Saturday, October 28, 2006

Studio 60

The new series on NBC Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is the only TV show I'm watching this season. It Rocks!! I think it's the best F@#%&ng show on TV right now.

It's a creation of Aaron Sorkin of West Wing fame, another show I liked when it first came out .. although near the end I was begging for someone to put it out of it's misery.

For those who haven't seen it its a drama (drama-dy ??) about what goes on behind the scenes at a network comedy show. (Think Saturday Night Live)

In the first episode the worn out producer (Judd Hirsch) trys to get a controversal sketch on the air (Crazy Christians) and is blocked by a network executive (Steven Webber). The producer then walks out onto the set during a live airing and begins a rant ala the 1976 movie "Network".

What follows is the resurection of Studio 60 by the new network president Jordan McDeere played by Amanda Peet. McDeere is hell bent at putting quality back on TV and isn't going to let network executives or the Christian Right get in her way.

There are far too many subplots to get into them here. There is a great reference about the show on Wikipedia -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_60_on_the_Sunset_Strip

Alas, recently I've heard the show is not doing well in the ratings. Typical for a show I would like. Here is what Slate Magazine had to say about it.

Critics seem to think it's "too smart" (Pause while I run screaming from the room)

When did they right the rule that entertainment had to be DUMB! Maybe if we had some quality TV on the major networks people could walk into the polling place and make an thoughtful decision for once rather than voting for the candidate that best resembles John Wayne. (No offence to Mr. Wayne intended)

My only hope is that NBC and it's sponsers have the good sense to stick it out and realize as Jordan McDeere has that it's not about the raw numbers ... it's about the demographics of the viewer population. There's got to be a market for smart TV.

#posted by Rob Roschewsk @ 10:58 PM

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