NBC’s decision to cancel “The West Wing,” a four-time Emmy winner of best drama, still has me a bit puzzled, but I’m guessing that it was purely a business decision. Even in the last few seasons, “Wing” continued to be one of the best-written and most interesting shows on television, yet its ratings suffered after the network moved the show to Sunday nights. Since it’s smart and consistently critically acclaimed, it’s the kind of show that a network should keep around even if it can only break even financially with it.
Even after creator Aaron Sorkin left the show, the series didn’t really miss a step. In their final season, they successfully intertwined storylines involving President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and the campaign between Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits) and Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda) to replace Bartlet in the White House. But as I’ve watched the show through its seven seasons, while the ensemble cast has been excellent, I’ve realized that the show is really about Bartlett’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Josh Lyman, played brilliantly by Bradley Whitford. Lyman left the White House to convince Santos to run for President and ultimately takes over as his Chief of Staff. Lyman’s romance with former assistant Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) was one of the slowest developing relationships in television history, with the two finally consummating their once-unrequited love during the climax (pun intended) of the Santos campaign.
Last night was the series finale of the show and it was a bittersweet ending. On one hand, it was nice to say goodbye to President Bartlet and his staff, but at the same time I can’t help but wonder how President Santos will deal with the problems of the world. Man, that would make a good show.
