NBC cancels 'West Wing' after 7 seasons

What could they be thinking at NBC. The West Wing is probably the greatest show they ever put on television. I never missed an episode and I have the first 5 seasons on dvd. I'm am shocked at the decision to cancel this series and I will do what I can to see that the show stays on the air.

Wow that is too bad, "The West Wing" was a pretty good show, especially a couple seasons ago. Unfortunately I think it has been slipping, especially when they got rid of Donna, and added Kate... I guess the loss of Leo was just too much for the show to take...

They definately made a huge mistake by making such a big change all at once!! Too many changes with characters that we have been watching for so long...hard to adjust!!

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mike wrote:

Wow that is too bad, "The West Wing" was a pretty good show, especially a couple seasons ago. Unfortunately I think it has been slipping, especially when they got rid of Donna, and added Kate... I guess the loss of Leo was just too much for the show to take...

While I think the death of John Spencer was a tough blow for the cast and crew,(and those of us who numbered among his fans throughout his long career), the show's demise can be attributed to mismanagement on the part of NBC.

As you suggest, the show went through a dark time when Aaron Sorkin got himself unceremoniously bumped. The first season or two under Wells' sole guidance lacked the depth, subtlety and honesty of the early seasons. But by the end of last season, and throughout this one, West Wing had returned to some of its former glory.

I agree that they had a little trouble getting Kate established, but that's par for the course on any drama, where it tends to take a season or two for the writers and the actor to really get into the head of the character. They had the same trouble with Will Bailey - he had a great start, but then they didn't seem to know what to do with him, so they shuffled him off to the VP's office with little or nothing to do most weeks.

But this is happens on all series, and can be forgiven. The real death of the show comes at the hands of the inept network schedulers, who killed it with a) the move to Sundays, and b) a spotty release schedule for new episodes, with the show inexplicably "missing" on off weeks.

West Wing had always held high expectations of its audience's intelligence, which meant that even as a critical hit it was drawing from a much smaller potential pool of viewers than, say, Fear Factor (which is indeed scary, but not the way FF's producers intend...). It seems the core West Wing audience was small enough, and intelligent enough, that when they figured out they were being jerked around by the network, they tuned out, and there wasn't enough viewership left to sustain what was in all fairness a high-cost show.

Even when it was struggling, though, West Wing was still some of the smartest and best drama going, and actually got people talking about real issues and concerns outside their day-to-day lives. It will be missed.

Dolores McKitrick wrote:

What could they be thinking at NBC. The West Wing is probably the greatest show they ever put on television. I never missed an episode and I have the first 5 seasons on dvd. I'm am shocked at the decision to cancel this series and I will do what I can to see that the show stays on the air.

I feel the same way about this ...... what ground-breaking television the " Debate " episode was , and now to cancel the series in the same season as this ....??? I just don't get it !!!!

west wing used to be a great show, but i really felt like it started to go downhill. i'll be sad that it's gone, but i think it sort of makes sense. i just hope we'll see another intelligent show take its place!

Cancelling West Wing? What a shame! During all the dark days of conservative governmental disaster, this show was great escapism - visualizing how things might have been. What a big mistake to move the program to Sunday night where it had to compete with too much other high class programming. Hey, maybe the contrast between this show and reality was too much for the network.

What the heck is up at NBC? This used to be my network of choice... then today I see Bill O'Reilly on the Today Show and tonight I find out that they've cancelled West Wing. I'm not happy. NBC's bragging that they didn't go from bad to worse last year like predicted... must be saving that drop for this year.

Dolores McKitrick wrote:

What could they be thinking at NBC. The West Wing is probably the greatest show they ever put on television. I never missed an episode and I have the first 5 seasons on dvd. I'm am shocked at the decision to cancel this series and I will do what I can to see that the show stays on the air.

