Watching Studio60

I was out there in cyberland, trying to find new information on Studio 60, when I came across an intersting article by
Imran Syed. It did not surprise me to find out that he is in education, or so his email address would lead me to believe, as the article was particularly well written.
One of the sentences at the end was very reminiscent of The American President: “we should remember that it isn’t that art doesn’t sell on television, it’s that networks don’t know how to sell it.” Made me think of the famous speech by Andrew Shepherd where he said” Well I was wrong. Bob’s problem isn’t that he doesn’t get it. Bob’s problem is that he can’t sell it.”
The final point of the article is that having Studio 60 follow Heroes is not going to lead to audience retention because the shows appeal to different audiences, therefore Studio 60 needs to be moved from its current time slot. Interesting observation.
Another point was that Seinfeld didn’t have such a stellar first season either but became one of the most successful shows on TV, so if Studio 60 can keep its viewers throught the first season, hopefully word of mouth will increase the audience size and it will rise up in the ratings. We can but hope

One of the most appealing things to me about Studio 60 is the fact that it is not mindless humour, but rather you have to listen and, lets face it, you might not always get the joke. The statistics tell us the the audience for this show is in the 19-40 age range in houses where the income is above $75,000 per annum. How THEY know this stuff is scary!! But, be that as it may, this might argue that this show is appealing to very specific audience, who will remain loyal to the show as long as it continues to appeal to the intellect and not sink to the depths of mindless entertainment.
Therefore - let us hope that Sorkin stays true to his self, and continues to write about pertinent topics, ones that make you think but also educate you and entertain you at the same time.

Last night’s episode is getting rave reviews on TV.COM - with ratings of 10’s and very complimentary comments.

Of course, it all works out in the end. The cast get back for the show, thanks to the judge releasing Tom, once he found out why he had been speeding in the first place. It had a lot to do with the fact that Tom’s brother is attached to a unit that flies into war zones and constructs things very very fast, and that his brother is on his 3rd tour. Apparantly the odds of being killed increase exponentially every time you re enlist, so as a trubite to his brother Tom was released.

We also saw another side of Jack Rudolph, when he rushes to the defense of Amanda Peet thinking that her honour has been questioned. He turns out to be a loyal, caring human being who even gives Danny the Head’s up that Jordon is about to be fired. And we thought he was just a mercenary studio Chairman. Who would have thunk it?

A lot of very revealing moments in last night’s show - that final scene between Matt and Hariett was just wonderful. The face of Dylan when asked to take Simon’s chair at the news desk was a picture of every emotion - terrified but excited, humble yet proud - great acting and great writing.

This show has so far to go - I just hope it is given the opporunity to get there.

Part of the pleasure of watching TV is the anticipation of what is to come. One of the most popular scenarios is the boy/girl - will they or won’t they question? Many shows have based their popularity on this premise such as - Moonlighting, JAG,Grey’s Anatomy to mention three that sring to mind. They build on this central theme by developing the characters and plots but this is always the unanswered question at the end of every week. It took JAG until it’s last episode to resolve the question.

I suspect Studio 60 is trying to use the Matt and Hariett story as it’s Will they/Wont They corner stone and we are led to belive that tonight the tensiob builds even more between them. So - I rush home full of anticipation and excitment and be assured I will be in front of my TV at 10.00pm tonight. So many questions - Not enough answers!

Well - as Thanksgiving and Christmas approach, thoughts turn to family, turkeys and gifts.
Being British, Thanksgiving is not the big occasion in our house that it is in most American households, and we make much more of Christmas.
So - having said that - I am leaving my sons behind and going to New Orleans for Thanksgiving. There is a natural association between Thanksgiving and eating, and between eating and New Orleans, and as that city struggles to get back onto its feet after Katrina, it seemed a natural progression to go there for the holidays. We have booked our turkey dinner at a restaurant that features a Seance room, complete with ghosts and are planning to make the most of the 5 days that we will be there. Graveyard tours, Mansion tours, riverboat tours, not to mention jazz, food and history in abundance.
In contrast, Christmas will be spent at home with family and friends, and if NBC wants to run repeats of Studio 60, I for one would be well content to spend the day watching Matt and Danny strut their stuff!!!

Just announced - the network has ordered another 9 episodes of Studio 60, which guarantees it will be on the air until the end of this season. Great news for the “passionate core audience” referred to by NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly. They did have to reduce the license fee per episode and reduce, by 1, the guaranteed episodes for each star - and NBC is about to announce a new line up so they might switch the time slot, but whatever it takes - we still have our show.
So - next Monday we will learn what the speeding ticket was all about, whether Tom will be released in time for the show and whether Matt can make the Jesus skecth funny!! I can hardly wait.

