May 02, 2003
Sorkin writes himself out of 'Wing'
By Gary Levin
USA TODAY
Prolific writer Aaron Sorkin, who created The West Wing, is stepping down from the Emmy-winning drama as its fourth season ends this month. Director Thomas Schlamme, who provided Wing's visual style, also will depart.
TV writers come and go, but Sorkin's move is significant. Unlike series where a team of writers tackles scripts, he wrote the vast majority of episodes with earnest rapid-fire dialogue.
NBC and the Warner Bros. studio painted the split as amicable. But they had warned Sorkin in recent months about production delays and budget overruns caused by his habitual late delivery of scripts. Wing's ratings also have taken a dive this season, down 22% in viewers and 29% among the young-adult audience NBC targets.
"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," said a statement from executive producer John Wells (ER), who next season will oversee the series, renewed through May 2005.
Posted by Jo at May 2, 2003 08:33 AM