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| In 'Lyon's Den,' Lowe is now the main man HOLLYWOOD - Sam Seaborn just wasn't cutting it for Rob Lowe anymore. "I found that Sam was having less and less to do with the stories on the show that were really important," the actor said of his White House aide character on "The West Wing." Lowe, who left "The West Wing" last season, told members of the Television Critics Association yesterday that his disenchantment with the show wasn't about screen time. "I had a story line once where I was trying to get people to wear seat belts," he said. "It was hilarious and really funny, but I wanted Sam to have the President's ear. I wanted Sam to be involved in the big story lines, not to be shuffled in and out for relief." Unmentioned were the reports that Lowe was also looking for a big raise. Warner Bros. Television, which produces "The West Wing" for NBC, refused to negotiate with Lowe before it had a renewal deal with the network. That didn't happen until after Lowe decided to leave. Lowe will be involved in plenty of stories with what he calls "heft" on "The Lyon's Den," a new NBC legal drama that has the feeling of John Grisham's "The Firm." The actor plays Jack Turner, a lawyer who has a passion for pro bono work but is drawn into becoming a managing partner at a Washington, D.C., firm that runs his clinic. Lowe, who is also an executive producer, said the drama will have a broader range of themes than does "The West Wing," which was very much the vision of its writercreator, Aaron Sorkin. "This show has an opportunity to do things 'The West Wing' chooses not to do," he said. The characters "don't wear halos. They are very complex. They don't sound alike." But now that Lowe is getting what he wants, he'll be under more pressure than he was on "The West Wing," where he was just another member of an ensemble cast. "I was a working stiff there," he said. "This is my show, so I'm a little more nervous." |