Bartlet4America News Archive

Sorkin and Schlamme Exit 'West Wing''

by Daniel Fienberg
Zap2it, TV News

Thu, May 1, 2003 04:36 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - The men synonymous with the voice and visual style of Emmy-winning White House drama "The West Wing" are leaving the show after this season, the show's fourth. Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme, who have each won individual Emmys for their work on the show, will depart as both executive producers and as creative showrunners. John Wells, currently an executive producer, will be asked to step into a more active role on the show.

"Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme have done an extraordinary job in their four years at the helm of 'West Wing,'" says NBC President Jeff Zucker. "Aaron's brilliant writing and Tommy's gifted direction and leadership have been the cornerstones of 'The West Wing's' remarkable critical and ratings success."

Since it premiered in 1999, the show has won the Emmy for best drama each year it's been eligible. Schlamme has won two trophies for his directing achievement in giving the show its frantic visual pace. Sorkin's writing, with its precise staccato repartee, has also been honored at the Emmys.

The show has also added Producers Guild Awards, Peabodys, the Humanitas Prize, and Screen Actors Guild awards for best ensemble.

"This has been the experience of any writer's dreams," says Sorkin, who created the show while he was also working on the award-winning ABC comedy "Sports Night." "I had the best job in show business for four years and I'll never forget that. I'm indebted to a cast, crew and staff whose world-class talents were exceeded only by their tireless dedication to the show and endless generosity of spirit. If I worked with them all another hundred times, it wouldn't be enough."

"There has not been a day in the last four years when I've pulled up to stage 23 that I didn't feel blessed by my good fortune to have been part of this great journey," adds Schlamme, who is also a "Sports Night" vet. "I have been constantly inspired by the enormous talent pool of men and women with whom I have shared this experience and am looking forward with confidence to their next chapter of this extraordinary show."

Over the past year, ratings for "The West Wing" have dropped significantly. While still a consistent Top 25 performer for NBC, the show has seen an erosion of around four million viewers per week this season. It's currently ranked No.23 in prime time with an average 9.0 rating/14 share and 13.5 million viewers per week.

Various theories have been mentioned regarding the rating slide including the show's sometimes bloated secondary cast, increased competition from reality programs like "The Bachelor" and the show's left-leaning politics. While no official reason has been given for the abrupt departure, the show has been notorious for coming in over budget, while Sorkin admits to frequently rewriting on the set.

While the creative direction of the series is bound to change, the two men insist they will remain "the two biggest fans of The West Wing.'"

The show will soon test the truth of Steven Bochco's recent statement during a panel discussion about creating drama for television, "The problem is that if going home tonight Aaron gets hit by a bus, 'The West Wing' is f**ked."