before the current president left office. The West Wing is no longer available on any streaming services.
According to Oliver Darcy of Status (paywall), Aaron Sorkin’s paean to American democracy was removed over the holidays. “We have heard that this decision was made as part of a cost-cutting measure following an ROI evaluation,” Darcy wrote. “In other words, David Zaslav’s company didn’t want to pay for a show that wouldn’t draw the audience it deserved. In any case, Warner Bros. It’s a little embarrassing that they can’t seem to afford to keep John (who produces the show) on their own streamer.
This doesn’t mean this series has disappeared from the face of the earth. You can still purchase all seven seasons on VOD on Apple or Amazon. It is also available for purchase on Blu-ray. But this is the latest example of Warner Bros. Discovery cutting costs by cutting back on content, starting with the erasure of the Batgirl movie for tax credits. Most recently, the company decided to let its contract with Sesame Street expire, leaving the future of this iconic program uncertain.
Consequence has reached out to a representative from WBD/Max for comment and will update this article accordingly.
The West Wing, which aired on NBC from 1999 to 2006, became a cultural touchstone, earning 95 Emmy nominations and winning 26 during its critically acclaimed run. We just celebrated our 25th anniversary last fall. Max continues to host the 2020 reunion, “The West Wing Special to Help All Vote,” in which the cast performs a live reading of Season 3’s “Hartsfield’s Landing.”
It’s entirely possible that The West Wing will return to Max or debut on another streaming service at some point in the future. For example, other Warner Bros. shows that were removed from Max, such as Raised by Wolves, The Nevers, and Westworld, are now available for ad-supported streaming on Tubi. But now President Bartlet and his staff live on through physical media and YouTube clips.
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