It has taken some time since the Bush administration took office, but pressure on NBC has succeeded with their “You’re with us or against us policy”. Aaron Sorkin is made to leave, the network schedulers try to sink it by moving it around. It is sad that it was the network sunk to the level of using the loss of John Spencer to end a popular show. It seems that the era of Senator McCarthy’s blacklists is not over.

In response to Dolores' comment -

Is there anything to be done to reverse the decision and get WW back?! I was shocked and seriously disappointed to learn of the cancellation. I, too, never miss an episode and have every single one on tape. If there is such a thing as "participatory TV watching" The West Wing provided it - characters and story lines that were believable and offered some hope - capable of finally providing something for thinking people in this country. The response to people who watch it is the same - I know many offices and teacher lounges where people were actually crying the next morning after Mrs. vanLandingham's death - and then, over the death of John Spencer, and, thereby, beloved Leo.
I never watched the drivel on NBC before WW - what they have to offer is such an embarassment to the medium. I find it hard to believe that viewership was down - how do they measure that really? No one ever asked me! I'm here to tell you that the network really has lost a viewer unless they come to their senses and bring back WW. Please - is there something that can be done??

Dolores McKitrick wrote:

What could they be thinking at NBC. The West Wing is probably the greatest show they ever put on television. I never missed an episode and I have the first 5 seasons on dvd. I'm am shocked at the decision to cancel this series and I will do what I can to see that the show stays on the air.

Is there really something to do?

I adore the WW and the wonderful ensemble cast but it has definately run its course and best to quit now while still ahead.The first two seaons are still unbeatable TV. Let not what has gone before be destroyed by struggling on. As an Irishman I always enjoyed John Spencers roles and how he always referred to his roots - i.e the map of Ireland behind his desk in LA Law and the references in WW. May he rest in peace. But my real hero remains Martin. I believe there are moves afoot to canonise Bishop Fultan Sheen. Good choice of name(and role model) Martin.

The ww going is madness, i have never missed an episode and have the first six seasons on dvd. It has never wavered from the original theme of what would happen if honest, intelligent and honourable people were to hold high office. It is a shame the real American presidency seems unable to refect the fiction, but,it seems unable.

WW was truly an amazing show. The actors portrayed people with quality values and was a show that even the reruns were worth watching. The show will be greatly missed, producers and directors do not realize that the majority of the puplic are so tired of these so called reality shows and want to settle down for some great story lines and characters that were so sincere and believable that you felt like they were family. John Spencer will be greatly missed by all. All of us Baby Boomers do not enjoy watching people eating worms etc. We want quality shows that are worth watching. Guess we will go back to watching the news then turning off the TV and just read. For the record Jimmy Smits would have made a great replacement for Martin Sheen. You could have gone for 7 more seasons, you have faithful fans. Esp. if he made Josh his VP.

I'm think perhaps we're missing the biggest missed opportunity, aside from the fact this was fantastic television for most of the run...

The biggest travesty is the missed opportunity to portrey a idealist Republican administration. I mean the kind Administration Teddy Rosevelt and Abraham Lincoln could have been proud of. Alan Alda is a amazing actor, and has a guineness that is almost umatched.
Even as a lifelong and ardent Democrat, I would have been absolutely facinated to watch them take the same idealist approach with a Republican Administration. I don't mean something that portreys the current theologic and corporatist Republican party, but a party that really gets back to the origins and heart of the party, before it was hijacked.
Heck even if just for a one terms worth, it would have been a fantastic way to continue the show. Then take the opportunity to show a president in a real dogfight for re-election, not the cursory treatment that Bartlet's relection got. This show is of so much value to the American people, it's an absolute travesty it's at the end of it's run.

I absolutely love this series and wish the producers could come up with a way to keep this unique and very interesting series alive. John Spencer was great but there are many great actors who would probably work out.

Don't quit, rework it, revitalize it and keep bringing the viewers a weekly escape to a place of intelligent focus and debate that was so refreshing and interesting to see.