Aaron Sorkin has had a tough time with television, his first show Sports Night never gained out a mass audience and was cancelled after 2 short series, he left the great show The West Wing under hostile circumstances, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was cancelled after one season because of low rating. This was a shame because this show had a lot of potential that could have lasted 3 or 4 seasons.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is set about the events of the running of Studio 60, a Saturday Night Live type show, with the wider events of the National Broadcast Service (NBS). When Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet) takes over as the President of Entertainment programming she is thrown into crisis when the show runner of Studio 60 has a angry rant live on TV over the declaring quality of the state of Television and the nation. Her solution, hire Matt Albie (Matt Perry) and Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford), two former producers/writers to run the show, who left after showing a controversial sketch after 9/11. Within the show Jordan wants to improve the quality of NBS' programming, making more scripted shows, hiring more talented writers and avoiding low-quality reality shows that rely on the humiliation of people. The quality of Studio 60 also quickly rises. But there are problems on the way, facing the FCC, the religious right and conservatives who are always critical of Hollywood, studio executives who care more about profit then quality and want to avoid offending anyone, infighting in the show and their own personal lives. Matt is in the middle of a on-off relationship Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson), a committed Christian, with a strong following the Christain community, compared to Matt who is a East Coast Atheist Jew. Danny is a recovering drug addict and has affections for Jordan.
If you were an fan of the West Wing then you should like Studio 60. It is a witty dramedy, with a lot of substance. If you are interested in TV and Hollywood then the show would give you a good insight, and should appeal to an audience who long to see this version of Hollywood. The style of the show is very much like the West Wing, following a similar writing, dialogue driven style, with occasional flashbacks, and shot in a similar style. There are also returning West Wing cast members, like Matt Perry, Bradley Whitford and Timothy Busfield. This is a brilliant cast. Sorkin brings in his politics, criticising conservative Christians and the neo-Con who are too quick to criticise, judge and use fear to fulfil their agenda, the FCC for it's dogmatic view on moral and standards. There are criticisms about the Bush presidency and the wars in Iraq and Afghanstan. This was the West Wing mark II.
This was a great show and it was shame it never got a second series.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is set about the events of the running of Studio 60, a Saturday Night Live type show, with the wider events of the National Broadcast Service (NBS). When Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet) takes over as the President of Entertainment programming she is thrown into crisis when the show runner of Studio 60 has a angry rant live on TV over the declaring quality of the state of Television and the nation. Her solution, hire Matt Albie (Matt Perry) and Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford), two former producers/writers to run the show, who left after showing a controversial sketch after 9/11. Within the show Jordan wants to improve the quality of NBS' programming, making more scripted shows, hiring more talented writers and avoiding low-quality reality shows that rely on the humiliation of people. The quality of Studio 60 also quickly rises. But there are problems on the way, facing the FCC, the religious right and conservatives who are always critical of Hollywood, studio executives who care more about profit then quality and want to avoid offending anyone, infighting in the show and their own personal lives. Matt is in the middle of a on-off relationship Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson), a committed Christian, with a strong following the Christain community, compared to Matt who is a East Coast Atheist Jew. Danny is a recovering drug addict and has affections for Jordan.
If you were an fan of the West Wing then you should like Studio 60. It is a witty dramedy, with a lot of substance. If you are interested in TV and Hollywood then the show would give you a good insight, and should appeal to an audience who long to see this version of Hollywood. The style of the show is very much like the West Wing, following a similar writing, dialogue driven style, with occasional flashbacks, and shot in a similar style. There are also returning West Wing cast members, like Matt Perry, Bradley Whitford and Timothy Busfield. This is a brilliant cast. Sorkin brings in his politics, criticising conservative Christians and the neo-Con who are too quick to criticise, judge and use fear to fulfil their agenda, the FCC for it's dogmatic view on moral and standards. There are criticisms about the Bush presidency and the wars in Iraq and Afghanstan. This was the West Wing mark II.
This was a great show and it was shame it never got a second series.