The Paley Center Is Honoring ‘The West Wing’s 25th Anniversary With An Exciting New Exhibit

Almost 25 years ago, way back in September of 1999, Aaron Sorkin’s political drama The West Wing aired its first episode on NBC. Over the course of the next seven years, the series aired 154 episodes, garnering 27 Emmy wins along the way. It’s not hyperbole to say that The West Wing made a significant impact on television history, which is exactly why the Paley Center for the Media in New York City is honoring the show. From July 5th to September 8th, the museum is featuring an exhibit entitled Inside The West Wing: A 25th Anniversary Salute , which celebrates the series by showcasing memorable costumes, props, photos, footage, and more.

‘The Social Network’ Sequel In The Works, Says Aaron Sorkin: “I Blame Facebook For Jan. 6”

When asked how this exhibit came to be, the Paley Center’s curator Jason Lynch told Decider that “one of the things that the Paley Center for Media does best is spotlighting not only the current shows that you should be thinking of and celebrating, but the most historic shows throughout TV history. West Wing is having its 25th anniversary this year, and it is one of the most resonant and impactful shows.”

How ‘Moneyball’ Became The Most Enduring Baseball Movie Of The 21st Century

CLICK HERE TO GET EMAILS FROM DECIDER

Visitors to the exhibit are greeted by a display of fantastic costumes worn by the show’s main characters, which are accompanied by photos on the wall that capture some iconic moments from the show’s history, as well as a taste of what everything looked like behind the scenes. All of the fan favorites can be seen here, from their portraits to them in the thick of political action. Lynch wanted to highlight all of these characters, and he said, “Regardless of what your political affiliation was, these people in the White House were kind of like, who we hope our actual politicians are like. Really dedicated and really caring, fighting for what’s best for the country, not for themselves. We wish that the presidential candidates were like President Bartlet.”

Along the walls, people will see large script pages, so people can find out what various scenes looked like on paper. There are also some autographed scripts in display cases and scripts hanging on a rack that people can pick up and read. These were some parts of the exhibit that Lynch really enjoyed. He said, “[ The West Wing ] feels timeless in the sense of, first off, just [Aaron] Sorkin’s gift for dialect, that mastery of language in every episode, it’s like listening to a symphony. His dialogue had this particular musicality to it that feels as vital today as it did when it first came out.”

One of the most memorable parts of the exhibit was seeing what the movements of the famous Walks and Talks, the one-shot traveling conversations, look like from above. A screen played out one of the show’s longest walk and talks, which was from episode four, “Five Votes Down.” The walk is over four minutes long, and the screen will take you through every step of the White House so that you can understand that length. There is also a diorama of the White House next to the video for an up-close look. This part of the exhibit was one of Lynch’s favorites, as he appreciated the creativity of breaking it all down as well as the appreciation it gives to Sorkin’s writing.

When asked what he wants visitors to take away from this exhibit, “I hope that the people, like myself, who fell in love with The West Wing during its NBC run are able to rediscover their love for the series and learn so much more about it than we knew at the time,” Lynch stated, “You know, not only, the costumes and some of the facts and some of the artifacts, but just again, you get to look at, the walk and talk and, and really just get a sense of how involved that was.” In addition, along with the lovers of the show, Lynch hopes that Paley’s exhibit will help spark an interest in those who have not really watched the series. “I hope that this will prompt them to go to Max to start to watch. I feel like especially when you watch that pilot, which is one of the best TV pilots that I’ve ever seen, I think you’re going to be hooked and watch the entire thing,” Lynch claimed, “So whether you’ve loved this show for 25 years, whether you saw it more recently when it was on streaming, whether you had never seen it at all, there’s a little something for everyone.”

This exhibit is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 12 to 6 p.m. every week. Tickets can be purchased on the Paley Center’s website . In addition to the exhibit, the Paley Center will be playing some of the show’s best and most popular episodes at its Bennack Theatre throughout the month of July. There is a lot to explore, so visit this exhibit if you want to learn more about one of the most famous fictional presidencies.

For more entertainment news and streaming recommendations, visit decider.com