First Look At Bradley Whitford And Allison Janney For Netflix’s The Diplomat Have West Wing Fans Thinking The Same Thing, And Now I Need A Rewatch

Despite having concluded over two decades ago, long before the 2025 television lineup, “The West Wing” continues to captivate audiences today, sparking outrage when it vanished from streaming platforms and generating excitement when it was announced that Bradley Whitford would reunite with Allison Janney on “The Diplomat”. While their characters in this new series may not resemble Josh Lyman and C.J. Cregg, or engage in debates over secret strategies to curb inflation, a sneak peek of them together for the Netflix show has many “West Wing” enthusiasts sharing the same sentiment.

Actually, there’s a minor detail in the initial images that reminded me of The West Wing from December 2000, specifically the episode where Bradley Whitford won his Emmy for Best Supporting Actor (“Noël”). Have a look at the photos of the Diplomat below:

A minor detail in the initial pictures brought memories of The West Wing from December 2000 and the award-winning episode “Noël”, which earned Bradley Whitford an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor. Take a peek at these Diplomat photos below:

Or, more casually:

One small detail in the first snaps made me think of The West Wing from December 2000 and the episode that got Bradley Whitford his Emmy (“Noël”). Check out these Diplomat pictures below:

Information about Bradley Whitford’s character in The Diplomat’s third season is scarce, but it’s been confirmed that he will portray President Grace Penn’s First Husband. Pictures from Season 3, accessible to Netflix subscribers, depict Whitford with a bandaged hand. Although the reason for the bandage isn’t clear yet, given his role in The West Wing, fans on social media can’t help but recall the episode featuring Josh Lyman and his bandaged hand.

In “Noël,” the Christmas episode of The West Wing’s second season, which originally aired in 2000, Josh Lyman wasn’t feeling particularly festive. Over the span of an hour, a psychologist managed to penetrate Josh’s defenses, causing him to admit that he hadn’t merely injured his hand by smashing a glass. Instead, unbeknownst to many, Josh was struggling with undiagnosed PTSD as a result of being shot. The emotional turmoil was triggered when Yo-Yo Ma performed in the White House, causing him to shatter a window in distress.

It’s likely that Bradley Whitford’s character in “The Diplomat” will be injured due to a different reason, but it’s understandable why fans might draw comparisons to his role in “Noël” on “The West Wing.” In fact, I feel compelled to use my Max subscription and revisit that particular episode. Regarding the discussions among fans linking “The Diplomat” and “The West Wing,” here are some insights from X (previously known as Twitter).

@Anyaaaaaaaa8: “His hand still hasn’t healed from Noel”
@ainsleyhcyes: “west wing fandom collectively gasped seeing bradley whitford with a bandaged hand acting with allison janney”
@LemonLymancom: “just seen bradley whitford with his hand bandaged and we all thought of this”
@multifandomsgal: “Bradley Whitford’s character’s hand being bandaged just gave me flashbacks to noël”
@sam_loves_fics: “brad with his hand bandaged, likely thing for his characters to need”
@joshlymoss: “JOSH JOSH HOW DID YOU CUT YOUR HAND”

For fans of “The West Wing,” spotting a bandaged hand in the series “The Diplomat” stirs memories of Josh Lyman’s past, and rightfully so! As of my last update, Netflix hasn’t set a release date for Season 3, but it might be best to keep your expectations in check for early 2025. Remember, Season 2 was released towards the end of October in the 2024 TV schedule. The critically acclaimed drama boasts Keri Russell from “The Americans” and Rufus Sewell from “The Man in the High Castle,” alongside Allison Janney. You can currently catch up on the first two seasons on Netflix.

2025-02-01 07:38

Read More