And just to follow up - The Who were great. They played a lot of their old favourites, or should I say My old favourites - Pinball Wizard, Blue Eyes, Baba O’Reily, Substitute - to name a few, as well as a set from their new album - Endless Wire. It took me back to Leeds and I felt 19 years old again.
But - and I’m sorry to complain again - the whole evening was almost spoiled by the thoughtless group who sat behind me and talked - well shouted - all the way through the show. I cannot imagine that anyone goes to a Rock concert to conduct a conversation with their friends. You go to listen to the music, but these people obviously didn’t know that. They literally shouted at each other all the way through, so I moved seats!! What was even more sad is that they were obviously huge fans because every song they identified with the first opening chords - and they were right every time. For such big fans - WHY WEREN’T THEY LISTENING TO THE MUSIC and allowing their neighbours to do the same?

There was an article in FOXNews.com in which the writer suggests that Studio 60 is about to be cancelled, and even the cast members are talking about the imminent demise of this show. “Cast members are already confiding in friends that the end is near.” Well I am sick of hearing about this - and if the cast members don’t have faith in their own show - well then I guess it is doomed.
However, I would like to address some of the points made in the FOXNews article, because - well because I can!

First - “No one cares whether a bunch of over caffeinated, well off yuppies, some with expensive drug habits, put on a weekly comedy sketch show from Los Angeles” Isn’t it the actors and writers jobs to MAKE us care on a weekly basis. But more then that - a show’s purpose is to entertain its audience - and if we are being entertained by a well written, well acted, well staged show, then what it is about is almost irrelvant. We need to get caught up in the characters and the plots and tune in every week to see those plots and characters develop. I think Studio 60 is doing that.

Second - “NBC will probably fill the lost ‘Studio 60′ timeslot with ‘Deal-No Deal: The Next Generation,’ or some such thing.” The writer goes on to say that the audience will be the losers, and here I actually agree with him.. We have had enough of mindless game shows, particlularly ones where the contestants are nothing but greedy. “Deal or No Deal” only asks the contestants to make a decision, not to answer general knowledge questions, nor to display physical talents nor in any way to earn the huge sums of money being thrown at them - they have to do nothing except show up and show us how greedy they are - and I hate it. If NBC replaces a quality, entertaining show like Studio 60 with a mindless game show that panders to the greed of it’s contestants, then shame on them and shame on us for being the audience that allows it. If they have that money to give away then let them build shelters for the homeless or fund medical research. I would rather watch a blank screen and know that they have housed some homeless or fed the starving!!!

And lastly - I read in another posting somewhere that I now cannot find - that the most successful shows are those about court room dramas and cops and robbers type show - action dramas in other words. Well as an avid watcher of Law and Order, I agree that these types of action shows have their appeal, but that surely doesn’t preclude an intellectually entertaining show from being a hit too. Are we really a nation of adrenaline junkies who are only happy when our TV screens are full of blood and guts or we see Defence Attorneys getting the bad guys off through some twist of law. I really hope there is room in our living rooms for more shows like The West Wing, Brothers and Sisters and Yes - Studio 60.

You might think I am digressing here - but a lot of TV shows are using 60’s, 70’s and 80’s music as their theme songs in order to appeal to the baby boomers and aging rockers, like me. So I am really excited to announce that I am going to see The WHO tonight at the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Now get this - the last time I saw them was at Leeds University in 1971 when they recorded the famous The Who Live at Leeds - Yes I was there. So - 30 some years later, I am going back!
The Who’s songs are being used by the CSI series - Las Vegas (Who are You) New York (Baba O’Riley) Miami (Wont Get Fooled Again), which serves to keep their songs fresh and alive in our minds, but speaking as a die hard fan, their songs will always be great. Not that I’m biased.
In the early 70’s Leeds University was famous for the big names that it attracted to it’s Saturday night concerts. Such names as The Moody Blues, Al Stewart, The Who, to mention a few. I was fortunate to be there in the Hey Days and saw many of these bands. A couple of years ago I went to see The Moody Blues at the Mountain Winery, again, the first time since Leeds that I had seen them live. And again, what an amazing experince. Not just the setting, which is of course fantastic, but the band played all the old favourites and looked just the same, albeit a tad older. It took me back to a wonderful time of my life, and I have every expectation that tonight will be the same.

