Bartlet4America News Archive

West Wing bosses defend writer cutbacks

By MICHAEL SCHNEIDER
Variety

HOLLYWOOD — The producers of "The West Wing," have defended their decision not to hand out pay rises and promotions to the writers on the hit White House drama.

Creator Aaron Sorkin and executive producer John Wells responded Thursday to a published report that said the show's writers were "shocked and angry" that their contracted pay raises and title bumps would not be honored. One rival producer called it "arrogance justifying bad behavior." (Wells is also president of the Writers Guild of America West.)

But the duo said it's unfair to compare "The West Wing" with other shows. That's because, unlike most series which depend on a number of writers who take turns fashioning scripts, Sorkin pumps out all 22 episodes per season of "The West Wing" -- albeit with the assistance of his team.

"There are different kinds of shows," Wells said. "'The West Wing' is a show where the teleplays are wholly written by Aaron Sorkin. So the writing staff doesn't really function as a writing staff. They function as a research staff and in pitching out stories. On this show, they don't participate in the casting process or the editing process or the budget process."

But the producers said a budget crunch should have forced them to cut some writers' positions. Instead, they opted to let scribes stick around if they wanted, but held the line on promotions.

"It wasn't a matter of cheating people out of money," Sorkin said. "There is no one who loves writers more than John Wells. John was not trying to rip anyone off. John was trying to save people's jobs. They were either going to be let go entirely or could stay around at last year's salary. People in departments across the board had to be let go because of budget crunches: grips, gaffers, hair and makeup, set dressing, construction."

Because of its high production values (an army of extras, special effects to create a realistic Washington, recurring stars like Stockard Channing), "The West Wing" is much more expensive than most dramas that are just a few years old.

"I know it seems like there should be nothing but money around here, but it's not the case," Sorkin said. "This is an expensive show to do and it's not our money -- it's (producer) Warner Bros.' money."

Sorkin and Wells said they also decided to rethink the show's hierarchy after it became apparent that the show's writers don't have as many duties. The producers originally staffed "The West Wing" with the intention of running it like a regular series -- in other words, writers move up the ranks to eventually become executive producers, and carry more and more of the writing burden along the way.

But with Sorkin writing the bulk of the scripts, Wells said "The West Wing" has turned into a strong training ground for writers -- but not a place for traditional advancement.

"There's an excellent opportunity to learn on 'The West Wing' because you get to sit on the writing staff and work with Aaron and see how his mind works," Wells said. "But that's different from being a producer or co-producer, because you're not gaining the experience that goes with that. These things have to be taken in the context of what the individual show provides."