And the show is nearly devoid of the gratuitous sex and violence we've come to expect from television. Schulman is talking about President Josiah Bartlet, who is portrayed by Martin Sheen. He doesn't do devious things. Everything he does is with a great deal of moral fibre and strength. The drama's creator and writer said he is working from a template.
West Wing is basically a western.
Sorkin's cowboys are lean, online and well-dressed. His cowgirls have graduate degrees and power hair. As far as the showdowns, they're legislative but somehow portrayed as darn-right impassioned. President Bartlet is a warm, Nobel prize-winning economist from New Hampshire who adores his wife of 35 years. He is a Catholic intellectual.