‘The West Wing‘ is an iconic political drama from 1999. With an impressive run of seven seasons, the NBC series is based on the fictional administration of Democratic President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen. The show earned an astonishing 27 Emmy Awards, including four consecutive wins for Outstanding Drama.
As we face the upcoming presidential elections in November, a lot has been going on in the American political circles. Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are the two topmost rivals for the position, and saying their rivalry is dramatic would be an understatement. As ‘The West Wing‘ approaches its 25th anniversary, the show’s creator Aaron Sorkin recently opened up about how his iconic White House drama might resonate in today’s political climate.
Aaron Sorkins Draws Parallels Between ‘The West Wing’ And Today’s American Politics
‘The West Wing‘ brought a layered perspective of American politics to its audiences. More to the fact, while its primary focus was on the Bartlet Administration, it still unveiled a string of Republican characters who moved about throughout the series in dominant roles.
But now, showmaker Aaron Sorkin ponders whether those characters—and, indeed, the Republican Party as depicted in the series—hold relevance for modern audiences.
As part of a promotional event for the forthcoming release of ‘What’s Next: A Backstage Pass to The West Wing, Its Cast and Crew, and Its Enduring Legacy of Service‘, Sorkin didn’t mince any words over how he thinks ‘The West Wing‘ would be received now, in this highly polarized political climate.
“I don’t want to get a rumble started over anything… and maybe things will be different a year from now, or two years from now… but right now, it would be implausible that the opposition party, that the Republican Party (as portrayed on ‘The West Wing‘), was reasonable,” Sorkin said during an interview with ‘The Hollywood Reporter‘.
He further asserted that the Republicans in ‘The West Wing‘ were the opposition, but a reasonable one — something that might seem foreign to viewers today based on how things are currently functioning in the country. “People would watch that and it would be unfamiliar to them as the country that they live in,” he added.
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Aaron Sorkin Says ‘The West Wing’ Would Be Received Well Even Today
‘The West Wing‘ was a huge hit, rather ahead of its time, and set the stage for many other political dramas that came after. Along with a bold and practical storyline, the show also brought forth a lucrative cast.
Among these were White House Counsel Ainsley Hayes played by Emily Procter; Florida Governor and presidential nominee Robert Ritchie, played by James Brolin; White House Counsel Joe Quincy, played by Matthew Perry; California Senator Arnold Vinick, played by Alan Alda; and Missouri Rep. Glen Allen Walken, played by John Goodman.
While all of them had quite interesting character arcs, showmaker Aaron Sorkin drew comparisons between them and the real-life characters in today’s political scenario. Even after he reflected on the characters, Sorkin still believes that ‘The West Wing‘ can do well even today.
The show creator attributed this to the show’s powerful narrative and, of course, only the best talent behind it. “It was a good show—just good stories, well-told, by a great group of people,” her during the interview.
Be it today, when the political parties represented in the show might seem out of place, it is the timeless quality of the narrative that could just make it accessible to a newer audience.
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