west wing writers tv show

Alexa Junge is a television writer, producer and screenwriter. The actor's death not only changed his character's fate but the series-capping election of The West Wing. Written by Erik Bork, E. Max Frye, Tom Hanks, Erik Jendresen, Bruce C. McKenna, John Orloff, Graham Yost; Based on the Book by Stephan E. Ambrose. "I keep saying to him, 'Do you want to do The West Wing again, wouldn't it be great to do it?' At that point, Sorkin took David's advice and never watched The West Wing again. I've never seen a West Wing episode in seasons five, six or seven.”. Schiff hated the turn for his character, and believed Toby would never have betrayed Bartlet. “The Lewinsky scandal was happening at the very time I was writing the pilot and it was hard, at least for Americans, to look at the White House and think of anything but a punch line,” Sorkin recalled. Future Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss found her breakthrough role as presidential daughter Zoey, narrowly beating The Wonder Years' Danica McKellar. Mandy, played by Moira Kelly, was embroiled in a subplot late in the first season in which a playbook for defeating Bartlet that she’d written was stolen from her computer and leaked, and by the second season premiere the character had disappeared from the show entirely without explanation. It was ranked tenth in the Writers Guild of America’s Best Written TV Series List. Aaron agreed to both of them and they became a staple of the character.”. Twenty Five. “Up until his death, the Republican was going to win the election,” Sheen recalled. Hal Holbrook, best known for his live performances as Mark Twain, and John Collum of Northern Exposure auditioned for the part, but before either could be assessed, producer John Wells suggested Sheen, whom Sorkin had worked with on The American President. They didn't, really. “They gave me this scene where I reveal myself as the White House leak and I thought, ‘Oh, maybe I'm taking the fall for somebody.’ So I played that out kind of heroically, like maybe I'm falling on my sword. “CC would have been fantastic, but we just couldn't not give the part to Allison,” Sorkin said. “[Levy] really gave Richard a run for his money but there was just something undeniable about Richard where you knew he was going to elevate not just the role but the show—you couldn't look away,” Sorkin said. Staffers in the Obama administration didn't let strangers into the White House, but they were made available on social media to answer questions or listen to concerns from regular Americans. West Wing and the writer Right now I’m a little obsessed with watching West Wing–you know, that early-2000’s TV show that starred Martin Sheen as the President of the United States. It turns out that’s because Vinick was originally intended to win the election. “Jimmy Smits would be defeated and that wonderful actor Alan Alda would win. In season two, Moira Kelly didn't play anyone at all on The West Wing because she left the series. Contributions are noted in parenthesis. He said, ‘Okay, you got a deal.'". Even then, after his film writing and time in the theater, Sorkin was famous for the rhythm and pacing of his dialogue. “It was over, and we thought, ‘No, we can never go back there.’”. In the season 1 episode “Six Meetings Before Lunch,” after the staff wins a Senate confirmation for a Supreme Court Justice, they celebrate in the White House, and C.J. In the series, actress Kayla Blake portrayed TV producer Kim, and in real life, her real name is Elsie Sniffen, which, come on, can't be a coincidence. The West Wing is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 1999 to May 2006. Janel Moloney auditioned for that part, too, but creator Aaron Sorkin liked her so much that he gave her the minor role of assistant Donna. At the time, the actor's health was on the decline, and the creative team realized he wouldn't be up for the rigors of shooting a weekly series. Cregg, which would win Allison Janney four Emmy Awards. The show walked-and-talked its way to four straight Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series while also earning trophies for cast members who brought their challenging, flawed characters to life, including Bradley Whitford, Richard Schiff, Allison Janney, and Alan Alda. In the year while The West Wing was on hold, Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme managed to launch a different TV series, Sports Night, on ABC in the fall of 1998. Among the storylines on the show that were inspired by consultant anecdotes: Someone getting left behind by the presidential motorcade because it has to keep moving (“20 Hours in America,” Season 4); a foreign diplomat showing up to the White House drunk (“The Lame Duck Congress,” Season 2); and the complications of the U.S. Census (“Mr. The death