Bartlet4America News Archive

'West Wing' at Ratings Crossroads

By LYNN ELBER
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Three consecutive best-drama Emmys. A prestigious Peabody Award. One of TV's most affluent audiences. All that, and "The West Wing" still must account for losing viewers to "The Bachelor."

In the bottom-line world of television, series that deliver a young crowd are the fondest desire of advertisers and networks — and ABC's dating game is among the new competitors sapping youthful strength from "The West Wing" on NBC.It's not a national crisis that people are being lured away from a finely crafted White House drama by the antics of marriage-hungry singles, although the reverse might gladden a concerned citizenry.

It may not even be a crucial problem for "The West Wing," which is a stronger candidate than early ratings returns indicate.

Granted, any audience shrinkage comes at a difficult time for the show's producers and studio. Warner Bros. Television and NBC will begin hard bargaining over a new contract early next year and diminished ratings would hurt Warner's cause.

The studio now gets about $2 million per episode from NBC, according to an executive familiar with the contract who spoke on condition of anonymity. Warner may seek up to $8 million per episode next season.

There's more than money at stake for "The West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin and his fellow executive producers, including John Wells (whose other NBC credits include "ER" and "Third Watch").

After being emotionally knocked off balance by the Sept. 11 terrorism attacks, Sorkin feels he has regained the perspective needed to craft a drama that examines political machinations and partisan clashes.

"When I came back at the beginning of this year ... I was suddenly comfortable in my chair. The show was a lot of fun to write and was being written with a certain spirit and energy," Sorkin said. "And so we're back."

"Creatively, we're off to the strongest start we've ever been," added Wells.

"The West Wing" has carefully etched a campaign between the liberal President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and a conservative Republican nominee (played by James Brolin), which culminates in their debate Wednesday, Oct. 30. Election results roll in on the Nov. 6 episode.

There is tension as usual on the international front, with Bartlet facing the increasingly dangerous aftermath of the covert U.S. assassination of a Middle East figure linked to terrorism.

Hints of how Rob Lowe may be eased out of his role as the deputy communications director (Lowe had sought a pay boost) have been strategically placed: Is Sam Seaborn ready to make his own stand as a candidate?
And, as always, the Sorkin-written dialogue is furiously fast and witty.

"You on your date?" Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) asks in a telephone call to ex-flame Amy (Mary-Louise Parker), then cautions: "You probably don't want to let him know it's me on the phone. It's too intimidating. It's like going out with Cher, and Sonny calls."

Not everyone has remained a fan. In its fourth year, the series is down 26 percent in total viewers and 31 percent among viewers 18 to 49 compared to the same period last year, according to Nielsen ratings.

The networks' avid quest for presumably free-spending young adults in the 9 p.m. EST Wednesday time slot is one reason. Other choices besides "The Bachelor" include Fox's cop drama "Fastlane" and the WB's superhero saga "Birds of Prey."

But the numbers may be a misleading assessment of the NBC show's durability and its value to the network.

Current ratings for "The West Wing" are consistent with its performance at the end of last season. It drew 17 million total viewers for the first month of this season compared to 16.7 million for May 2002.

The drama was watched by approximately 7.7 million viewers age 18 to 49 last May, compared to 7.5 million for the first four weeks of the new season.
While young viewership is down, the series continues to reign among another sought-after demographic: the crowd making $75,000 or more, including young adults in that income bracket.

Consider whether "that core group of people who are really committed to the show and who the advertisers covet" are deserting, Sorkin said, then supplied an answer: "They're not."

The fall slump likely is due in part to the lack of a previous season cliffhanger, such as the fall 2000 follow to an assassination attempt on the president.
The drama also has focused on stories with long arcs, like the election, meaning a delayed dramatic payoff for viewers. Sorkin and Wells won't apologize for complex plots that demand patience.

"There are lots of places to go on the dial where everything gets wrapped up in 42-and-a-half minutes," said Wells. "That was never the intent of the show. ... this is a long-term examination of an administration."

The drama remains a mainstay of NBC's dominant Wednesday schedule that includes "Law & Order." Keeping the night intact remains even more vital if "Friends" indeed wraps up this season, weakening another key NBC night, Thursday.

"It's still huge," industry analyst Stacey Lynn Koerner said of "The West Wing," despite its drop in younger viewers. "It's well-rated, well-respected and winning Emmys. We're not talking about a property any network is going to lose."

The business-savvy Wells understands the posturing that proceeds big series negotiations (the Warner-NBC pact for "ER" ended up costing the network a record $13 million per episode). But he and Sorkin insist they're genuinely content with their show's performance.

"We're happy, I gotta say, for the audience we have," Sorkin said. "I wrote 'Sports Night' for two years and these aren't low ratings. This is great. This is Club Med."