Prolific showrunner John Wells has opened up to the public about the effect of Aaron Sorkin leavingThe West Wing. Theseven-season political thrillerfirst premiered on NBC on July 31, 2025, and ran for seven seasons until concluding in 2006. The series was well-regarded by both audiences and critics, and earned 95 Emmy nominations while winning 26.
The West Wingwas created by Sorkin, and Wells served as co-showrunner alongside the former. Wells has served as the showrunner on many beloved series, includingER,Third Watch,Shameless,Animal Kingdom,Maid, and more. Sorkin is an acclaimed director, writer, and playwright who worked onThe West Wingup until season 4.
During an interview withThe Hollywood Reporter, Wells discussed how he and the rest of the writers' room dealt with continuing the story ofThe West Wingafter Sorkin left the series. Wells revealed that it was difficult to live up to Sorkin’s writing, but he decided that the show must go on, and he did everything in his power to continue to create captivating television. Check out his comments below:
That was not what I was planning to do that year. (Laughs.) Professionally, as a writer, that was the hardest thing. It’s not like we didn’t still have a great staff in place, but at that point it was widely considered to be the best show on television — though there’s certainly people who’d argue for The Sopranos. And I might argue that for some of the episodes, for sure. But it was pressure. We went back in the writers room, looked at each other, and I said, “Aaron doesn’t have any idea about where the story goes, so we’re just going to do the best that we can and hope that the audience would come along.” And they did. I would never argue that I wrote an episode as good as Aaron or rose to those same heights, but I was proud that we maintained that show."
What This Meant For The West Wing
Sorkin’s exit proved to be difficult for the writers still working onThe West Wingafter the show’s fourth season came to a close. While the first four seasons hold fairly high Rotten Tomatoes scores, Season 5 only received a 65% score, becoming the worst-received season of the series until season 6, which pulled in a 63%, barely fresh score.
However, season 7 came back with a vengeance. The show’s final season holds a certified fresh score of 95%, making it the second-best-reviewed season of the series. So while critics felt the show’s quality was initially hindered by Sorkin’s departure, they believed season 7 rose to the quality of the Sorkin seasons.
Our Take On Well’s Thoughts About Sorkin Leaving The Show
It is commendable to deliver three more seasons of a show as a showrunner after the creator leaves, and that’s exactly what Wells did. Wells also wrote some ofThe West Wing’s best episodesafter Sorkin’s departure, and served as head showrunner, all while running another series,Third Watch, which is also extremely impressive.
While Wells may have panicked when Sorkin first leftthe show, he was able to pull it together and deliver three more seasons of the beloved show, andall seven seasons ofThe West Wingare engaging. This shows great skill as a creative that not every person in show business possesses.
The West Wing
Cast
In Aaron Sorkin’s classic political procedural, the senior staff of President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) face the daily challenge of helping to run the country from the West Wing of the White House. The series features an ensemble cast that also includes Rob Lowe, Dulé Hill, Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, and John Spencer.
