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An Interview with ‘West Wing’ Creator Aaron Sorkin

By Jeff Giles
Newsweek

The West Wing,” which is a great show (no, shut up, it is), just won its third consecutive Emmy. But it’s been taking its lumps in the press because it’s losing viewers to “The Bachelor,” Rob Lowe is leaving—and some critics think the series has gotten lame (no, shut up, it hasn’t). “West Wing” creator Aaron Sorkin spoke with NEWSWEEK’s Jeff Giles.

Do you watch “The Bachelor”? I watch it religiously. I TiVo “West Wing.” I watch “The Bachelor.”

That can’t possibly be true. I’ve never seen it. Listen, we understand that some of the younger women have gone to “The Bachelor,” so instead of starting our episodes with a recap, what we’ll be doing is having Janel Moloney marry a millionaire celebrity boxer. There’s gonna be a quick ceremony. Then they’re gonna eat worms.

Is it a coincidence that all these negative articles about “West Wing” came out just as you’re about to negotiate a new deal? Obviously they help NBC. A coincidence that nine articles should appear in one day about a top-10 show losing 20 percent of its women 18 to 34? That’s a story with a pretty wide scope, and you’ve gotta expect people to cover that.

Let the record reflect that you’re being ironic. Yeah, I hope that you’ll let the record reflect that. Luckily, Hollywood isn’t into schadenfreude—so that’s a break.

Some viewers think Lowe’s story lines are dull. It’s a big cast. Plenty of times Rob has had a lot to do. He’s got two Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy nomination to show for it ... Look, any writer writing for Rob has big shoes to fill. You’re looking at the specter of “Atomic Train” and “Oxford Blues” and “St. Elmo’s Fire,” and you try to live up to those standards, and sometimes you can’t.

I’m not sure if the record should reflect that you’re being ironic. (Laughs) Whatever you like.

On the off chance NBC and “West Wing” can’t make a deal, would you go to another network? Hey, we’ll do it anywhere. We’ll do it on the cooking channel.