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August 19, 2003
Sorkin idea taking wing
By STEPHEN BATTAGLIO
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Live from New York, it's - Aaron Sorkin?
Maybe.
The writer and creator of "The West Wing" has set his sights on "Saturday Night Live" as the subject of his next TV series.
Sorkin has told his studio, Warner Bros. Television, that he'd like to take a behind-the-scenes look at an irreverent late-night sketch-comedy show modeled after the long-running "SNL" and its creator-impresario Lorne Michaels.
"He wants to do the politics, the fighting to get stuff on the air, the masterful show runner and the young crazy comics," said a Sorkin friend familiar with the project. "He's fascinated by it."
The public has shown an interest in the show's colorful history as well.
"Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live," by Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales and CNN producer Jim Miller, made the best-seller list this past year.
Sorkin has taken viewers inside the makings of a TV show before.
His sitcom "SportsNight" - about the people who put on a cable sports-highlight program - ran on ABC for two seasons.
TV critics loved it for the snappy banter they would later hear more of on "The West Wing." But it didn't draw enough viewers to be renewed for a third season.
Sorkin's new show concept has not yet been pitched to a network.
"It's in the earliest of stages," said a spokeswoman for Warner Bros.
But Sorkin is available to do a new show. The prolific writer, known for cranking out nearly every episode of the White House drama starring Martin Sheen, left his creation at the end of last season.
Executive producer John Wells has taken over the Emmy Award-winning show, which begins its fifth season on NBC this fall. Wells will have the challenge of reviving the series, ratings for which plunged this past year.
Originally published on August 18, 2003
Posted by Jo at August 19, 2003 10:08 PM