‘West Wing’ hopes live debate will boost ratings

Aaron Sorkin wasn’t above a few soap opera storylines — Rob Lowe’s affair with a D.C. hooker in the first few episodes, Bartlet's daughter’s kidnapping — but the camaraderie between Martin Sheen, Richard Schiff and Brad Whitford was Sorkin at his best, writing that was Mamet-like; better suited for Broadway than TV.

Of course, producing that high level of quality takes time — too much time, it turned out — and, eventually, the wear and tear of personally scripting 22 episodes a year exhausted Sorkin, put him behind deadline and costing producer Warner Bros. a ton of money. Sorkin parted ways with the show and the next chapter of “Wing” was born.

Executive producer John Wells took the reins, and a few scenes after the transition must’ve made hardcore “Wing” fans cringe. The show, it seemed, was seemingly slipping away into mediocrity. If you look closely, during one particular moment when Josh is shoving his closed fist at the Capitol and exclaiming, “You want a piece of me?” you can actually see the shark jumping over the Rotunda.

But, to his credit, Wells bounced back last season. The focus was smartly placed on the political primaries and some of the magic of those early years returned.

Smits a favorite to win?
Which brings us back to the upcoming debate and who should be the next leader of the free world.

Logic says Smits will win, as he’s certainly the bigger star these days, and would certainly draw younger, and advertiser-friendly, demos.

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That being said, Wells would be both courageous and smart to put Alda in the Oval, thereby giving the series a right-wing bent it's never had before.

One benefit would be taking all the leading characters out of their element and giving them a fresh spin — maybe positioning them in the private sector. C.J., who for so many years had to spin stories as press secretary, could return as a reporter on the White House beat. Josh runs for and wins a congressional seat, where the machinations of Capitol Hill would be new terrain for dissection and discussion. Charlie could clerk for a Supreme Court justice (though that seems like a fascinating thesis for an entirely different show).

NBC’s decision to move “West Wing” from Wednesday to Sunday has proved disastrous. If it stays in its current Sunday slot, it’s a goner. A move back to Wednesday is a distinct possibility, even though that may not make a difference either.

Whether "West Wing" says goodbye in May, or miraculously reappears in September is yet to be determined, but viewers of smart and sophisticated television will always have a place in their heart for the Bartlet administration. There’s no debating that.

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