Greasing the Guillotine

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Greasing the Guillotine

Written by Dave Crackpot

With FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS slipping into STUDIO 60 timeslot just two days before sweeps, it looks like Lights out on Set. The recent announcement that NBC was cutting expensive shows was a hint. If you look at the starpower,the above-the-line has to be outta this world. It doesn’t help that they aren’t on the main page of NBC.com

I really wanted to like STUDIO 60. I liked WEST WING and liked SPORTS NIGHT even more. I consider myself one of STUDIO 60’s greatest cheerleaders. I watched at least some of most of the episodes.

The actors, writers and directors have a great track record. So why is this show such a shrewish sphinctery ?

#1 Writing
For a T.V. Show about a Comedy T.V. Show.. it takes itself WAY too seriously. I
understand that great television often means confronting one’s demons. Out of great
drama creates great comedy. Remember Sports Night? WE ACTUALLY GOT TO
WATCH THE SHOW. This was important, we got to see why these people were
working all week. The show was a character on the show.

When the show gets canceled, no doubt, someone (Sorkin?) will say the audience wasn’t
smart enough. Not true. We are smart enough and we didn’t think you were trying hard
enough.

Great artist’s steal. Sorkin liked to steal a lot, from good people. In his previous shows,
he stole regularly from M*A*S*H episodes, email forwards and the obscure musical
1776. Apparently Sorkin decided to “write from his heart” and Studio 60 was getting
preachy early. The Christian Characters, the senile (or is he?) blacklisted writer coming
back to be understood, the use of Sting Kenny G-ing it up all sounded like a guy who was
out of ideas and is reading too many blogs. I did like the subplot they had the other night
about "Good Black Writers vs Def Comedy Jam". It truly encapsulated an irony that has been going on in the successful Black Entertainer Community for twenty years. It should have been the A-Story.

To be honest, I think this came from D.H. Hughley, not Aaron Sorkin. Perhaps Hughley should do a serious show. Tonight, I am watching "Def Comedy Jam" the bit i am watching is called "The Nigger Is Gay"

Compare any episode of STUDIO 60 to the SALLY (aka “THE SHIRT”)episode of
SPORTS NIGHT (guest starring Ted McGinley). Sorkin get back to your roots. That
single episode was some of the best T.V. writing I have ever seen.

#2 Casting.

Bradley Whitford needs a break from acting. I like Bradley, I know several
late 30’s women who have crushes on him for years. However, you can’t look at him,
especially in a suit, without seeing Josh. The break serves two purposes ... giving Brad a
chance to get Josh outta his bean.. and let us forget about Josh a bit. I couldn’t help but
looking at him and making comparisons to good West Wing episodes. I hate to say this,
but Bradley Whitford needs to do what Matthew Perry did. This show was a great turn for
Perry.

Amanda Peete was not right for this gig. I get it. Children run the industry and Amanda is
about the same age as Jamie Tarses when she took over her first network. The network
exec with a heart of gold is a hard sell, even moreso when she is kid just starting out.

Also, that kind from WINGS I didn't buy him either. How hard would had been to cast Ted McGinley (guest star of "THE SHIRT" episode of Sports Night

Oh, and D.H. Hughley should be mentioned again . He has done some of the best work of his
career in this underwritten role.

#3 I DON’T CAREThere is no chemistry between Perry and Sara Paulson. For the definition of chemistry
check out Josh and Donna from West Wing again.

What does Bradley Whitford do? What is his purpose?

There are some other characters, but who cares? If I cared, I would call them by their
character names.

On and off it’s taken me a week to write this.

Is the show still on?