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July 30, 2003
'West Wing' loses guiding light, returns with new administration
by Vince Horiuchi
Salt Lake Tribune
Note to fans of "The West Wing": Be afraid.
So many things are changing on NBC's presidential series that chances are slim it will come back in fine form.
Consider:
* The series creator, Aaron Sorkin, left last season for reasons he is not about to explain (i.e. tension between him and the studio or network). Executive producer Thomas Schlamme left with Sorkin.
* Rob Lowe, who played the president's deputy communications director, Sam Seaborn, left the show to star in his own series called "The Lyon's Den," premiering this fall.
* Executive producer John Wells is taking over as head of the writing team. He produces "ER," which has been sliding downhill for the last, oh, five seasons or so.
* The storylines finally became too much. The president's daughter was kidnapped. The vice president resigned over a sex scandal. President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) temporarily stepped down after invoking the 25th Amendment (he was under too much stress due to the kidnapping to run the country), and the Speaker of the House, played by John Goodman, stepped in to become president. And that was all in the last couple of episodes. Though he is a good actor, casting John Goodman as Speaker of the House reeks of commercialism.
* With few exceptions, most dramas begin to slip after their third or fourth seasons. Maybe Bartlet should have not run for a second term.
The reality is that "The West Wing" will be a new show. Losing Sorkin was tough since he wrote nearly every episode. Losing Lowe means the show will lack some heart because he was one of the more compassionate and interesting characters, even though he wasn't given much to do (one reason he says he left the series). But NBC is doing as much as it can to alleviate anxiety.
"We're incredibly proud of that show and what they're doing and incredibly confident about the future," said NBC president Jeff Zucker.
The network last week touted the "accomplished" team of writers that will take over the scripts. The good news is that one of them, Lawrence O'Donnell, was one of the better "West Wing" writers in the first two seasons before he left to help the now-cancelled "Mr. Sterling."
Can "The West Wing" pick itself up and forge ahead after the exit of Sorkin, its guiding light? Time will tell when the fifth season premieres Sept. 24 on KSL Channel 5. But chances are this won't be a White House administration I can vote for.
Posted by Jo at July 30, 2003 10:29 PM