It premiered in September 1999, the original NBC series The West Wing built an instant cult following with its seemingly realistic weekly excursions into the inner sanctum of the White House.

If there are debates about whether Shakespeare was really ten different people, then Aaron Sorkin is at least three. He believes in the grand tradition of writing about “great men” in the places they “reign.” Great men, like Sorkin, themselves are flawed. But that is precisely what makes them great.