Update: After briefly being taken down, The West Wing will return to Max beginning Wednesday, January 8th. Per Deadline, higher-ups at Warner Bros. Discovery were not consulted on the decision to pull the iconic series, which ultimately led to its reversal. Our original story follows.
Weeks before our current President leaves office, a fictional President has been removed… from Max. The West Wing is currently no longer available on any streaming service.
According to Oliver Darcy at Status (paywalled), the Aaron Sorkin-created ode to American democracy was removed during the holiday break. “I’m told the decision was made as part of a cost cutting measure after a ROI evaluation,” Darcy wrote. “In other words, the David Zaslav-led company didn’t want to dish out for a show that wasn’t pulling in a worthwhile audience. In any case, it’s a little embarrassing that Warner Bros. Discover can’t apparently afford to keep its own show (Warner Bros. Television produced the program) on its own streamer.”
This doesn’t mean the series has been wiped from the face of the earth — it is still possible to purchase all seven seasons on VOD via Apple or Amazon. It can also be purchased on Blu-ray. But it is the latest instance of Warner Bros. Discovery cutting costs by cutting content, which began with the erasing of an Batgirl film for the tax write-off. Most recently, the company decided to let its deal with Sesame Street expire, leaving the iconic program’s future unclear.
Consequence has reached out to WBD/Max representatives for comment, and will update this article accordingly.
Airing from 1999 to 2006 on NBC, The West Wing received 95 Emmy nominations and won 26 during its critically acclaimed run, and became a cultural touchstone. It just recently celebrated its 25th anniversary last fall. Max is still hosting A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote, the 2020 reunion featuring the cast performing a live reading of Season 3’s “Hartsfield’s Landing.”
There’s every possibility that The West Wing will return either to Max or debut on another streaming service at some point in the future — for example, other Warner Bros. programs removed from Max, including Raised by Wolves, The Nevers, and Westworld, are currently streaming with ads on Tubi. Right now, though, President Bartlet and his staff live on via physical media and YouTube clip.
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