Aaron Sorkin says West Wing revival would be 'very, very tricky'
Aaron Sorkin thinks about bringing back The West Wing for "a couple of seconds every day." The creator of the White House drama says a return "would be fun" — but also "very, very tricky to do in the current environment."
He made the remarks in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. The conversation was reported by Deadline on 14 October 2026, with Variety also covering his comments that day. He did not announce a new series. He was answering a question about whether he would revisit the show.
For anyone who missed it first time round, The West Wing is a political drama about the staff working for a fictional American president. It aired on NBC, a US broadcast network, for seven seasons from 1999 to 2006. It centres on the fictionalised two-term Democratic administration of President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen.
Sorkin did not spell out what makes a revival tricky. That is the whole quote for now. He added only that President Jed Bartlet's reaction to current events would not be dissimilar to most people's reactions. He did not sketch a plot, a cast or a home for any new episodes.
He was speaking while promoting his film The Social Reckoning. The film is a follow-up to 2010's The Social Network. Jeremy Strong portrays Mark Zuckerberg in the new film, a role originally portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg.
A revival, in television terms, means new episodes set in the same story world, often with returning characters. It is different from a straight-to-series order, meaning no pilot is shot first, or from a pilot that is shot and then not picked up. None of those steps has happened here. There is no order, no network attached and no start date.
For fans, this means the wait continues. Sorkin misses the series. He thinks about it daily, if briefly. He is not moving ahead with it.
What makes this stand out is the directness of the answer. Many creators dodge revival questions. Sorkin gave a short answer instead. Fun, missed and thought about daily — and still tricky.
