Watching Studio60

I watched “The Option Period” this week, and got to thinking about the fact that, while this show got plenty of heat for its romantic relationships, and the way it depicted the running of a comedy sketch show, there was never enough appreciation for its really sweet backstage friendships.

Sure, Matt and Danny’s friendship, which is at the core of the show, has gotten some ink. But the warm friendship among The Big Three has been a constant as well, and their banter is often a high point of the show. Their mutual protectiveness has been a theme, too, from the moment in the pilot when Simon warned Dylan not to tweak Harriet about her faith. It’s usually played for comedy, as when Tom and Simon did a terrible job of hiding Harriet’s secrets from Martha O’Dell.

It took a more serious turn, though, in the Nevada Day episodes, when Tom unhesitatingly stepped up to protect Harriet from street thugs, and Simon stepped in to protect Tom from a drug charge without consideration of personal consequences. “The Option Period” takes place on the same day as Nevada Day Part II, and so the guys have just had a long day in a Nevada police station and a close call on incarceration. But they’re right there, in their bumbling big brother way, to talk her out of doing a lingerie shoot. They’ve got each other’s back.

Also acting as a friend to Harriet, after a long couple of days of carping and criticism and romantic bickering, is Matt. What a sweet scene there by the revolving cactus, as he gently talks her out of posing in her underwear. Their relationship is such a roller-coaster ride, it’s nice to see them just coast on mutual affection for a quiet moment.

One other showbiz friendship had its moment in “The Option Period” — its final moment — and that’s the one between Ricky and Ron. Ricky is such a blowhard; Ron, when he speaks at all, often seems to be trying to calm him down or make peace. When Ricky tells Matt off and storms from the writer’s room for the last time, leaving for the doomed task of making “Peripheral Vision Man” a sit-com hit, it looks like Ron might express some frustration with him, or take Matt’s advice not to leave. But, in his quiet way, he defends his partner — “Nobody noticed he got dropped on his head when you came back” — and, taking Matt’s notes, does the best he can to leave on good terms for the both of them.

It makes me think, again, that Ricky and Ron are really the stars of their own Matt and Danny-like story. I’m glad it’s not going to be playing on Studio 60 air anymore, but I’ll bet Ricky is a lot less annoying in their alternate-reality version.

Come back again throughout the week for a recap of the episode, memorable lines, and five questions.

Studio 60, NBC, The Option Period, review

_{Photo by Terri Mauro}