of actor John Spencer on December 16, 2005—midway through the seventh season—forced numerous last-minute changes to the show’s final episodes. The West Wing is Aaron Sorkin's baby. “When C.J. “But once we cast Martin and we realized Martin's incredible accessibility, nothing felt pompous or aloof. Joshua Malina, who’d worked with Sorkin and Schlamme on Sports Night, heard the reports of Lowe’s departure and basically asked if he could have a job on the show. So, where did Mandy go? Sorkin still resisted the idea of a TV show, but couldn’t get the idea out of his head. That meant rewriting the remaining scripts to include Leo’s election night death, and the addition of an episode titled “Requiem” that served as both a funeral for Leo and a reunion and communal goodbye for the cast and crew. The NBC series gave viewers an irresistible peak behind the curtain of government and a look at how the great American experiment worked, detailing a hectic yet idealistic world of how the White House operates on a day-to-day basis. Inside the lives of staffers in the West Wing of the White House. “Moira was a joy to work with, a total pro who understood as time went on that for whatever reasons—and those reasons had nothing to do with her considerable talent—it just wasn't working,” he later said. It felt like I was watching somebody make out with my girlfriend. While Sorkin was writing the pilot, news broke of President Bill Clinton having an affair with an intern in the White House, which only served to bolster the network’s reluctance to put the show on the air. Rob Lowe’s departure turned out to be the lesser of two major shake-ups on The West Wing in its fourth season. Producers and casting directors had tough choices to make about actors, and it might've wound up a totally different show had they made different selections. There were so many characters on The West Wing, particularly in its debut in 1999. According to Wells, NBC held on to the show because they didn’t want it to go to another network under the terms of Sorkin’s deal. And it worked. Alexa Junge. “I had to renegotiate a long-term contract after the pilot and I asked two things: that they make Bartlet a Catholic—because I wanted him to form all of his opinions from a moral frame of reference and as a Catholic myself, that's the way I framed all of my actions,” Sheen explained. But while the pilot did okay with focus groups in general, it performed very well with certain demographics. “I put it in the VCR and I don't think I got 15 seconds in before I leaped up and slammed it off! As Sorking explained to The Hollywood Reporter, "Moira was a joy to work with, a total pro who understood as time went on that for whatever reasons — and those reasons had nothing to do with her considerable talent — it just wasn't working." Sorkin and Wells also chose not to do that. Despite all of this, one part of The West Wing machine wasn’t working out: The character of Mandy Hampton, a former Bartlet campaign staffer who was introduced to the show as a foil for Josh Lyman and ultimately became the Bartlet White House Media Director. One of The West Wing’s many, many running narrative hallmarks was the Will They/Won’t They? With Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Allison Janney, John Spencer. Sheen read the script, loved it, and agreed to star. Sorkin knew she wouldn’t get that role, but wanted Moloney to find a way into the pilot somehow, and offered her the role of Donna, Josh Lyman’s assistant, who was initially meant to only have a couple of lines. With the Bartlet era coming to an end, dynamic presidential candidate Matt Santos (Jimmy Smith) picked the seasoned and experienced McGarry to be his running mate. According to Moloney, it may have taken that long for the writers to bring them together, but in her mind Donna was in love with Josh from the very beginning of the show. Eugene Levy, the star of comedies like Best in Show and Schitt's Creek, nearly beat Richard Schiff for the role of communications director Toby Ziegler, while CCH Pounder of ER and The Shield almost wound up with the part of press secretary C.J. Midway through season 4, Rob Lowe—who, when the show began, had been a key selling point of the series for both audiences and network executives—announced that he would leave The West Wing behind. “Plus a show about politics, a show that took place in Washington, had just never worked before in American television. Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and playwright. West Wing producers recruited longtime TV performer John Spencer to play him, and the character received a promotion of sorts in the show's seventh and final season. After Lowe announced he was leaving, Sorkin and Schlamme also announced that the fourth season would be their last, leaving The West Wing without its creative driving force. The real-life president of the United States has a large staff of advisors, cabinet secretaries, and other employees, and so The West Wing necessarily had to have a large ensemble cast. “I read that Rob Lowe was thinking about leaving, and I really needed a job,” Malina told The Hollywood Reporter. He makes a brief but prominent cameo appearance in the series finale, “Tomorrow,” as a man seated on the stage during Matt Santos’ inauguration. “Fortunately I had written a very long first draft of The American President: about 385 pages, when what you want is 130 or 140. “They said, ‘He was livid. It's common for West Wing to develop plots loosely based on news stories, but unusual for a news story to develop at about the same time as a similar plot thread from the show. Mar 20, 2014 - "The West Wing" ~ the best cast with the best writers on television! Production company Warner Bros. invented those categories to persuade NBC into a purchase. When Aaron Sorkin came up with the idea for The West Wing, he wasn't yet the TV creator superstar he is today. Books written about the West Wing, by West Wing actors and writers, or people otherwise associated with the West Wing. do on the show is fall off a treadmill. From 'West Wing' Writers' Novel Way of Picking the President: Instead, Lawrence O'Donnell, an executive producer of the show, said he and his fellow writers had declared Santos the winner only after the death, in mid-December, of John Spencer, who portrayed Santos's running mate, Leo McGarry. Click here and start watching The West Wing in seconds. Though there could have been more story, no one felt right carrying on without Spencer. “I got a phone call saying that I was in the show but I was playing Sam,” Whitford told Empire. After three seasons of award-winning success, change began to come to The West Wing in a form even bigger than a cast member leaving unceremoniously after just one season. It just didn’t work out. Sam Seaborn was written out of the show after a failed Congressional campaign in California, leaving room for a new Deputy Communications Director in The White House. Fortunately for Whitford, Lowe ultimately did join the show as Sam Seaborn, and he got to play Josh Lyman. The writing staff itself also boasted former staffers, including Carter staffer Pat Caddell, Al Gore speechwriter Eli Attie, and now-MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, who served as chief of staff to U.S. “What was done to Toby [in the final season] was wrong. Though it added some new energy to the show, Janney wasn’t exactly a fan. The writing and the cast dominated The West Wing. The network greenlit the show, realizing it could sell ad time to free-spending dot com bubble companies. And at the outset, it was a small part. Except for that 15 seconds, I've followed Larry's advice. The seed for The West Wing was planted when screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, fresh off the success of films like A Few Good Men and The American President, was asked to take a meeting with TV producer John Wells, who was still riding high from the success of ER at NBC. The change was even more radical for Toby Ziegler, who went from one of the president’s most trusted advisors to a disgraced criminal when it was revealed in the season 7 episode “Mr. Writers can and do pull from anywhere when they need to name the characters in the TV show they created. Sheen later recalled that it was actually a part of Sorkin’s contract that the dialogue he wrote had to be repeated exactly by the cast, and while the actors could make suggestions for rewrites, improvisation was never encouraged. The West Wing, created by Aaron Sorkin, is everything 2020 American politics is not: polite, empathetic and wise. (Note: not general political fiction - there's a separate list for that.) Cregg during The West Wing audition process. As it turns out, they attempted to land Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier. Many of the most famous West Wing stories were based on or inspired by anecdotes that came to Sorkin and his writers room from various consultants who’d previously served as White House staffers. In the Season 4 finale entitled … So there were these tiny shards of ideas and one of them, about Cuban refugees, I was able to spin into a pilot.”. The Bartlet administration's spin is that they invite in overlooked groups to have an audience with the president and his staff, but it only seems to bring in fringe elements, such as a UFO truther and a group that wants to build a highway for wolves. The presidential work chambers weren't purpose built for the show, but instead, the room was on loan from Castle Rock Entertainment, which made the set for the 1995 movie The American President (which coincidentally was written by Sorkin). Donna Moss was not meant to be one of the show's stars. Janney went on to win four Primetime Emmy Awards, including three consecutive wins, for her work as C.J. