The Network’s Initial Indifference
NBC wasn’t initially hooked by the premise of The West Wing. Executive Producer John Wells told the Hollywood Reporter in 2014 that he was in the midst of working with the network on ER and they didn’t want him to cease his involvement with that series to work on another one. Wells remembers hearing network heads say things such as, “The American audience isn’t interested in politics” and “there’s plenty of that on Sunday morning television.” However, Wells was a big proponent of the show and wouldn’t back off. “I insisted on getting it made if I was going to stay with ER,” he said.
