The headline alone conjures visions of long fast-paced walks, staccato banter, papers being handed in and out of frame, and you either don’t really know who he is or you love, love, love him.
He comes to the front of the lobe today as I have just watched “Molly’s Game”, his first director gig. It feels Sorkin-y, and IMDB has just told me that he adapted the book for the big screen. It was <strained emphasis/> good. I dig on J Chastain and Idris Elba is an acting monster, and the story was kind of interesting…but at this point I have been spoiled.
Between “The West Wing” and “The Newsroom” I now expect cultural importance/significance in the work of my man Aaron.
Sure, I still love a little “Sports Night” from time to time, just to see A Sorkin working out his craft and some of the characters that would re-appear frequently in later outings, but my favorite is still great social commentary laid over his patter. I consider “The American President” a creative-brief for the “The West Wing” and gladly take a few minutes to re-embrace his “ACLU” and “why aren’t you?” speech.
I feel I have to give a shout out to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Aaron’s post-West Wing “warm down”. I love M Perry (his West Wing turn was magnificent), he was a great pairing with Josh and I dig on all things SNL-related, but to my earlier stance, it lacked the gravitas and cultural commentary that Sorkin has taught me to crave. The writing was top notch, but fleeting. They tried to squeeze in some BLM-type story lines, but they were the exception, not the rule. Also, I accelerated my move to NYC in 1990 to arrive before ‘A Few Good Men’ left Broadway (‘Did you order the Code Red? Did you order the Code Red?”) and I’ve watched “The Social Network” a half-dozen times.
The West Wing and its nearly 7,000 hours of magnificence holds my top spot in TV excellence. Especially in today’s environment it should be required watching and standard setting. Josiah Bartlet for president. Holy crapola, the magnificence of TWW is boundless. From “beat that with a stick” to “I’m not just the President of the people who voted for me” to the scene that can make me tear up without notice (and has many times) with “Say they’re smug and superior. Say their approach to public policy makes you want to tear your hair out. Say they like high taxes and spending your money. Say they want to take your guns and open your borders, but don’t call them worthless. At least don’t do it in front of me. The people that I have met have been extraordinarily qualified, their intent is good. Their commitment is true, they are righteous, and they are patriots. And I’m their lawyer”. I’ve watched TWW end-to-end no less than four times.
“The Newsroom” holds the same elite, but secondary, status to TWW. The acting is insanely good and the messages are spectacular. Sometimes Will McAvoy was just a shade too self-righteous/condescending for me to enjoy, and Mackenzie too stereotypically neurotic. I never felt ‘preached at’ by TWW like I did with TN, but that’s the nature of the subject matter, the kind of vague dissolution of the fourth wall…by the fourth estate. Sloan made econ sexy and Neal made great call outs for online quality. TN is like Scottie Pippen, during any other era of basketball he would have a shelf full of MVP awards, he just happened to play at the same time as Michael Jordan. TN is top-tier TV, but it’s no West Wing.