Watch the Best of Aaron Sorkin on Satellite TV

Born in 1961 and raised in the wealthy New York City suburb of Scarsdale, Aaron Sorkin has become one of the most critically-acclaimed and well-loved screenwriters and satellite TV producers in the modern age. He began as an actor, but then moved on to playwriting when that did not work out. His first breakthrough came with his 1988 play A Few Good Men, which he sold the movie rights to before it even debuted on stage. By 1992, it was a hit film starring Tom Cruise, Demi Moore, and Jack Nicholson. The legal drama takes place in military court, where Cruise plays a young army attorney who must defend two soldiers who have been accused of murder. As often happens in the movies, the case is more complicated than it seems, and soon an entire world of military corruption is revealed. Based on Sorkin’s adaptation for film, the movie went on to gross more than $240 million in box office revenues. Make sure to catch this drama playing on satellite TV.

It seemed like Sorkin was set up for success, but his career staggered a little bit as the 90s progressed. His next big film, Malice, received a lukewarm reception at the box office and mixed reviews from critics, despite starring Hollywood heavyweights like Nicole Kidman, Alec Baldwin, and Anne Bancroft. So if this one pops up on satellite TV, remember that it is not representative of his best work. Sorkin experienced better success with 1995’s The American President, which grossed $107 million. Perhaps the combined star power of Michael Douglas, Annette Bening, Martin Sheen, Michael J. Fox, and Richard Dreyfuss didn’t hurt! Sorkin also worked as a consultant on a number of major hits, like the Will Smith thriller Enemy of the State and helped out Warren Beatty with the screenplay for 1998’s Bulworth. (Though this latter film was not a smash with moviegoers at the time, it is a brilliant political satire that is worth a revisit if it ever plays on one of your satellite TV channels).

In 1998, Sorkin made his move into satellite TV with the critical hit Sports Night, a behind-the-scenes look at a sports show. Despite great reviews, it never took off with audiences, and was canceled after two seasons. But that only allowed Sorkin to create the primetime show that made his name known across the country: The West Wing. Set in the White House, the political drama features Martin Sheen as the fictitious Democratic President Jeb Bartlett, who must deal with all of his staff on important political decisions. The show is known for its wit, its liberal fantasy values, and its talented ensemble cast, which consists of Stockard Channing as the First Lady Abigail, Allison Janney as the Press Secretary C.J. Cregg, Rob Lowe as Deputy Communications Director Sam Seaborn, and Bradley Whitford as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman, among others. Look closely and you will spot a few actors who started off in the show but made it big later, like Elisabeth Moss who played Zoe Bartlett, the youngest of the President’s three daughters, and now stars as Peggy Olsen in the AMC hit Mad Men.

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