# Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 01/22 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 23, 2007, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044 "2007-01-23T03:20:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/21 "2007-01-23T16:32:56Z")
[QUOTE=Sean Factotum] As if Sorkin didn’t have enough axes to grind in this show, now he’s got **Push You Down** and company to rail against? Thanks a lot. 😉 [/QUOTE] I am REALLY hoping there is at some point a throwaway line about a shitty sketch comedy troupe in Santa Monica ripping off Studio 60. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/22 "2007-01-23T16:46:56Z")
My wife and I tuned in, having abandoned the show after the first four episodes and hoping it would have improved by now. It hasn’t, alas. I won’t be watching it any more… and I’d really wanted it to be great! ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/23 "2007-01-23T17:45:15Z")
[QUOTE=Push You Down] Actually if the show gets better you all can thank me. My sketch troupe did a Studio 60 parody show back in November. Sorkin heard about it and has taken just about every inteview opportunity to lambast us and other critics of the show. He’s even called out people to go visit our website to see how “disgruntled” and “unemployed” we are. [/QUOTE] Wow, that article was sad. Sorkin has almost come to equal Ayn Rand in sheer arrogance and preachiness. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/24 "2007-01-23T18:20:59Z")
The overly witty dialog doesn’t bother me. That’s just Sorkin’s style. He’s not trying to make a faux documentary, he’s just trying to make good entertaining television. I put “his characters are always clever” in the same category as “people in movies always get good parking spaces”. Sure, we could see the conversations where jokes fizzle and people say dumb things, and we could see people driving around for 5 minutes looking for where to park, but neither one makes for good entertainment. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/25 "2007-01-23T18:26:58Z")
Yeah, they do. At least in my opinion. And that’s exactly what you’d see on The Office. A fizzled joke. A dumb comment. A thirty minute drive through the parking lot to save thirty feet of walking. That’s a comedy, but a dark one. The people in Studio almost talk like commercials. It isn’t just witty; it’s _snappy_. You know, instant and perfect. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/26 "2007-01-23T19:15:47Z")
I was thinking about the Ed Asner scene where he keeps talking about the Arts & Entertainment section of the NY Times in the boardroom. It just occurred to me that he probably saw the article and kept bringing it to ex-Wings guy attention til he came up with the idea of approaching China guy. That gave Asner plausible deniability. Was that a subtle plot point or am I just dim. ---
**Author:** ![Turek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/turek/32/18782_2.png) [@Turek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turek)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/27 "2007-01-23T19:51:21Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Yeah, they do. At least in my opinion. And that’s exactly what you’d see on The Office. A fizzled joke. A dumb comment. A thirty minute drive through the parking lot to save thirty feet of walking. That’s a comedy, but a dark one. The people in Studio almost talk like commercials. It isn’t just witty; it’s _snappy_. You know, instant and perfect. [/QUOTE] Which is why I _like and watch_ S60 and can’t stand and _don’t watch_ The Office. ---
**Author:** ![corkboard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@corkboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/corkboard)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/28 "2007-01-23T20:20:19Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] I was thinking about the Ed Asner scene where he keeps talking about the Arts & Entertainment section of the NY Times in the boardroom. It just occurred to me that he probably saw the article and kept bringing it to ex-Wings guy attention til he came up with the idea of approaching China guy. That gave Asner plausible deniability. Was that a subtle plot point or am I just dim. [/QUOTE] I think you’re right. Deftly handled by Winston, or whatever Asner’s character’s name is. [meaningless tidbit] In some shots- particularly during the NYT Arts & Entertainment scene in the boardroom- Steven Weber looks just like a better aged Brian Grazer. [/mt] ---
**Author:** ![Amok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@Amok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amok)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/29 "2007-01-23T20:27:28Z")
Eh, I don’t know about this show. I started Tivoing it 'cause Heroes was running a minute long, and the ending was getting cut off. So, since I wasn’t recording anything at 10, I added Studio 60 to pick up that extra minute. And then since I recorded it, I figured hey, guess I’ll watch it, see what it’s like. So I’ve seen the past 4 or 5 episodes. Obviously I’m enjoying it enough to still be watching, but there are parts of it I really don’t like. I like the behind the scenes stuff at the show itself. The interaction of the writing staff and the performers. The comedy, the relationships, that kind of stuff. Danny was a little creepy towards Jordan with the whole letters of recommendation thing and saying “no” at the end, but overall I’m fine with that stuff. The more political stuff, and any of the interactions between Jack, Ed Asner, or Jordan (when she’s not dealing with the studio 60 staff) leaves me cold. I’m not even sure why it’s on the show. Jordan at least interacts with the staff a fair amount. Jack, on the other hand, usually seems off in his own little plot world with very little interaction with the show staff and I don’t care about the FCC, Macao, or the Chinese guys. Any of the plots about behind the scene at the network (rather than at the show) seem unnecessary to me. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/30 "2007-01-23T20:28:09Z")
