The West Wing was huge. For proof, look no further than the fact that it received 26 Emmy Awards over the course of its seven seasons, which were in addition to a wide range of other awards and accolades. Furthermore, the series still manages to make the lists for the best drama series ever made on a regular basis, which speaks of a lasting fondness that is managing to withstand the test of time. Based on this, it should come as no surprise to learn that there is still a fair amount of interest in seeing a revival of The West Wing, which is perhaps unsurprising considering the state of U.S. politics in real life.
How Would Aaron Sorkin Revive West Wing?
With that said, it is interesting to note that The Hollywood Reporter claims that there is a standing order at NBC that would let Aaron Sorkin revive The West Wing whenever he feels that the time has come, which says much about NBC executives’ faith in him as well as the series that he created. However, what is more interesting is that Sorkin has made some statements suggesting that he has put some serious thought into what a revival would look like, meaning that it might be something that will happen sooner rather than later.
For starters, Sorkin has made his feelings about Donald Trump rather clear. As a result, interested individuals should not expect a potential revival to serve as a send-up of the current President of the United States, not when the series creator’s opinion of him can be called acidic without exaggeration. Instead, Sorkin stated that he would want to start up with some sort of crisis that would have to be resolved using a sense of tact, thus providing an immediate hook for the new president played by Sterling K. Brown.
Meanwhile, President Bartlet played by Martin Sheen would make a return as an informal adviser of sorts for the new president, which would be a neat way to have a fan favorite make a return without overshadowing the new cast in the process. With that said, there are still some things that Sorkin hasn’t managed to figure out, with an excellent example being how to fit other fan favorites such as C.J. Cregg and Josh Lyman into the revival. As a result, while he is putting serious effort into planning out a revival, there are still some obstacles that will have to be cleared before he can bring it onto the TV screen.
Could the Revival Succeed?
Of course, the single most interesting question would be whether a revival of The West Wing could succeed or not. On the one hand, the kind of series that can be found on the TV screen at the moment suggests that there is plenty of appetite for political dramas. On the other hand, that means a great deal of competition, which could make it difficult for the revival to carve out a place for itself. With that said, considering the current state of U.S. politics, one cannot help but suspect that there would be a lot of people who would be interested in tuning in for the sake of indulging in a fantasy in which it isn’t the horrific mess that it has become.
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