Bartlet4America News Archive

Sorkin, Schlamme Quit "West Wing"

by Lia Haberman
E!Online

May 1, 2003, 3:00 PM PT

May 1, 2003, 3:00 PM PT

Snipers. Multiple sclerosis. A presidential election. Incidents have conspired to dismantle the West Wing's Bartlet administration on a weekly basis but the fictional staff at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has prevailed.

But TV prez Martin Sheen & Co. never counted on today's shocking news: Creator Aaron Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme are stepping down, announcing through a spokesperson that this will be their last season on the NBC drama.

If we didn't know better, we'd say this was a Republican plot to discredit the liberal Democratic-led series. Oh, wait, that was last night's episode, courtesy of assistant White House counsel Joe Quincy (played by guest star Matthew Perry), a Republican to boot, who forced Vice President John Hoynes (played by Tim Matheson) to resign over a sexual scandal.

While they offered no concrete reason for leaving Sorkin and Schlamme released a statement dubbing themselves the "two biggest fans of The West Wing" and thanking NBC and Warner Bros. for "the opportunity that was given to us...over the last four years."

"This has been the experience of any writer's dreams," Sorkin said in the statement. "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."

Schlamme added, "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. 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."

On the heels of the announcement NBC's entertainment prez Jeff Zucker graciously wished the pair well: "Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme have done an extraordinary job in their four years at the helm of The West Wing. 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."

According to Zucker fellow executive producer John Wells, whose production company John Wells Productions coproduces The West Wing with Warner Bros. Television, will fill Sorkin's shoes.

"Moving forward we have asked executive producer John Wells to assume a more active role next season and he has graciously agreed," said Zucker, adding, "We thank and applaud Aaron, Tommy and John for creating one of the finest shows to ever air on television."

Echoing the love fest was Wells, who put out his own statement shortly after the announcement: "Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme are irreplaceable. Aaron's an exceptionally gifted writer and we're indebted to him for creating this wonderful world. Tommy's creative vision and his leadership have been central to the show's success. Sadly, we always knew this day would come and have been assembling a talented group of writers, directors and producers to assist in this transition. They will be sorely missed."

In January, the Peacock net announced it placed an order for at least two more seasons with an option for a third year. At the time, the network reportedly agreed to pony up at least $5 million per episode to Warner Bros., the show's production company, and perhaps as much as $7 million per episode once the studio recoups deficits incurred over the previous seasons. But that was when Sorkin was at the helm.

The TV vet, who's written almost every episode of the show, has won two Emmys for his role as Executive Producer and one for writing the political drama. The show holds the record for the most Emmys won in a single season, its first, when Sorkin & Co. took home 13 Emmy awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.

However, the series has seen a ratings dip this season in the wake of competition from ABC's The Bachelorette and now The Bachelor, while Fox's American Idol-fueled follow-ups haven't helped either. Powered by the strength of Fox's talent search, which won Wednesday night with 19.8 million viewers, The Bernie Mac Show trounced The West Wing in its first half hour 14.2 million viewers to 12.9 million viewers last night, while the Alphabet net's dating game The Bachelor bested NBC with 13.3 million viewers.

There have been suggestions that the show, launched in more peaceful times, lost its course after September 11 as make-believe politics were displaced by real world events. The series' star, Sheen, has also come under attack for his antiwar efforts. After voicing his dissatisfaction with President Bush and the war with Iraq last month Sheen said NBC big-wigs "let it be known they're very uncomfortable with where I'm at" on the war and said the network worried that his vocal antiwar stance would affect the show's ratings--NBC officials swore there was "no concern among top management."