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3 articles from 2003

22 September 2003 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Critics complained that last season's episodes of The West Wing waxed melodramatic. The show attracted media attention when one of its stars became embroiled in a nasty salary dispute. Ratings for the show took a dive, and by the end of the season, executive producers Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme announced their resignation. But television academy voters ignored all of that and awarded the White House series the Emmy for top drama for the fourth year in a row. The decision stunned TV critics. "Here's where a recall election is really called for in California. At the very least, it suggests a need for term limits." wrote Phil Rosenthal in the Chicago Sun Times. "While Wing might be one of the best series on TV, it is no longer the best. Viewers already know that. The people who work in television apparently don't." Critics were divided over the decision to abandon a single host for the Emmys and instead divide the hosting duties among a slew of comedians. "It was a happy alternative to tradition that kept the bouncing ball from resting in one place for too long," commented Steve Johnson in the Chicago Tribune.But David Bianculli in the New York Daily News said that the decision should have received an Emmy for "The Worst Idea for an Awards Show since Rob Lowe sang and danced with Snow White at the 1989 Oscars."

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2 May 2003 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

In a new blow to NBC, which will soon be losing its hit show Friends and has seen ratings plummet for another onetime hit, Frasier, West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, who is also its primary writer, announced Thursday that he will leave the series this month. "I had the best job in show business for four years and I'll never forget that," Sorkin said in a statement. Joining him will be the show's executive producer and lead director Thomas Schlamme. John Wells, whose company co-produces the show with Warner Bros., said that he expects to assume a more active role with it next year. Ratings for the West Wing have declined precipitously this season, particularly among 18-49-year-olds, the demographic group courted most zealously by advertisers.

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1 May 2003 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Variety reported Thursday afternoon that Emmy Award-winning writer Aaron Sorkin would be leaving The West Wing at the end of this season, its fourth. The driving creative force behind the White House staff drama and writer of most of its episodes, Sorkin had his hands full this past season, most notably with a decline in ratings for the hit show, which has won the Best Drama Series Emmy for the past three years. Wing also suffered the loss this year of one of its biggest stars, Rob Lowe, who reportedly decided to leave after a salary dispute that did not offer him as high a raise as his co-stars (Lowe was considered the show's lead when it launched, and thus was paid more). Longtime Sorkin collaborator Thomas Schlamme, a fellow executive producer and Emmy-winning director, was expected to announce his departure as well. Sorkin still has one year left on his contract with Warner Bros. TV. --Prepared by IMDb staff

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3 articles from 2003