"West Wing" fans are always clamoring for the next "West Wing," and the show "Chasing the Hill" is a strong contender for the title. The only issue is you've probably never heard of it. That's because the show, which reunites a portion of the "West Wing" cast and features cameos from a handful of political heavy hitters, is only available online.
"The show deals with the human cost of running for office and keeping that office and trying to juggle personal and professional life," director Brent Roske said of the plot, which revolves around a California U.S. House race.
Robin Weigert, Matthew Del Negro and, from the "West Wing" alumni network, Richard Schiff and Melissa Fitzgerald, starred in the first three episodes, with two more to follow. The show is financed through download fees and fans -- viewers can donate from $45 to $5,000 to Roske's Indiegogo page and get an associate producer credit.
"Chasing the Hill" guest-stars MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell, former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, former California Gov. Gray Davis, Democratic strategist Terry McAuliffe, "The Young Turks" host Cenk Uygur and ABC News' Rick Klein, who, in his scenes on the show, proves he has the chops to be the next generation's debate moderator. "That's what's been really fun, also, is to see people who have these kinds of jobs in real life performing them on camera," Fitzgerald told Yeas & Nays.
Scenes shot at the Democratic National Convention inject a shot of realism into the series. "All of a sudden, you're watching Michelle Obama, and the next thing you know you're shooting a scene for the episode that you didn't plan on shooting," Fitzgerald said.
And Roske has big plans for the last episode of the season too. "As long as everything comes together, like I'm assuming it will, we'll be filming the last scene of the season actually at one of the inaugural balls, which should be amazing," he said.
