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May 08, 2003
Will "ER" medicine help or hurt "The West Wing"?
by Gail Pennington
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
05/08/2003 12:00 AM
Tonight, "ER" marks its 200th episode on NBC, with the end nowhere in sight. Unfortunately, that's not true for another NBC drama, "The West Wing."
Although the three-time Emmy winner will be around at least two more years, the series as fans know it came to a de facto end last week when Aaron Sorkin announced that he would walk away after this season.
Sorkin created the richly detailed world of "The West Wing" and has written almost every word of every episode to date. The characters speak in his infectious rhythms. The story lines echo his passions and his peculiarities.
Exiting with Sorkin is Tommy Schlamme, who set the visual style of the show. He's best known for those long, sweeping camera shots, down hallways, around corners, everybody walking and talking, but Schlamme is also a master of the lovely, quiet, almost painterly scenes that balance the show's frantic activity.
They leave a "West Wing" that has lost its oomph. Once a staple of Nielsen's Top 5, it has fallen out of the Top 20 this season, and last week's episode trailed both "The Bachelor" on ABC and "Bernie Mac" on Fox.
From being a critical darling, "The West Wing" has also lost much of its media support, beginning with a backlash that followed Sorkin's special post-Sept. 11 episode, widely panned as preachy. Fans still defend the show as one of television's best, and rightly point out that recent episodes have regained some of their old form, but the watercooler buzz of the first two seasons has pretty much vanished.
With the show (recently renewed for two more seasons in a deal between NBC and Warner Bros.) looking vulnerable, the network began hunting for fixes. Sorkin apparently found himself under increased pressure to improve his work habits. He's infamous for turning in scripts long after deadline, getting further and further behind as the season goes on, causing cost overruns and staff anxiety.
Sorkin's other habits have also caused problems. Two years ago, he relapsed on drugs and (after an airport arrest) was sentenced to therapy. His marriage broke up. A prostitute went public with reports of a past relationship.
Of all those who are hard on Sorkin, however, he's always been hardest on himself. Clearly, the stress has taken an increasing toll.
In a private conversation at an NBC event in Los Angeles in January, Sorkin was unusually subdued. Needing a haircut and looking thin, with particularly dark circles under his eyes, he was most interested in talking about his daughter, Roxanne, 2, pulling pictures of her out of his wallet. Told that she looks just like him, he said, "People say that, and I can't believe there's any of my DNA in her."
Asked whether his feelings were hurt by the backlash against the show, he said, "You know, they are, sort of. The negative stuff just keeps coming. But every day there's a positive, too." He mentioned that three cast members had come to his office that week to praise the current script, that Mary-Louise Parker (who plays feminist Amy Gardner) had slipped an encouraging note into his pocket, and that Helen Hunt had "gone to the trouble to write" a letter about the show.
But clearly, he wasn't having fun anymore, so it was no real surprise when he began hinting (first, in an interview on the "Today" show) that he might leave the series after the fourth season. More problems piled on in the months that followed, including the war in Iraq, which made the fictional "West Wing" political issues seem increasingly irrelevant and sparked controversy over star Martin Sheen's anti-war activism.
Last week's announcement that Sorkin would, in fact, depart and that Schlamme would go with him was momentarily shocking, but then seemed inevitable. Taking the reins is John Wells, the show's third executive producer, whose other series include "ER," "Third Watch" and the defunct "Presidio Med."
A "West Wing" under Wells will almost certainly be a very different "West Wing." In a statement, Wells said, "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." In other words, "The West Wing" will now be written by committee, as most TV dramas are.
Without a single person handling every script, "The West Wing" will be more efficient. The bottleneck that was Sorkin is gone, and one script won't have to be finished before another is started. Wells is much praised for keeping shows on time and under budget, and he'll do the same with this one. Unfortunately, efficiency and economy don't add up to magic.
But under Wells, "The West Wing" could actually wind up being a more popular show. It's fair to expect multiple storylines in each show, lots of action and regular shocks. Sorkin gave President Jed Bartlet multiple sclerosis; Wells might have cut off his arm with a helicopter blade.
Expect, also, an increased emphasis on the personal lives of the characters. From being a plot-heavy drama in its early seasons, "ER" slid into soapy territory, and that fate could also await "The West Wing."
In a conference call to talk about the "ER" 200th episode, just days before the "West Wing" announcement, Wells spoke of the "natural evolution towards character" on "ER."
"Not that many medical things could happen in the emergency room," he said, "and once people had seen it and experienced it, they had seen it and experienced it, and they were interested in getting other things from the show."
For a writer, he added, "The fun is writing about the characters and how they interrelate," and seeing what the actors can do. And speaking of actors, Rob Lowe is unlikely to be the last star to depart "The West Wing." On "ER," a changing roster of players is the rule rather than the exception.
After nine seasons, "ER" isn't winding down, Wells said. But maybe, with Sorkin leaving office, "The West Wing" should call it quits after four. Even if this new administration turns out fine, things won't be the same in "The West Wing."
Posted by Jo at May 8, 2003 03:20 PM