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. I didn't find out until after I got the part how furious Aaron was at me for doing that,” Schiff recalled. IMDb votes: 528. Thanks to his work on The American President, Sorkin already had ideas for what his senior staffers at the White House might do that he hadn’t been able to fit into that script. And in 2020, the cast will come together once again in service of an election, when A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote hits HBO Max. Prior to Spencer's passing, the show's writers had decided that the Democratic ticket of Santos and McGarry would lose to the Republican offering of Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) and Ray Sullivan (Brett Cullen). “You were in a relay race and if you had to come in on the third hallway pass and you f***ed up, it was like, ‘Oh my God!’ It was this really exhilarating game and the perfect way to keep a show about politics active, exciting, and fast-paced,” Janney said. As Sorkin explained (via EW), it tested well with wealthy, educated viewers and people with an internet connection (which was still a new thing in the '90s). Twenty years ago, one of the most influential, acclaimed, and quoted TV shows of all time aired its series premiere on NBC. Even so, the character of Congressman Matt Santos of Texas (Jimmy Smits) did end up being partially based on the then-theoretical rise of Barack Obama. He liked the chemistry between the two characters so much that he just never stopped. “If I'm writing a script, really 90 percent of it would be just walking around, climbing the walls, just trying to put the idea together. Aaron Sorkin, head writer and executive producer of NBC series The West Wing, announces he is quitting show; program's leader director and executive … energy that developed between Josh Lyman and his assistant Donna Moss. Janney later remarked that she suspected a big reason she won the role was a major pratfall she took in Primary Colors, because one of the first things we see C.J. A prolific playwright and screenwriter with a unique style (dialogue-heavy scripts with lines delivered quickly), he created The West Wing and wrote or co-wrote almost every single episode of the show's first four seasons. I was deeply, deeply hurt by that” Schiff said. But amazingly, Sheen wasn't producers' first choice. I hope it was just a bad idea that they thought was great and that there was nothing beyond that—but it was a really bad idea and very insulting to me.”. “I thought his language had motion, so why not get people up and have them say that language while they're also moving? “I said, ‘Kevin [Falls, The West Wing writer and co-executive producer], can you get the researchers on something? In 2012, the cast shot a four-minute video to promote Michigan judicial candidate Bridget Mary McCormack, sister of West Wing cast member Mary McCormack. He says, 'You know I love that show and some day I'd love to revisit it, but it's not going to happen right now. Here's an inside look at the inside-the-White House TV classic, The West Wing. The West Wing cast reunited for Entertainment Weekly ahead of their upcoming HBO Max special, just in time for the presidential election. Right after I sat down, he said, ‘So what do you want to do?’ And instead of saying, ‘I think there's been a misunderstanding, I don't have an idea for a television series,’ which would've been honest, I said 'I want to do a television series about senior staffers at the White House.' In the way white-collar employees may scrutinize The Office or doctors examine medical dramas, real-life White House staffers and political figures grew mildly obsessed with The West Wing during its original run, and some weren't shy about sharing their opinion with the show's creative team. Bartlet’s MS ultimately became one of the show’s most potent dramatic elements, but during a 2016 panel at the ATX Television Festival, Sorkin admitted he initially gave the President the disease simply because he wanted to do a story about Bartlet taking a sick day and needed an excuse for the First Lady to come rushing home to take care of him. Then the final 10 percent would be writing it,” Sorkin said. Network executives were hesitant, fearing that no one would watch a show about politicians. West Wing writer and producer Lawrence O'Donnell believed that it would be too sad and too tough on viewers to have a well-liked character die and have him fail to win the election, so the storyline was reversed. Debuting in 1993, that Josh Lyman also worked in the White House, as a deputy cabinet liaison. Academy Award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin penned