This Ends Here

Will 'The West Wing' go Republican?

Are these producers crazy? Let's see: The West Wing has gone from being a critical darling with a huge, rich audience to being a critical whipping boy with a much smaller (but still rich) audience. Rather than thinking of creative ways to bring down the curtain on the series when it reaches a natural moment of closure in January 2006--the end of President Bartlet's term--John Wells is looking for ways to keep the series going with a different group of leads. I'm trying to see the logic behind this, but thus far it fails me. Has John Wells looked at the trajectory of his other series, ER? With the original cast, it was a popular and critically-praised series, but as the cast has changed and the plots have become more ridiculous, the audience and the praise have dried up. Why would this series be any different?

Whatever the producers decide to do with the series as a vehicle, they owe it to those of us who have followed the current administration to provide a sense of closure for these characters before they launch into something new. Josh, Donna, C.J., and Toby need to have their fates resolved in a tidy way that allows them to leave the show if a Republican administration takes over next January. Because, whatever John Wells may have in mind, this show ends for me when Bartlet's term does. I'm pretty sure I'm not alone.