Well Last Night’s show was just what the doctor ordered. We went on a road trip to Pahrump, Nevada, met John Goodman as a knarly old judge who would rather be fishing, and touched on such topics as gay marriage, the power of wealth and freedom of speech.

Last night the dialogue was fast and witty, the characters well defined and playing off each other well and the plot moved along at a pace. We were told the story in flashbacks, which I love as a technique, and left with a cliff hanger for next week. We also have some plot twists to look forward to - such as, Why was Tom speeding in the first place? This was alluded to by Simon but never explained. Will Tom be released in time for the show? WIll Matt be able to make the Jesus sketch funny - because, let’s face it, funny it wasn’t last night! And, assuming that he can -will it air?

As much as I dislike John Goodman - I have to admit that he plays the grumpy, pithy judge really really well. I recall he also had a part on The West Wing, which I remember as being fairly similar, but - you know - if you do something well, then keep right on doing it.

I also found it somewhat ironic that the part Sarah Paulson plays expresses views that are in direct contrast to her own private life style. That is some crafty casting and some great acting. I did not have much knowledge of Sarah before this show - but I am now a true fan and will go out of my way to catch more of her work. Talented lady!

Another thought that struck me last night, is that Bradley is looking a little greyer and older then I remember him from his West Wing days. Is that make up and intentional, or has he really aged that much since we last saw him on TV. It hasn’t been that long, has it?

Well - lets hope that last night’s show is just the start of bigger audiences and higher ratings and that Studio 60 is here to stay.

A lot happens in this episode, and none of it about getting out an episode of the show within the show. It is all about characters and sub plots and highly entertaining.
We meet Tom’s (Nathan Corddry) parents, and learn that he has a brother fighting in Afghanistan.
Simon (D..L Hughley) complains to Matt about the lack of black writers on the show so they go to a comedy club to listen to some black comedians. The first one is too awful for words, and the second one, while not getting the audience reaction, ends up being hired by Matt for the show.
Cal (Timothy Busfield) spends the entire wrap party trying to find the identity of the mute elderly man (Eli Wallach) who crashed the party. We learn that he was in TV during the McCarthy era and was black listed having written only 1 show. From listening to his story - we are led to believe that he was Matt many years ago.
Jordon receives an autograph from Harriet’s baseball player which also includes - yup, his Phone number!!!
One of the revelations from the Vanity Fair story, is a remarkable coincidence about the success of both Matt and Harriet - they were both struggling to “make it” until he started to write for the show that she was on. Then they both became successful.
And now we are up to date and ready to watch tonight’s show.

This episode mainly concentrated on Christine Lahti as she interviews the various cast members for her lead story in Vanity Fair. Although the story is supposed to be about the show, we get the feeling that she is way too interested in the realtionship between Matt and Harriet.
We also see Jordon refusing to sign up a new reality show because it is tasteless, despite being almost ordered to do so by Steven Weber. They even take it to the top, where Jordon wins out.
Highlight of this week’s episode was the music of Sting, who played the lute.

As the writing pool has been compaining about Matt not using their material, this week they air a sketch provided by the pool, only to discover that it was material plagarized from an old stand up comedian. In order to prevent a law suit, they break into the taped version that airs on the West Coast, with a live section, that gives credit to the original artist. Having done that, they then discover that the network owns the rights anyway, as the author worked for them at the time he wrote the material. We are left with yet another live break in to the taped show.
On another front, Harriett recevies a signed baseball bat but the player also put his telephone number on it. When she gives the bat to Matt he is not amused and in an attempt to retaliate he goes to a club to get a signed boot from one of the Bombshell Babies - but thinks twice before executing the plan. We also meet Christine Lahti as a reporter for Vanity Fair who is going to be doing an an article on the show.

The first show was a success but a Focus group indicates that it may be a one time thing. There is lots of discussion about what numbers they need to pull for the show to be considered successful. We learn that Jordon was once pulled over for a DUI, and this information has been leaked, causing much embarrassment. We also learn that her ex husband is selling his story to the press, again more embarrassment.

And so - the first week, will they be able to get the show together? We learn that a Christian group is threatening to boycott the show but for the first time we see that Jordon is prepared to stick by her men and their show and not back down to the pressures of the network. There is tension between Matt and Harriet and it becomes obvious that they both still have feelings for each other but cannot work out their differences. The show comes together and the main sketch is a parady of “Modern Major General” from Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Pirates of Penzance”