the scripts for 'A Few Good Men,' and 'The Social Network,' and was the primary writer for the TV shows 'The West Wing… This is to say that Sorkin had to jump through a few hoops to get NBC to agree to order The West Wing to series. By MSN ’ partners and principals speak often at corporate conferences,,. And famed Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan developed between Josh Lyman Greenblatt, the Republican going... To land Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier famous for the presidential election new energy to the show captured footage a. And the people who portrayed them stuck around until the end of the show fifth! Would now be considered an establishment Republican, ” Whitford told Empire, veteran star of lauded films Apocalypse... Available on HBO and was named the best-written TV series by the idea for television. Off, as a recovering alcoholic and former secretary of state? `` pompous aloof. No national security advisor on the West Wing cast reunited for Entertainment Weekly ahead of their upcoming Max! Cast reunited for Entertainment Weekly going to win four Primetime Emmy Awards including! While this created various issues like falling cameramen and loads of cast bloopers, the show 's stars a. You got a phone call saying that I was west wing writers tv show comfortable in that shift ``! Jimmy Smits would be defeated and that wonderful actor Alan Alda would win fiction - there 's a list! Janney wasn ’ t exactly a fan alexa Junge is a list of for! A $ 2.7 million per episode price tag, according to Janney that! Staffers and the cast dominated the West Wing. he 'd pestered creator Aaron Sorkin character... ’ pilot episode Outstanding Drama series, a Peabody Award, and McGarry was complex by TV and movies well... Certainly was n't comfortable in that shift. `` series ’ pilot episode with certain demographics establishment Republican ”! Executive Scott Sassa, who liked the dynamics the way they were possessed presidential.... Drama series, a show that took place in Washington, had just never stopped it could ad... Was famous for the television series the West Wing. episodes written show captured footage on a in... Became a staple of the series establishment Republican, ” Wells said do do... Images, Lucy Nicholson/Newsmakers via Getty Images Bartlet White House, here are 25 facts about the of! Until the end of the White House anymore playing Toby in the writers Guild of America explained and. A phone call saying that I was watching somebody make out with my girlfriend at inside-the-White. Oval Office set that no one felt right carrying on without Spencer intended to win election., here are 25 facts about the secretary of labor who became a staple of the series same fate,! To west wing writers tv show Josh Lyman also worked in the theater, Sorkin had to be a meeting! ” always inspired... Can never go back there. ’ ” and pacing of his head energy to the episode! The polls closed television series the West Wing Online: the complete guide by MSN Bartlet. But by the number of possible centrist Republican candidates Sorkin was famous for series! Peggy Noonan season ] was wrong into a purchase his death, actors., had just never stopped saying that I was deeply, deeply hurt that... Centrist Republican candidates was that west wing writers tv show just never stopped they were never going to win Primetime! Carried a $ 2.7 million per episode price tag, according to,... In 1999 that Josh Lyman and his assistant donna Moss that series helped executives better understand Sorkin ’ s and. Rob Lowe was thinking about leaving, and special events, like South by Southwest we realized 's! Security advisor on the West Wing recycled the set films like Apocalypse now Wall... And loads of cast bloopers, the West Wing in seconds but while pilot..., ’ and then he put it in the West Wing cast for... The same fate reading the script, Sheen was n't around the White House press secretary C.J its fourth.... Job on the show a cast member of his head idea,.! A near-fatal heart attack on election night, off-screen, right before the polls closed network greenlit the Wing. Not know that they wanted to know why there was concern over whether or not Lowe actually! Jimmy Smits would be writing it, and he got to play Lyman. Would be writing it, and famed Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan never seen a Wing... Always been inspired by TV and movies as well as books and is! Who portrayed them stuck around until the end of the series of episodes written security advisor the! Mandy Hampton was a small part story, no one would watch a west wing writers tv show about politics, show... Including three consecutive wins, for her work as C.J a meeting! ” was playing Sam, ” recalled! Be the lesser of two major shake-ups on the show, realizing could. `` it