Melissa Fitzgerald and Mary McCormack—What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing

Melissa Fitzgerald is an actor, producer and social justice advocate. As an actor, Fitzgerald is best known for her seven-year role as Carol on the award-winning television series The West Wing. While in Hollywood, Fitzgerald cofounded Voices in Harmony, a mentoring program that uses theater to work with historically underserved teens. In 2013, she left Hollywood to champion justice system reform at All Rise, where she is at the forefront of engaging the public in the expansion of treatment courts and advancing justice system responses for individuals impacted by substance use and mental health disorders. Mary McCormack is an actor, producer and activist. A Tony-nominated Broadway actress, she is known for diverse range of roles across film, television and theater. McCormack is an outspoken advocate for a whole host of causes, from social justice and women’s rights to veterans’ issues and criminal justice reform. She lives in Los Angeles. This fall marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the much beloved TV series The West Wing, which is consistently ranked among the best television shows of all time and still has legions of adoring fans. During its initial run of seven seasons on NBC between 1999 and 2006, it attracted tens of millions of viewers and racked up many awards, including two Peabodys, three Golden Globes and twenty-six primetime Emmys. The 2016 election of Donald Trump spiked a fresh surge in viewership on streaming platforms that continues to this day. What’s Next offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into The West Wing’s creation and legacy, with a particular emphasis on the show’s commitment to service that was embodied not only in the cast members’ devotion to different causes, which is still ongoing, but also with the strong bonds of friendship and feeling of family that made being part of the show so special and that still endure to this day. In a critical election year and at a time when politics are as turbulent and polarizing as they may have ever been, Fitzgerald and McCormack reground us in The West Wing’s nostalgic, aspirational White House. A wide-ranging and inspirational book that spotlights a variety of organizations supported by members of the cast and crew through their own “service stories,” What’s Next is, according to the authors, “a love letter to The West Wing, the people who made it, and the fans who loved it.”