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September 24, 2003
Sorkin's Gone, But `West Wing' Doesn't Miss A Beat
By WALT BELCHER
Tampa Tribune
TAMPA - Watching the huge cast and crew of ``The West Wing'' scramble on stage Sunday night to accept the Emmy for best drama probably caused some excitement and concern for fans of the NBC drama.
Hey, we're glad you won, but can the series survive the loss of its creator?
Prolific writer-producer Aaron Sorkin, whose distinctive, rapid-fire, detail-filled dialogue set the tone for four seasons, accepted the award Sunday and sort of said ``goodbye'' and ``good luck.''
He has left the series, along with Emmy-winning director Thomas Schlamme, who gave ``The West Wing'' a distinctive style.
Also gone is co-star Rob Lowe, who stars in his own series, ``The Lyon's Den,'' debuting Sunday on NBC.
`The West Wing'' can easily move on without Lowe's Sam Seaborn character, but Sorkin's exit fills fans with trepidation.
If the season debut on Wednesday night is any indicator, then fans can rest easy for the moment.
Less Wordy, Easier To Follow
The script, penned by Sorkin's replacement, John Wells, is tight and well-written. The look and feel of the show are still top-notch. And the story is compelling.
If anything, Wells' scripts are less wordy and might be easier for some to follow.
Pound for pound, Sorkin writes the heaviest scripts in television - packed with so many words and delivered at such a dizzy pace, some viewers have trouble keeping up.
And Wells is no slouch. His writing, directing and production credits include ``China Beach,'' ``ER,'' ``Third Watch'' and ``The West Wing'' (he was one of the original executive producers).
His brother Llewellyn Wells has been with the show from the beginning as a co-executive producer.
The opening script doesn't miss a beat.
When we left the White House in May, President Bartlett (Martin Sheen) had stepped down temporarily while a desperate search is under way for his abducted daughter, Zoey (Elizabeth Moss).
The president, believing his ability to govern could be compromised, invoked the 25th Amendment.
Because the vice president (Tim Matheson) has resigned over a scandal, the conservative and somewhat creepy speaker of the House, Glenallen ``Glen'' Walken (John Goodman), gets to move into the Oval Office.
The fifth season opens seven hours after Zoey's kidnapping, and the White House staff is worried about working with Walken, especially because of a potential international crisis.
Walken is considering the military options after receiving a ransom note for Zoey demanding the release of Pakistani terrorists and a pullout of U.S. troops from Saudi Arabia and Qumar.
Meanwhile, the Democratic congressional leadership is unhappy. Also the president's eldest daughter, Elizabeth (Annabeth Gish), arrives at the White House with her husband and two children.
In the coming weeks, Walken will order the bombing of terrorist training camps in Qumar; presidential aide Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) will become increasingly uneasy with Walken; a new intern (Jesse Bradford), a Harvard grad from a powerful political family, will join the staff; and Gary Cole will debut as the new vice president.
Experienced Team
John Wells' writing team includes John Sacret Young, who worked with him on ``China Beach,'' ``ER'' and ``Third Watch''; Carol Flint (``China Beach'' and ``ER''); Lawrence O'Donnell (a ``West Wing'' veteran and MSNBC's senior political analyst); and Alexa Junge (``Sex and the City'' and ``Once and Again'').
Alex Graves and Chris Misiano, who directed previous episodes, will follow in Schlamme's footsteps.
Llewellyn Wells recently told the Austin (Texas) American-Statesman that Sorkin left behind a brilliant blueprint.
``There may be a slightly different take on things, maybe a bit more plot- driven,'' he said. ``Aaron's voice as a writer is so distinctive that I don't think anyone here wants to try to imitate his style. It's futile. There will be some changes in the way the characters sound, but they'll be subtle changes.''
Posted by Jo at September 24, 2003 07:22 PM