Full disclosure, this writer has rewatched the entirety of NBC’s landmark political drama “The West Wing,” all seven seasons/156 episodes, roughly 10 times. This may read as a lot for some, but considering the show’s been around 25 years come September 22, it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the viewership habits of more die-hard fans. According to Nielsen, since being dropped on Max in 2020, the series has clocked 212 million viewing hours, but not amongst those tuning in is the show’s creator, Aaron Sorkin.
“I’m always reluctant to go back and visit it, out of fear that it won’t live up to the memory of making it,” Sorkin said in a recent interview with The New York Times. “There have been a couple of times when I’ve had to go back and watch an episode. Four years ago, we did a get-out-the-vote special, staged in sort of ‘Playhouse 90’ form, and I went back to watch a couple of episodes to choose one. And I was pleasantly surprised.”
Despite his disinterest in revisiting his past work, Sorkin is more than aware of his show’s impact on current and future leaders, but never intended to use “The West Wing” as a soap box or some kind of recruiting device. Nevertheless, he’s touched by the effect it’s had on others.
“I will read that someone was inspired to get into public service because of ‘The West Wing.’ Our goal when we’re making the show is, we just want to give you the best hour that we can, Wednesdays from 9 to 10,” said Sorkin. “We just want to engage you for that hour, and anything else is crazy. So when people say that they were inspired to public service because of the show, it’s incredibly meaningful.”
Sorkin went on to tell The NY Times how rare it was and still is for television outside of news to cover politics, but that he never shied away from tough subjects and always tried to reflect every situation as realistic to the times we were living in.
“Networks were very nervous about any show that dealt with politics, and certainly this show wasn’t really being discreet about its politics,” Sorkin said. “It was using the same kind of language that we hear on the news every night. There were Democrats and Republicans. Bartlet’s politics were pretty well known.”
Most might view the politics of President Jed Bartlet (played with expert gravitas by Martin Sheen) as leftist or progressive, though today they read as relatively moderate, but for Sorkin, those specifics were rarely the most interesting element of his characters and their stories. For him, finding the humanity in these larger-than-life figures and uncovering their demons was the joy of his work.
“That was my favorite part. Not the demons specifically, though, yes, I love the demons. But my favorite part of writing Bartlet was that the president isn’t a king,” said Sorkin. “He’s this man with a temp job. I always loved the part of the show that was about a father and his adult children, or about a husband.”
To celebrate the 25th anniversary, the White House hosted an event today with Sorkin, the cast, as well as other who worked on the show. They were joined by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden.
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