Post by First Lady on Sept 6, 2003 18:06:43 GMT
EW Weekly - dated September 12, 2003
The West Wing
New Commander in Chief John Wells talks exclusively about getting NBC's White House drama in order.
Getting to the Oval Office on the set of The West Wing requires more than just a majority of electoral votes or a Supreme Court decision. Navigating the endless hallways on its two enormous soundstages in the Warner Bros. lot - the largest set in television today - practically requires a GPS locator and a contingent of Secret Service agents. Even people who've been working on this show for four years seem to be a little lost these days.
NBC's award-winning Wednesday-night drama is all about Washington, D.C., but behind the scenes the politics are pure Hollywood. Last May, there was a (mostly) bloodless coup, resulting in the departure of creator and chief scribe Aaron Sorkin and exec producer Thomas Schlamme - due primarily to late scripts, over-budget productions, and seriously declining ratings (down 21 percent last season). The sudden change in administration came as quite a shock to the cast.
"We were in the middle of shooting and [Aaron and Tommy] sat us down and Aaron said, "Tommy and I just want to tell you this, because you'll hear it on Access Hollywood tonight. We're leaving," recalls Joshua Malina (Will Bailey). "There was just this stunned silence. As much as I was aware that his going over budget was an issue, I didn't think it would lead to Aaron's leaving. I didn't think that Warner Bros. and NBC would risk losing him. Aaron was one of a kind, and no committee of 20 people can replace him."
Actually, it's only one guy: Executive producer John Wells is now in charge. "My preference was always that Aaron stay," says Wells, who helped develop the series. "As the ratings came down, there was more pressure on making the budget because clearly we weren't going to get as much money for the show. I think the pressure of that got to be a bit much for Aaron." Adds NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker, "Aaron Sorkin is a great writer, but we're really fortunate to have one of the best dramatic storytellers in the history of television stepping right in for him."
As if the leadership shake-up wasn't enough to deal with, contract negotiations with the actors recently became as heated (and star-studded) as the California recall-vote theatrics. At press time, four of the key cast members - Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, John Spencer, and Richard Schiff - were playing such hardball that they were refusing to promote the show (eg. they wouldn't make eye contact with a visiting reporter) until their salaries were bumped from a reported $80,000 to $150,000. "It's not going well, admits Martin Sheen (President Josiah Bartlet), smoking a cigarette in his trailer between takes. "I'm a little concerned about the negotiations, but I'm confident in both sides. John is a capable producer who knows what makes the show go and he's not going to mess that up."
NBC can only hope that the once must-see drama is as compelling this upcoming season as its actors' offscreen maneuverings. Wells promises changes that he hopes will bring back disenfranchised viewers, many of whom felt not only that the drama's politics took on an excessively liberal slant, but that the plots were too slow and protracted - especially Bartlet's dull reelection campaign last season. "There were some decisions made about the election that didn't have much dramatic punch," says Wells. "You knew Bartlet was coming back. And that story line coincided with a wave of successful reality-TV programming." (One program in particular, time-slot competitor The Bachelor, helped to hasten Wing's downslide in the 18-49 demographic.)
Of course, the Bartlet administration won't suddenly go conservative and start eliminating Democrats in elaborate Rose Garden ceremonies this season. John Goodman's Republican Speaker of the House, who took over the White House in the season finale, will have to vacate the Oval Office - but his party will gain a foothold in Wing's Washington. "We're going to see more of the Republican influence on the Hill because of last year's election," says Wells. "In the beginning, we had a lot of Republicans who watched the show and we've lost some of that audience. It's incumbent upon us to get it back - we don't want to just be preaching to the choir."
While the characters' personal lives will remain largely in the background, this season will have a renewed focus on the Bartlet family, including the addition of daughter Elizabeth (Annabeth Gish), who arrives with her husband (Steven Eckholdt) following Zoey Bartlet's cliff-hanger abduction. "We're going to get to know more about the First Family to illuminate what the costs of pursuing this office are," says Wells. He'll also try to avoid the Ainsley Hayes syndrome - as in, introducing characters only to have them disappear without any explanation. "Because Aaron wrote so much at the last minute, we weren't able to tell an actor in advance when we were going to need him. We would cast someone and not know if we needed them again until three weeks later and they'd be doing something else. That's something we'll be able to address this year by having a better ideas of what we're doing." Two new characters who ideally won't go MIA are incoming Vice President Robert Russell (Office Space's Gary Cole), who arrives in the third episode to replace disgraced ex-VP John Hoynes (Tim Matheson), and Ryan Pierce (Swimfan's Jesse Bradford), as an intern in Josh Lyman's office. "When you have a younger character coming in," explains Wells, "he can make the inside politics easier to follow by asking questions."
Despite the overhaul, Wing's Commander-in-Chief continues to project confidence. "This show is never going to be what it was with Aaron and Tommy, and we've got to let it go. We can't live in the past," says Sheen. "I'm extremely gratified by John's first two scripts. John started with the show, and he knows why it works." And even better - he already knows hot to find his way to the Oval Office. - Allison Hope Weiner
The West Wing
New Commander in Chief John Wells talks exclusively about getting NBC's White House drama in order.
