Nearly two decades after closing out “The West Wing,” John Wells is returning to D.C. with a new political drama in the works at Netflix, this time partnering up with “Cruel Intentions” co-showrunner Phoebe Fisher, TheWrap has learned.
Wells, who served as an executive producer on and wrote several episodes of “The West Wing,” will partner up with Fisher for “The Aisle,” which is currently in development at Netflix from Warner Bros. TV, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap. The series will center on the workplace dynamics, romances and rivalries among a young generation of political staffers in Washington, D.C., per the official logline.
Fisher, whose writing credits also include “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Down Low,” will write the new series while Wells executive produces alongside Erin Jontow for John Wells Productions, which has an overall deal with Warner Bros. TV. Jacob Epstein and Justin Wolf will serve as co-executive producers via Lighthouse Management.
Representatives for Netflix and Warner Bros. TV declined comment.
Should “The Aisle” be greenlit to series, it would join the political drama “The Diplomat,” which hails from “West Wing” writer Debora Cahn and features series alums Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford. With “The Aisle” focusing on the next generation, however, the project has been described as “The West Wing” meets HBO’s “Industry.”
“The Diplomat,” which has received multiple votes of confidence by Netflix with consistent early renewals, debuted its third season in October, and spent three weeks on the Netflix top 10 TV list, peaking at a weekly viewership of 6.3 million views in its second week on the platform.
As “The Aisle” focuses on a young generation of staffers, Fisher will bring her YA writing background to the project, with Fisher most recently serving as writer and co-showrunner on Prime Video’s “Cruel Intentions” TV series, which was set at a fictional college in D.C. The series, which Fisher co-created and co-showran with Sara Goodman, was canceled after just one season at the streamer.
