Bartlet4America News Archive

'West Wing' small talk was big draw

by Bill Goodykoontz
The Arizona Republic

Jul. 29, 2003 12:00 AM

Editor's note: TV writer Bill Goodykoontz is reporting from the Television Critics Association summer TV tour.

HOLLYWOOD

As a former fan of The West Wing who harbored some hope of the show recapturing its former majesty - even without creator-genius Aaron Sorkin - this was unwelcome news indeed.

Jeff Zucker, NBC's entertainment president, has read the first two scripts of the new season. They were written by John Wells, ER's executive producer, who has taken over The West Wing (where he was also an executive producer) from Sorkin.

Zucker likes what he's seen. But from the sound of it, I'm not sure true West Wing fans will.

"I think that nobody was better at the small banter and the small talk than Aaron Sorkin," Zucker says. "Whatever is gone with not having that small talk and that small banter, I think that what John has brought to these first two scripts is some incredible, emotional moments, some incredible character development.

"And I think that where you may miss a little of the small talk in the hallway, you're going to be quite taken with how gut-wrenching and emotional it is. And I think that's the hallmark of a John Wells show, and that's what you're going to get."

Oh great. Blow stuff up and then have everyone cry about it. That seems to be the ER method, anyway.

The small talk in the hallway WAS The West Wing. Sure, it got carried to ridiculous extremes at times, but at its peak this show was about language, not melodrama.

Granted, the episodes haven't even been produced, and I haven't read the scripts. Maybe the show will improve. It had a lot of room for improvement lately - something an old hand on the show acknowledged.

"I felt the show definitely had changed course, without a question," says Rob Lowe, here to promote his new NBC legal drama Lyon's Den. "I think it's like being a crew member on a big ship. You know the ship is changing course probably before the passengers do. And I think it continues on that course. It just wasn't for me."

Of course, from Zucker's perspective - from the perspective of anyone who runs a network - the bottom line is ratings. If they have to start hauling in President Bartlet's distant cousins to have them kidnapped every other week and audiences respond to it, you can bet it'll happen.

In TV, anything that works doesn't go away until it doesn't work anymore. Thus, in 2004, we'll see Joey, the Friends spinoff. Frankly, I'm done with the Central Perk crowd, but Zucker's right when he says Joey is the one character that "America roots for and loves."

Maybe they can hire Aaron Sorkin to write for that show. Until they need to blow something up.