Say Vinnick had won the election instead of Santos.
Would you have watched another 8 years of the series with Arnold Vinnick as the president and a mostly new staff. Stephen Root, as press secretary jill taylor as chief of staff
No, they needed a break.
Had the West Wing returned a few years later (or even now) I'd be up for seeing more white house goings on (Republican or otherwise).
The problem with that is it would have been in the middle of the term. I don't want to see santos's last two and a half years and if you start on an entirely new staff you don't have the guarenteed built in audience of people who love the characters they know.
If they had continued it right after with winnick or santos you have people who know those characters. If you start 8 years later you don't get to see the campaign where you get to know the potential new characters.
It would be interesting if they heavily marketed it before hand as if it were an actual election and the first season spent equal time on two campaigns and you didn't learn the winner until season two.
I would be fine with them brining it back in a different universe. It wouldn't have to be set in the same world the Bartlet Administration existed in.
It's a great day for America everybody!
Honestly Vinnick felt like a better character than Santos, but that may be due to who the actors playing the parts were. I probably would have preferred the series to be about his Presidency if it were to continue because of that fact.
I have to wonder how much John Spencer's passing changed how that season turned out.
This question has been asked a million different ways over the years and I still think Brad Whitford answered it best on The Daily Show in 2001.
http://www.cc.com/video-clips/cclu8y/the-daily-show-with-jon-stewart-bradley-whitford
It is Jon Stewart's first question, so you don't have to watch more than a minute of the interview (but the rest is great too).
thanks for the link, but I've been 'geo-blocked'! Obviously there is something about the definition of the 'World Wide Web' I just don't understand. Imagine going to a library and on the shelf a sign says 'NO You live on the wrong side of town. You may not borrow this book!'
I was going to say how I loved TWW but found the final season so unrealistic. Both nominees smart, motivated and honest. They treated the voters as smart and informed... Willing to answer questions and policies that may not help their chances of election...
I'd watch Arnie. But (from DownUnder, but that doesn't give me feelings of security) I will watch Trump.
I can't remember where I read or heard this (might have been in the special features on one of the final season DVD's or something like that) but I believe that the original plan for the final season was to actually have Vinnick win but after the real life death of John Spencer, who played Leo of course, the writers/showrunners thought it was too much sad stuff to lose Spencer then have them lose the election as well so they changed plans and had Santos win. In hindsight it was a good thing to have Santos win because then they got to bring Sam (Rob Lowe) back to be Josh's deputy and we got that great episode where Santos asks Vinnick to be his Secretary of State.
shareIt's not really possible. The underlying philosophy of the West Wing is that Democrats are either right, or wrong for the right reasons. I can't think of any Republican administrations after Eisenhower where that is possible. And I'm a very conservative guy. I do think, however, that the idealized portrayal of Bartlett's administration may have, in some small way, contributed to the divisiveness between members of the Democratic and Republican tribes.
shareI dunno. Worked for Madam Secretary.
shareNo, politics aside on how I feel, they would have to start over with a brand new staff/actors and getting used to all those new people
shareOf course they wouldn’t have. This show was created to present a fantasy world version of how the Clinton administration was run. It was laughable propaganda.
We get these puff piece shows/movies about the White House whenever D’s hold the reins.
Were on hiatus right now because a west wing about the Pantshitter would look more like One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.
Most perceptive comment yet.
shareThe most absurd fantasy today would be that an honest, decent conservative like Vinnik could win any Republican primary.
shareDamn this aged well. Democrats have now postponed all Democrat debates because the shitting president is incapable of forming sentences.
Imagine Martin Sheen shitting himself as Biden. Sorry Democrats, your west wing fantasy ended 25 years when Clinton decided blowjobs from interns were more important than being a good President.