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September 24, 2003
Series return is a nail-biter behind scenes, too
By Mike Duffy
Detroit Free Press
It's not just turmoil on screen that's embroiled President Bartlet's administration on "The West Wing."
'The West Wing'
THREE STARS
out of 4 stars
9 tonight
WDIV-TV, Channel 4, NBC
The critically acclaimed NBC political drama, which Sunday night earned a fourth consecutive Emmy Award as television's best drama series, returns for its fifth season at 9 tonight after enduring a controversial change of administration behind the scenes over the spring and summer.
Aaron Sorkin -- the gifted writer-producer who created "The West Wing" and gave the series its distinctive storytelling style, complete with fast-paced repartee -- has left the Oval Office.
And John Wells, the talented writer-producer behind "ER" and "Third Watch," has taken over.
Though Wells has been an executive producer with "The West Wing" from the beginning in the fall of 1999, the show was Sorkin's baby. He wrote nearly every episode. It was his vision that fueled the meaty, issue-oriented stories of President Bartlet and his staff.
"Nobody wanted Aaron to continue writing the show more than I did," says Wells, who pronounced himself "scared to death" at the thought of writing a series so intensely identified with Sorkin's voice.
"I'm very proud of my writing. I work at it," says Wells. "But it is a little bit of the feeling of trying to come in and live up to a world someone else created and who is remarkably talented . . . It's a terrifying experience because you're staring up at the talent of Aaron Sorkin. And that can be daunting."
One talent Sorkin lacked, however, was an ability to get his writing done on time. Constantly writing episodes of "The West Wing" up against production deadlines led to cost overruns, a cardinal sin in the bottom-line world of network television.
That's not likely to be a problem with the disciplined Wells, who's more willing to delegate to staff writers,
But Wells did write the first two episodes of the new season, which pick up from Sorkin's explosive cliff-hanger last spring in which first daughter Zoey Bartlet was kidnapped, an international crisis erupted and President Bartlet stepped aside as the outspoken Speaker of the House, played by guest star John Goodman, took temporary control of the Oval Office.
As the new season opens in a taut, well-crafted hour, Bartlet and his shell-shocked staff are being overshadowed by the blunt, outspoken new man in the Oval Office, President Walken. And Zoey's fate remains in doubt, though things are looking pretty dire.
Speaking of dire, how about changes in the essence of "The West Wing" with Wells and a new team of writers in charge?
"Our hope would be that you don't sense that it's very different," says Wells. But he acknowledges that the characteristic snap, crackle and pop of the verbal exchanges won't be quite the same.
"Aaron does that exceedingly well," says Wells. "It's very difficult to do well. Unless we can do it as well, we will probably shy away from it and you wont' hear it as much."
Other changes?
Gary Cole ("The Brady Bunch Movie") is signing on as the new, extremely ambitious vice president, replacing Vice President Hoynes (Tim Matheson), who resigned last year.
We'll spend more time with the Bartlets and their children, including eldest daughter Elizabeth (Annabeth Gish), who makes her first brief appearance on the season premiere.
But don't look for "The West Wing" to turn into a conventional domestic soap opera, following Josh Lyman or Leo McGarry home to peek in on their personal lives.
"The truth is, the rest of them don't have a home life just because of the job requirements," says Wells of the White House staffers. "There were a lot of people who expressed fear that's where we were heading. But that's not what the show is."
The truth is, "The West Wing" hasn't been as sharp the past two seasons. Many critics have noted the show's sometimes erratic quality, especially during last season's overdrawn, snooze-inducing Bartlet re-election campaign.
Even with the excellent acting ensemble and continued Emmy accolades, Wells admits the show "struggled over the last couple of years" in the wake of 9/11. "The West Wing" just didn't seem quite as relevant or compelling.
"We need to address the fact that in our audience's mind, something really has changed in the way we look at the world and political problems and what we need from our political leaders," says Wells. "And we want to try to address that without making the show too ponderous or earnest."
There will also be an effort to offer more political balance.
When "The West Wing" was born, President Bill Clinton occupied the White House. So the Democratic administration of President Bartlet and his staff of socially liberal and progressive aides mirrored a certain reality.
Now Wells, with John Goodman's character and others who will appear, hopes to balance that with more conservative and Republican views in the era of President George W. Bush.
"Our characters aren't changing," says Wells. "But the world in which they live . . . forces them to have those conversations (with the Republican majority in Congress) and really hear more of the other kind of view."
"My own sense of it is that the country is more (politically) divided than it has been in my lifetime," says Wells.
"And the more we can reflect that division and allow another place that conversation can take place, the more interesting the show is for our audience."
Posted by Jo at September 24, 2003 07:16 PM