“I like writing heroes without capes, like in “The West Wing,” though it wasn’t just a fantasy. I like writing those stories — and Atticus Finch’s is also an example — because it makes us feel as though greatness is achievable. We’re not waiting for somebody to appear out of the sky and save the world. This is all achievable, and that is something that tends to elevate the human spirit.”
NYT: But you couldn’t do a show like “The West Wing” now, could you?
AARON SORKIN: Yeah, I could.
NYT: I’m going to tell you why you couldn’t.
AARON SORKIN: And then I’ll tell you why you’re wrong. I don’t even need to hear your reason. I think you’re wrong.
NYT: Everything about “The West Wing” was based on the moral and ethical excellence of these hyper-competent characters. In this political atmosphere, the show would just look like liberal wish fulfillment.
AARON SORKIN: Unfortunately, I think you’ve made the only point in the universe that you were talking about that could be right. Which is, yes, people would see the show as a response to the Trump administration. So what I would do if I was going to do “The West Wing” today is put my friends who are smarter than I am — that’s all of them — in a room with me and say, “Guys, how do you get over that problem?” But what you’re describing — and you’re right, so you would be one of the people I’d want in that room — I don’t think is an argument that people can’t handle idealism now. If anything, I think that we’re thirsty for it.