**Turek** I tried three times, and then gave up, trying so say what you so succintly did. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/31 "2007-01-23T21:34:18Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Yeah, they do. At least in my opinion. And that’s exactly what you’d see on The Office. A fizzled joke. A dumb comment. A thirty minute drive through the parking lot to save thirty feet of walking. That’s a comedy, but a dark one. The people in Studio almost talk like commercials. It isn’t just witty; it’s _snappy_. You know, instant and perfect. [/QUOTE] I’m not sure I agree here. **The Office** is probably the best show on TV right now, but it’s hardly real life. Jim’s pranks on Dwight/Andy are always too clever and perfect. And, heck, Dwight himself is obviously constructed more to be an entertaining TV character than to be a precisely accurate reflection of real life. And if they wander through a parking lot for 30 minutes, you can bet your ass they’ll be having an unnaturally funny conversation, or a conversation of such self conscious awkwardness that it’s hilarious to the viewer; not just 30 minutes of boring small talk. The only ficitonal TV show that ever even comes close to really seeming like real life is **The Wire** , and even it has its own conventions and stylizations. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/32 "2007-01-23T21:49:30Z")
Disagree with me all you like, but don’t reconstruct what I’ve said, please. I don’t recall saying that The Office is real life, or recommending that a show be boring for a half hour. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2007, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/33 "2007-01-23T22:00:55Z")
[QUOTE=MaxTheVool] The only ficitonal TV show that ever even comes close to really seeming like real life is **The Wire** , and even it has its own conventions and stylizations. [/QUOTE] 20 years from now, people will still watch **The Wire.** For the storytelling, but I guess mostly for a look into what poor people in urban America were doing at the turn of the century. I’m currently re-watching S1 for the third time and I still find new stuff to marvel at. It’s truly dickensian and for me, the best storytelling in any media over the past 20 years or so. I’m a big Wheadon fan, I enjoy LOST and have a great time with Heroes, but **The Wire** is a whole 'nother thing. It’s not just entertainment. Brian Grazer needs a stylist. Early 80’s new wave hair, fake tan, fake teeth and a title as producer doesn’t make you look young and hip, it just makes you look old and pathetic, even if you get to fuck 20 year old wannabees on the casting couch. Sorkin is full of it, even if he’s a gifted writer. The subplot about the FCC is just him venting, as he did with the bloggers. I enjoy the snappy dialogue, the two male leads and Amanda Peet is growing oacn me (and looking better pregnant, filling out, and maybe pushing a 100 lbs.) ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/34 "2007-01-24T02:58:55Z")
That’s it. I finally pulled the plug for good on this show about 5 minutes in, when Matt started getting all obsessed about frickin’ Harriet again. I have deleted it from my Season Pass on Tivo. Good riddance! ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/35 "2007-01-24T05:14:49Z")
It was good, but not great. Danny was squicking me out, so that may have effected things. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/36 "2007-01-24T05:24:37Z")
[QUOTE=amarinth] Danny crossed the line from cute, lovestruck to obsessive creep at the end of the episode. That was just weird and wrong and I’m not sure if I’m supposed to feel anything positive toward that character - because now, he freaks me out. The way that went over screamed “fire him and get a restraining order” to me. And I hate her character. The way the men treat the women on this show is disturbing. Not just Danny & Jordan - but everyone and Jordan and everyone and Harry and everyone and Lucy and tonight Jack & the daughter. [/QUOTE] It pisses me off to no end when a show pulls this “but it’s not stalking if he really loves her” crap. Only in Hollywood can a man bluntly refuse repeated pleas to cease and desist his advances and just be considered a “hopeless romantic.” Danny’s outright refusal to back off at the end made me shudder – I mean, she practically begged him! ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/37 "2007-01-24T18:30:55Z")
[QUOTE=Push You Down] He has said that the show will focus less on the comedy and more on the romantic entanglements. [/QUOTE] After this latest episode, I was on the fence and considering not watching anymore. Now the final nail is in the coffin. I’m out. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/38 "2007-01-24T18:56:58Z")
[QUOTE=flurb] It pisses me off to no end when a show pulls this “but it’s not stalking if he really loves her” crap. Only in Hollywood can a man bluntly refuse repeated pleas to cease and desist his advances and just be considered a “hopeless romantic.” Danny’s outright refusal to back off at the end made me shudder – I mean, she practically begged him! [/QUOTE] I’m actually thinking this might work if it is handled right. Danny was a coke addict… he’s gone clean. Jordan is his new drug. If he focuses everything on his “love” for her it is going to distract him from the drug cravings. Danny might be more of a Sorkin stand in than Matt is. Now I don’t know if it is Peet’s acting that is undercutting this storyline but she (as Jordan) seems really not interested. Not reluctant to get involved with him because of external matters, she just really seems not interested. ---
**Author:** ![Plynck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/39 "2007-01-24T19:15:17Z")
[QUOTE=DanBlather] …That gave Asner plausible deniability. Was that a subtle plot point or am I just dim. [/QUOTE] Huh. I hadn’t even considered plausible deniability, but this is Sorkin after all. I had just thought of it as Asner giving Weber a rather broad hint as to how to solve the problem. It seemed at season break that Asner was thinking of Weber as his heir apparent, and he might have constructed this as a test to see how well he could handle it. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2007, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044/40 "2007-01-24T19:58:50Z")
[QUOTE=Plynck] Huh. I hadn’t even considered plausible deniability, but this is Sorkin after all. I had just thought of it as Asner giving Weber a rather broad hint as to how to solve the problem. It seemed at season break that Asner was thinking of Weber as his heir apparent, and he might have constructed this as a test to see how well he could handle it. [/QUOTE] Well then he gets good marks for the follow-through, but damn near failed the initial recognition portion of the test. The Kid needs more training. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/studio-60-on-the-sunset-strip-01-22/389044.md?page=3)