I'm Not Interested In The Difference Between

Socializing On The Internet Is To Socializing What Reality Tv Is To Reality.

I Think It's Up To Writers To Write Stuff That Is Compelling Enough That People Want To Watch.

The Monica Lewinsky Scandal Was Happening At The Very Time I Was Writing The West Wing Pilot And It Was Hard, At Least For Americans, To Look At The White House And Think Of Anything But A Punch Line. Plus A Show About Politics, A Show That Took Place In Washington, Had Just Never Worked Before In American Television. So The Show Was Delayed For A Year.

As A Dramatist, You're Looking For Points Of Friction.

I'd Been Concerned All Along That The Character Of The President In The West Wing Pilot Would Throw The Ensemble Out Of Whack, That That Character Would Simply Take Up All The Oxygen In A Room. I Wanted To Hold Off Bringing This Character In Until The Last Possible Moment.