Getting to the Oval Office on the set of The West Wing requires more than just a majority of electoral votes or a Supreme Court decision. Navigating the endless hallways on its two enormous soundstages in the Warner Bros. lot - the largest set in television today - practically requires a GPS locator and a contingent of Secret Service agents. Even people who've been working on this show for four years seem to be a little lost these days.
NBC's award-winning Wednesday-night drama is all about Washington, D.C., but behind the scenes the politics are pure Hollywood. Last May, there was a (mostly) bloodless coup, resulting in the departure of creator and chief scribe Aaron Sorkin and exec producer Thomas Schlamme - due primarily to late scripts, over-budget productions, and seriously declining ratings (down 21 percent last season). The sudden change in administration came as quite a shock to the cast.
"We were in the middle of shooting and [Aaron and Tommy] sat us down and Aaron said, "Tommy and I just want to tell you this, because you'll hear it on Access Hollywood tonight. We're leaving," recalls Joshua Malina (Will Bailey). "There was just this stunned silence. As much as I was aware that his going over budget was an issue, I didn't think it would lead to Aaron's leaving. I didn't think that Warner Bros. and NBC would risk losing him. Aaron was one of a kind, and no committee of 20 people can replace him."
Actually, it's only one guy: Executive producer John Wells is now in charge. "My preference was always that Aaron stay," says Wells, who helped develop the series. "As the ratings came down, there was more pressure on making the budget because clearly we weren't going to get as much money for the show. I think the pressure of that got to be a bit much for Aaron." Adds NBC Entertainment president Jeff Zucker, "Aaron Sorkin is a great writer, but we're really fortunate to have one of the best dramatic storytellers in the history of television stepping right in for him."
As if the leadership shake-up wasn't enough to deal with, contract negotiations with the actors recently became as heated (and star-studded) as the California recall-vote theatrics. At press time, four of the key cast members - Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, John Spencer, and Richard Schiff - were playing such hardball that they were refusing to promote the show (eg. they wouldn't make eye contact with a visiting reporter) until their salaries were bumped from a reported $80,000 to $150,000. "It's not going well, admits Martin Sheen (President Josiah Bartlet), smoking a cigarette in his trailer between takes. "I'm a little concerned about the negotiations, but I'm confident in both sides. John is a capable producer who knows what makes the show go and he's not going to mess that up."
NBC can only hope that the once must-see drama is as compelling this upcoming season as its actors' offscreen maneuverings. Wells promises changes that he hopes will bring back disenfranchised viewers, many of whom felt not only that the drama's politics took on an excessively liberal slant, but that the plots were too slow and protracted - especially Bartlet's dull reelection campaign last season. "There were some decisions made about the election that didn't have much dramatic punch," says Wells. "You knew Bartlet was coming back. And that story line coincided with a wave of successful reality-TV programming." (One program in particular, time-slot competitor The Bachelor, helped to hasten Wing's downslide in the 18-49 demographic.)
Of course, the Bartlet administration won't suddenly go conservative and start eliminating Democrats in elaborate Rose Garden ceremonies this season. John Goodman's Republican Speaker of the House, who took over the White House in the season finale, will have to vacate the Oval Office - but his party will gain a foothold in Wing's Washington. "We're going to see more of the Republican influence on the Hill because of last year's election," says Wells. "In the beginning, we had a lot of Republicans who watched the show and we've lost some of that audience. It's incumbent upon us to get it back - we don't want to just be preaching to the choir."
While the characters' personal lives will remain largely in the background, this season will have a renewed focus on the Bartlet family, including the addition of daughter Elizabeth (Annabeth Gish), who arrives with her husband (Steven Eckholdt) following Zoey Bartlet's cliff-hanger abduction. "We're going to get to know more about the First Family to illuminate what the costs of pursuing this office are," says Wells. He'll also try to avoid the Ainsley Hayes syndrome - as in, introducing characters only to have them disappear without any explanation. "Because Aaron wrote so much at the last minute, we weren't able to tell an actor in advance when we were going to need him. We would cast someone and not know if we needed them again until three weeks later and they'd be doing something else. That's something we'll be able to address this year by having a better ideas of what we're doing." Two new characters who ideally won't go MIA are incoming Vice President Robert Russell (Office Space's Gary Cole), who arrives in the third episode to replace disgraced ex-VP John Hoynes (Tim Matheson), and Ryan Pierce (Swimfan's Jesse Bradford), as an intern in Josh Lyman's office. "When you have a younger character coming in," explains Wells, "he can make the inside politics easier to follow by asking questions."
Despite the overhaul, Wing's Commander-in-Chief continues to project confidence. "This show is never going to be what it was with Aaron and Tommy, and we've got to let it go. We can't live in the past," says Sheen. "I'm extremely gratified by John's first two scripts. John started with the show, and he knows why it works." And even better - he already knows hot to find his way to the Oval Office. - Allison Hope Weiner