Times and sensibilities change, in Hollywood and in Washington. There always was an elegiac undertone to “The West Wing,” a sense that it was calling back to a bygone era of politics, a bygone spirit of sacrifice, a bygone kind of TV drama.

Centered on the senior staff who make the White House run every day, The West Wing seemed like a bit of a long shot, a political fantasy about an idealistic Democratic president in the wake of Clinton scandals and amid rising Republican power.

Aaron Sorkin, who created the political drama series that aired from 1999 to 2006, revealed after he visited the White House on Friday that he’s thinking about reviving the show.