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Studio 60
Friends In Your Head | Forums → Off Topic → Studio 60
Posts: 8
2 2010-03-17 10:32:06 (edited by Hansen 2010-03-17 12:03:05)
Re: Studio 60
I'm a huge Sorkin fan and loved this one. I got some minor issues with the show, but overall I thought it was very good.
One thing I found very refreshing about it, was how it had a main character who was so clearly an atheist. Especially after West Wing where it seemed like everyone believed in God.
Speaking of Sorkin televison. Anyone who liked this and/or West Wing also need to watch Sports Night. Another excellent show and one where you can clearly see Sorkin and Schlamme figure out what their particular brand of TV looks and feels like.
Re: Studio 60
Agreed that the pilot is one of the best ever. I was a little disappointed that they changed the callsign of the fictional network from UBS to whatever it ended up being; the "Network" shout-out was too good to last, I guess.
But for whatever reason, the rest of the series didn't really work for me. It was missing something, I don't know what. And I worship The West Wing; I've got the first four seasons on DVD, and the rest of the show I never bothered to watch after fucking Wells left Leo fucking dying in the fucking woods. Not that I'm bitter.
Sports Night, on the other hand … man. It's got some of the tightest writing ever. There's this whole story arc that totally pivots on just one quietly delivered line, and the writing is so tight I'm not even spoiling anything for anybody when I quote it:
"You're wearing my shirt."
- Dorkman
- Member
- Offline
Re: Studio 60
Here's the problem with Studio 60, and I'm not the first one to say this so I can't take credit for the insight: a great deal of time is spent talking about how funny the show is and, in particular, what a brilliant comedy writer Matthew Perry is. But then when we see examples of sketches for this brilliant show, they're fucking lame. It makes it hard to take the show seriously, and the show took itself very seriously -- I think too much so, for the general audience's tastes.
The West Wing had the benefit of being about the leaders of the free world, under a lot of pressure to hold the country -- and really, Western civilization as we know it -- together. It's easy for an audience to get on board with the the drama of "oh shit, a leading and inspiring political figure has been shot and might die!" I haven't even seen West Wing and I can immediately see where it can be a powerful source of drama.
Studio 60 tried to apply the same level of drama to "oh shit, the FCC might not let fake-SNL air their 'Tourette's Jesus' sketch!" (Or whatever, it's been a while.) Generally speaking, who cares?
I liked Studio 60, because I'm interested and engaged in the backroom workings of entertainment. I thought it was cleverly- (if occasionally overly-) written, in that Sorkin way, and wanted to see it continue, but I'm not surprised that it didn't.
And I'm not surprised that 30 Rock is the one that did -- it's consistently funny in a slightly mad "Alice in Wonderland" way (the original story, not that Burton...thing), and while the show-within-a-show's sketches are just as lame as Studio 60's, that's part of the joke rather than being a failing of the premise. 30 Rock mocks the idea that television is SERIOUS BUSINESS, whereas Studio 60 tried to enshrine it.
With the premise "behind the scenes of an SNL-like show," 30 Rock is the manic version of that concept, and Studio 60 the depressive. I would have been happy to have both, I for one enjoyed the contrast; but if we can only have one, I'm personally glad it's 30 Rock.
Re: Studio 60
I agree that the sketches tended to be less than great, but it never bothered me that much. I don't watch Sorkin's shows for sketch comedy, I watch them for smart and clever dialogue, which the show had lots of. And like Fig said, we never saw that much of them anyway.
I don't get why people like 30 rock. Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin are the only good parts of it while EVERYTHING else bugs me to no end.
Especially Tracy Morgan. Still haven't laughed at a single gag involving him.
Re: Studio 60
Dorkman is right. The difference can be summed up in something George Clooney once said on the Daily Show (paraphrased):
"Washington and Los Angeles are the same in that they're both one industry towns and think what they do keeps the world spinning. The difference is that in Washington, they're right."
Re: Studio 60
I guess I'm the one guy who's never seen "30 Rock." I'm seeing a therapist about it, though, so it's gonna be okay. I'll get through it.
I don't think Sorkin's seriousness was, by itself, a problem. EVERYBODY takes what they do that seriously. Dorkman's totally got a point that the audience can more easily get invested in the drama surrounding the presidency than in the drama surrounding a weekly sketch show, but I think there was a real opportunity there to make that part of the story. Hell, there was an opportunity there to add a metatextual comment (ugh, sorry) about Sorkin himself. Making the fact that they take themselves too seriously part of the characters, you know? And somehow making it endearing instead of infuriating.
JACK
For God’s sake, Danny, you
work in television! You’re
not running the free world
here. This isn’t that
important!
DANNY
It is that important.
JACK
It’s not important!
DANNY
You know what thirty
million people do every
Friday night? They watch
us. They’re tired, they’ve
worked all week, they’ve
fought with their wives
and yelled at their kids.
They’re behind on the
mortgage and can’t afford
their insurance. We forget
that, you and me, because
when was the last time you
had hamburger helper for
dinner, you in your
three-thousand-dollar
suit. Your shoes cost more
than most people make in a
week. We have no idea what
it’s like out there for
these people, living
paycheck to paycheck, just
trying to scrape up enough
to maybe buy Christmas
presents. And every Friday
night, they watch us. And
we tell them it’s gonna be
okay. We tell them the
world sucks and the people
in charge are stupid and
you know what? It’s gonna
be okay. Sit down, take a
load off, have a couple
laughs--
MATT
A couple?
DANNY
You been off your game
lately.
MATT
Fair point.
DANNY
(to JACK)
Life sucks, Jack. Not for
me and not for you, but
for the people out there
in what you so derisively
call flyover country …
life sucks out there. We
make it a little better.
JACK
You really do think you’re
some kinda messiah, don’t
you, Danny?
DANNY
No.
(beat)
But if He’s out there, I
hope He tunes in tonight.
Cause it’s gonna be a
great show.
JACK, speechless and shaking
his head, walks out.
DANNY
Too much?
MATT
No, I liked it. But
apparently I've been off
my game lately, so what do
I know.
DANNY
Shut up.
MATT
Okay.Instead it was all "This is serious business!" "Yes, I agree that this is serious business!" "Let us take it as a given that this is serious business and proceed with our serious business!" "Indubitably!"
Posts: 8
Friends In Your Head | Forums → Off Topic → Studio 60
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