Aaron Sorkin Heading to HBO with New TV Series

It’s a good time to be Aaron Sorkin. The screenwriter of The Social Network is apparently ready to start work on a brand new television series, his first since the abortive Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.  While he started on stage and film with works like A Few Good Men, and started in television with Sports Night, Sorkin made his name with the hit NBC series, The West Wing, which ran for seven years. Due to personal issues with drug abuse, he left the series after its fourth season, finally returning to television with Studio 60, which had the misfortune of being launched aside 30 Rock, which had a similar premise of being behind the scenes for a comedy sketch show, but had the added benefit of being a comedy.

The new series seems like a perfect median between his two previous TV offerings. It will take place behind the scenes at a cable news show, under the wing of a pundit of sorts, apparently modeled after former MSNBC commentator Keith Olbermann. With the new series, Sorkin will be able to get at the behind-the-scenes drama of working on a television series, as well as a comfortable position to handle day-to-day political concerns with his usual Democratic bent. Expect news of this series to light up over the next few months, particularly after the Academy Awards this March.

The common assumption is that Sorkin is the clear frontrunner to win the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for his work on The Social Network, which seems due to win big at the Academy Awards. Coming off of that, getting Sorkin on HBO will be a coup akin to their hiring of Alan Ball for Six Feet Under just following the release of American Beauty. Time will tell if the series gets off the ground, or if Keith Olbermann’s retirement from NBC has anything to do with a cozy new position as a part of the series, as some rumors state. Aaron Sorkin characters have a distinct way of talking, and its one TV has missed these last few years.

I, for one, can’t wait.