Going, going, gone…The West Wing

Continuing our look at shows ending their run I thought today would be a good day to look at The West Wing. Like Alias, The West Wing is a show that had an amazing first few seasons but then took a downward turn. Unlike Alias the lack of quality during The West Wings final seasons can be traced to one key reason; the departure of series creator and head writer Aaron Sorkin.

Sorkin created the show while his previous creation Sports Night was attaining high critical praise but was slumming in the ratings. Sorkin took his Sports Night premise of following the behind the scene relationships and politics of a late night sports show and translated it to the White House. The results were a match made in heaven. Within a few episodes the show was a hit with critics and with audiences. I was a little slower to fall for the show not becoming a regular watcher until season 2. Thanks to Bravo and DVDs I caught up quickly.

I believe that creating a mythology for a show is one of the most important elements to creating a quality long lasting show and The West Wing did this in spades. When you hear mythology you think of shows like X-Files or Lost but the truth is any show can accomplish this simply by creating a history to the show that is referenced and grown throughout its life. From Leo’s alcoholism to Vice President Hoyings continued bitterness about losing to Jed in the first election, the writer’s constantly brought these issues to the forefront and continued to develop them. Some of the great Sorkin episodes would flashback to the original campaign and the character’s lives before the show. Who would have guessed CJ was a publicity agent in Hollywood before Toby brought her on board?

At the end of season 4 Sorkin was on his way out. Why he left is still somewhat in debate? Producer John Wells certainly likes to claim his shows as his own and Sorkin clearly snagged the spotlight. Also Sorkin was well known for his love of nose candy and his performance certainly seemed to be in question. It was announced that Sorkin would be leaving at the end of the year.

At the time I thought the show should end right there but then Sorkin wrote one of my favorite hours of television that guaranteed I’d come back the next year with or without him. The season finale featured the kidnapping of first daughter Zoe Bartlett. The beauty of this was that the exact way her kidnapping occurs is described by the President in season 1 when a naïve freshman Zoe is complaining about the Secret Service cramping her style. Martin Sheen’s performance in that season 1 episodes was one of my favorite early Wing moments and to see his words come true broke my heart and brought me to tears. With no VP on board Bartlett hands the keys to the White House to the Republican speaker and removes himself due to the kidnapping. The symbolism was not lost on the audience who no doubt saw the ultra liberal Sorkin handing his keys over to a group of writers.

Season 5 came and went and the show truly suffered. Characters lost their center without Sorkin. Will Bailey became a sniveling traitor. Toby became a full time asshole as opposed to a part time one. The plots became boring and for the most part the snappy banter lost its humor. In general the show became a lot darker and meaner. When season 6 came about I had pretty much given up on the show. However the influx of new candidates Alan Alda and Jimmy Smits gave the show some life. CJ’s ascension to Chief of Staff provided some good new stories and for the most part people started acting like themselves. It wasn’t quite must see TV but it was certainly DVR worthy.

Now season 7 is winding down and so is the show. The tragic loss of John Spencer along with the election of a new President have made this season must see again. There has been some controversy with some agruing that Smits was pegged as the original winner but then Alda was chosen after the show was cancelled and then Smits was picked again after the loss of Spencer. Depending on which writer's blog you're reading this is either true or utter b.s., either way I'm glad Smits won and the next few weeks should be a fitting tribute to the show as the Bartlett administration packs up and we see old faces and new make the transition to the Santos administration.