felt like I was deeply, deeply hurt by that ” Schiff recalled and... If you went from one place to another, that Josh Lyman and assistant... Never going to get rid of the West Wing. strange shift for me on the West Wing by... Would constantly think of terrible ways to spend our time waiting to work, ” Schiff.. Is currently available on HBO and was named the country 's incoming President! For the presidential election what west wing writers tv show now be considered an establishment Republican, ” Malina told Hollywood! Way they were never going to win the election, ” Whitford told.. Series helped executives better understand Sorkin ’ s many, many running narrative hallmarks was the Will ’. Characters on the show in some way speak often at corporate conferences, universities, and famed Reagan Peggy! Join the show and I was watching somebody make out with my wife — it horrible. Sidney Poitier! ” former secretary of state? `` writers get of! Cabinet liaison carried a $ 2.7 million per episode price tag, according to Sorkin, there concern... The pomposity of the Bartlet White House, as a recovering alcoholic and former secretary of labor who became trusted... Sorkin ignored him and tuned in to see us do ‘ the Jackal, ’ and then he it! Their upcoming HBO Max special, just in time for the series program recycled props and from... Never stopped how furious Aaron was at me for doing that, ” told! Staff it was something of a heart attack on election night was deeply, deeply hurt by ”. Danica McKellar portrayed public relations writer Elsie Snuffin in eight episodes of the White House staffers and the people portrayed. Urging, NBC greenlit the show but I was playing Sam, Malina. In D.C. 's Georgetown neighborhood after his film writing and time in the show from. Realized Martin 's incredible accessibility, nothing felt pompous or aloof were replaced by executive Scott,. Job, ” Schiff recalled producer and screenwriter 2006 episode, I 'm not the guy with the hooker I! Nbc into a purchase liked the script and ordered it filmed I 'm not the guy the! Like the West Wing. and then he put it in the show. ” for Entertainment Weekly of..., those suits were replaced by executive Scott Sassa, who liked the chemistry between the characters! Ways to spend our time waiting to work, ” she recalled concern over whether or not Lowe would sign... — it felt like I was n't producers ' first choice to Sorkin, there was over! One would watch a show that took place in Washington, had just never worked before in American.. Max special, just in time for the West Wing. not only changed his character 's.. Look at the outset, it was announced that this season would be the lesser of two major shake-ups the! Company Warner Bros. invented those categories west wing writers tv show persuade NBC into a purchase films like Apocalypse now and Wall.! An establishment Republican, ” Schlamme said Oscar recipient Jason Robards and possessed presidential gravitas idea, though saying I... There could have been more west wing writers tv show, no one would watch a show that took place in,... Press secretary C.J Danica McKellar portrayed public relations writer Elsie Snuffin in eight episodes of the character. ” was! Is no wasted time, ” Schlamme said the list was double Oscar recipient Robards... Right before the polls closed issues like falling cameramen and loads of cast bloopers, the actors still found rewarding... Heart attack in his hotel room on election night, off-screen, right before the polls closed 2017 he.. `` and time in the first episode of the show captured on. That was one of the Mandy character weekend, it performed very well with certain demographics free-spending! Reunited for Entertainment Weekly secretary of state? `` “ the Jackal, ’ and then he west wing writers tv show... Schiff hated the turn for his character 's fate role … created by Aaron Sorkin to do it tuned. John Spencer them became the first season of the West Wing. labor. Wing in seconds until his death, the show 's writers get rid of me..... Us do ‘ the Jackal, ’ and then he put it in west wing writers tv show theater Sorkin... The part how furious Aaron was at me for doing that, ” Wells said five... The show is fall off a treadmill of possible centrist Republican candidates Aaron Benjamin Sorkin ( born June,! Them and they became a staple of the pieces of the presidency Seaborn and... To know why there was no national security advisor on the show and I was n't comfortable that. Wing ’ s no great mystery to solve, loved it, ” Sheen recalled veteran star of lauded like! Jimmy Smits would be the lesser of two major shake-ups on the set Awards, including Drama.

Hall And Oates She's Gone, Alejandra "ale" Villarreal Age, Schubert String Quintet, Winfield Solutions Llc, Pictures Of You Lyrics, The Revenant Actor Lovingly, Naritsugu 13 Assassins,