West Wing: Would you be interested in a new series?

[BoxWhatBox]

Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I miss Aaron Sorkin's West Wing terribly. It was easily one of the best show I have ever watched. I think its time that NBC resurrect the series. Do you?

I personally would love to see the presidency of a newly elected Sam Seaborn, his Chief of Staff Josh Lyman (maybe throw Donna in for good measure), and a new cast of regulars.

Anyway I digress. Would you be interested in a new West Wing series? How do you envision the new series? Who would you cast? What characters would they play?

How closely would you monitor it to current events? Do you think the country could stomach a fictional show about the presidency in these turbulent times?

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I think I would be more interested in a series focusing on Charlie Young in Congress. We've seen the whole Presidential thing. Let's see something different.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I was disappointed that we didn't get to see President Santos' first year in office. But then again, you can have too much of a good thing. I'm not sure that bringing the WW back at this stage would be a good idea. How likely is it that they could reassemble the essential cast members (Smits, Whitford etc)

Having said that though, a Congressional or Senatorial spin-off, set in the same universe, with perhaps Charlie or CJ as the lead and occasional guest appearances from President Santos, might be worth watching.

 

[Hermiod]

I'm only going to watch spin-offs from shows I already enjoyed in future, and such a spin-off would be top of my list.

 

[Emher]

Yeah a Charlie spin off could kick all kinds of ass id done properly. But a sequel? No thanks. Why risk tarnishing seven seasons of TV that mostly where fantastic, the only real flaw being the dip in quality in season five?

 

[TheBrew]

I think I would be more interested in a series focusing on Charlie Young in Congress. We've seen the whole Presidential thing. Let's see something different.

I was about to say that. I think a Congressional show would be very interesting.

 

[ParticleMan]

Only if Sorkin is doing all the writing...but even then, I don't know that they could recapture the greatness of the early seasons of The West Wing. A follow-up series would have to be awesome right out of the gate to avoid being negatively compared to its predecessor...

 

[Sci]

I think, for better or for worse, that after 9/11, The West Wing tried to continue with its Clinton-era depictions of American political culture, ignoring how fundamentally 9/11 and the Bush Administration changed the overall political culture of the United States. Because, after all, 9/11 didn't happen in the WestWingVerse.

So it seems to me that while I'd love to see Sorkin do a political show again, he needs to do a show where 9/11 and George W. Bush happened. Because they changed things, and you can't do an honest depiction of American politics without them anymore. It would be like trying to depict American politics in the 70s in a world where there was no Nixon and no Vietnam; it just can't be done.

 

[bigdaddy]

I was thinking about this this morning. It would have been awesome if West Wing lasted 15 years like ER did. The cast at the end of the show was really really good. We don't need Bush in the universe, we are better off without him. At this point it would be impossible to have the whole cast back so maybe Will as a Congressman from CA, that way CJ can stop by (I picture her living in CA), and so can others from the show.

 

[Hunter X]

Actually, I thought the weird thing about The West Wing is how it slowly seemed like 9/11 and Bush happened without actually happening. Seasons 3 and 4 focused much more on terrorism, if I recall correctly, and the American response to it, culminating in Bartlet authorizing the assassination of a world leader who was not-very-secretly throwing his support behind terrorists.

Barlet's opponent when he ran for second term seemed like a Bush doppelganger.

Then in seasons 6 and 7 with the reelection campaign, the political climate Santos and Vinick were battling in was a parallel to the US's climate at the time, what with pressure from the extreme religious right and religion focused debates that popped up through the series. Stuff like "does Vinick go to church" and "Santos' priest kicked him out of the church because he supports abortion" and "creation being taught in schools."

As a side, I always found it amusingly coincidental how Santos vs. Vinick seemed to parallel Obama vs. McCain, which happened a few years later.

 

[Harvey]

Well, Santos was actually modeled after Obama, according to the writers. Vinick wasn't modeled after McCain, though, according to them. They only wanted to create a formidable and symathetic Republican opponent.

I'd like to see another Sorkin-led political series on television (HBO calling?), but I'm fine never setting foot in the universe of The West Wing again, besides with my DVDs. A new series should reflect the current political landscape, not the landscape from the late 1990s.

 

[TheGodBen]

No, for three reasons.

1) Shows end. The West Wing ran its course and ended, and thankfully it ended on a high note.
2) After receiving The Shield box set for Christmas my shelf is now full and I have no room for another season of TWW.
3) Bradley Whitford is creepy with that moustache.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Wow, I've never seen The West Wing. I guess I should Netflix the sucker, huh?

 

[PorthosShadow]

On only one condition, that Aaron Sorkin write it but that's unlikely since he is quite busy these days. Also, "The West Wing" is the only series he has done that has been "financially" viable and that doesn't mean the rest were bad, infact everything he has written has been gold.

Having said that I wouldn't mind seeing a TV movie, mini-series or even a big screen version of TWW. Finally, I'm still waiting for that "Sports Night" reunion show because maybe one of these days Josh Charles will stop being mad at Aaron Sorkin.

 

[bigdaddy]

Finally, I'm still waiting for that "Sports Night" reunion show because maybe one of these days Josh Charles will stop being mad at Aaron Sorkin.

He is bad at Sorkin? For what?

 

[Hermiod]

Wow, I've never seen The West Wing. I guess I should Netflix the sucker, huh?

Well, yeah, but only if you like to see one of the best casts in television history (okay, minus Mandy) perform some of the greatest dialogue ever written.

 

[LeadHead]

I'd be onboard in a second if Sorkin was game. But I'd rather he do something different, I think a Sorkin Police or Medical Drama would be outstanding. He's done the political show, he's done the entertainment show, I'd like for him to conquer the whole field.

 

[Data Holmes]

I'd just like to see Sorkin get a show again. TV is lacking an intelligence without him.

That said, I don't know if I would want a WW spinoff series. Now a two night, four hour miniseries covering the election of President Seaborn would be a lot of fun.

Set it that Santos lost his reelection bid to the republican candidate, the Veep candidate on the Vinnick ticket. He won reelection and now the country is comming out from under 8 years of republican mess. Economy in shambles, US still involved in that action in whatever 'stan country it was, and Sam is ready and sucks josh back in to politics, from his life as a political commentator on MSNBC and family man with his wife Donna and their two kids, to get him there.

 

[stonester1]

I'd be onboard in a second if Sorkin was game. But I'd rather he do something different, I think a Sorkin Police or Medical Drama would be outstanding. He's done the political show, he's done the entertainment show, I'd like for him to conquer the whole field.

I'm a Sorkin slut, LOVE his stuff. I'd like to see him try science fiction, though I don't know if he's interested enough in the genre (though the geek refs he drops in his scripts makes me wonder. He even had an open Trekkie in the WH office and had Josh busting out with some pretty deep from the hip DS9 stuff).

 

[Hunter X]

Wow, I've never seen The West Wing. I guess I should Netflix the sucker, huh?

For sure. But just as a heads up, it's mostly talking. With some walking around thrown in for good measure. There's the occasional spike of action beyond that when it's finale or premier time too, but otherwise? Talking. Walking.

It's just that it's very good dialogue and very, very good acting (and moderately okay walking).