High Hpes for Studio 60

[Jonathan Ames]

We have some friends who are producing Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip debuting tonight at 10 PST. Be sure and tune in and let me knonw what you thought of the show after it's over or tomorrow.

[John Kang]

I did not see this, anyone seen it?

[Jonathan Ames]

Apparently not too many favorable reviews which is too bad. The show really wasn't that good which is par for the course these days at NBC but the guys we know are really good guys. It's gotten just toasted on other boards so thanks to all of you who heeded your mother's advice, "If you don't have something good to say..."

[John McManimie]

My girlfriend and I just watched the first three episodes of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (they had been sitting on her PVR) and all I have to say is I don't think it will last long... because it is TOO GOOD. It has smart writing, great acting, and it looks fabulous. Sadly, it seems that great shows like this end up being dropped. But, I'll cross my fingers and hope it lasts. :-)

[Jonathan Ames]

That about sums it all up. The best we're hearing is West Wing in Hollywood which just doesn't work. Too smart, too fast, too witty way too deeep when people have enough heavy things on their minds with the war, gas prices and life itself. That is the general concensus of the e-mails I'm getting as well as the comments here.

[Greg Boston]

Originally Posted by Jonathan Ames

It's gotten just toasted on other boards so thanks to all of you who heeded your mother's advice, "If you don't have something good to say..."

And anyone who forgot to heed their mother's advice wouldn't have a post that's visible on this forum for long. (grin)

As for me, I haven't seen the show, only the promos. I still can't figure out why Commander in Chief got cancelled last year. That show had a great cast, and the story/plotlines were well developed.

Geena Davis even had me convinced she would make a great President!

My favorite new show is 'Shark'. But then I'm a fan of James Woods' acting style.

-gb-

[Cole McDonald]

I like it and can't wait til the next episode (caught the pilot too...very fun). Any modern show that ends with a musical number is a good thing.

[Sheila Ward]

Well I liked it and it's got a season pass on my Tivo :-) I was also a big fan of the West Wing, up until its last couple years which were horrible. But I admit it seems to me a bit like "Josh goes to Hollywood".

If it bites the dust, I'm sure there is some mind-numbing reality show to take its place...arggggg.

[Greg Boston]

Originally Posted by Sheila Ward

If it bites the dust, I'm sure there is some mind-numbing reality show to take its place...arggggg.

Agreed, I'm so sick of the reality/elimination/competition shows.

-gb-

[Nate Schmidt]

Just caught an episode I was in and out while watching it so I missed a bit, but what I saw was very good. The writing was clever and its definitely better than a lot of other stuff on TV right now.

[Jonathan Ames]

I bvuess they were listening. A number of people have been talking about what can be done to correct the slide with the common call being "Lighten Up." in fact, an article ran saying, "It's a show abour television, not curing cancer." Last night's episode was better. Not alot but a little. So we'll see what happens.

[Jason J. Gullickson]

When I first saw the promos (before the premiere) I thought it looked interesting but I didn't understand why NBC was making two (three?) shows that seemed to be almost the same, but I made a point to watch it anyway.

The premiere was good enough to get me to watch a second episode and then a third. After that I started to really notice the "gaps" in the show but still found myself compelled to keep watching. It took me awhile to understand this because I found alot of "practical" reasons I shouldn't like the show; but I still did.

Finally I came to the conclusion that while the show has flaws, something in my gut tells me the show has potential and just needs some time to find its legs. In my experience this is fairly common in shows that wind up being great (Scrubs comes to mind), they need a season or two to find their strengths and eliminate their weaknesses. Most shows that seem good "out of the gate" rarely improve from this inital point but the really great shows seems to stumble at first.

Of course I'm writing this from the perspective of the audience and I don't have any knowledge of the show from the production side, but if I imagine being behind the camera (or desk) on this one, these are the sorts of thoughts that come to mind.

Hopefully NBC will give the show enough time to develop it's "esters".

[Charles Papert]

I was chatting with a sitcom showrunner friend who was a showrunner about "Studio 60" and he said "I kinda hate it, but I can't stop watching it". I don't quite hate it but I don't love it but I watch it too. Something fascinating about Sorkin's writing and Schlamme's visual style, and I think Whitford and Perry are doing a great job (along with most of the rest of the cast). It continues to be stunning how unfunny the bits that are supposed to be funny in the context of the show within the show are, however. The recent episode in which the single writer came up with material that turned out to be recycled had Perry's character blown away, but yet it was pretty hacky jokewriting, nothing special.

By the way, for the LA clan: the exterior of the building is shot at the Palladium on Sunset (which is NOT on the Sunset Strip, although there is beginning to be the makings of a whole new strip in this section of Hollywood!) with a certain amount of CGI augmentation.

[Jonathan Ames]

One of the reasons I so enjoy Papert is the balance he draws when he writes. He pretty much says it all. We're rolling a feature, "El Papel", right now for American and Latino distribution and there's a line in it where the yong Mexican boy is telling his older brother that since they're undocumented, it doesn't make any difference that his brother who's graduating UCLA that week that the older boy has sytayd away from the gangs and the drugs and deportation and jail and the police and kept a job and a 4.4 GPA to make it through college againas ALL the odds, in the end, when he graduates, he won't go to the big officina and make the big bucks; he'll go right back to being the gardener he's always been because no matter what he's accomplished, he's still undocumented. And the line goes, "It doesn't make any difference, Pablo. In the end, it all comes down to one simple things. it's all about the papaers. El Papel, Pablo. The papers. And without them, we are no one. We don't even exist." A powerful sequence in a darkened apartment in South Central LA. We worked so hard on the script with dozens of writers, each contributing the feeling, the real atmosphere of the Latino struggle to separate the good from the bad and I think, I hope, we got it right. in the end you'll be the judge. What Charles is so succinctly saying is that, "Irt's all about the writing and without the writing, you have nothing. You won't even exist." We (me included) keep watching Studio 60 for all the reasons you all have stated but we watch because we know the business; some beter than others because we're right in the room with them in real life every day. But The actors are wonderful but the writing; it just doesbn't happen like that and the parts that do are such a small part of the day that it's over-represented.

The audien ce has certain expectations and chief among them is to be entertained. The vas majority oif it simply isn't entertaining and Sorkin and Clan are great entetainers. West Wing riveted me when Sorkin was there and after he left, it fell apart...again, not because of the actors, like here, but because the story was too fictionalized...too forced.

There's so much genuinely funny stuff, tension stuff, deadline stuff, arrogance, care, love, loathing, speed and sitting on our thumbs, wins and losses. tears of joy and sorrow, ego and humility, long shots and wide shots that this industry deserves a better Studio 60. My wife says, each time we watch it and I'm pulling my hair out, says, "Then why don't you go write a new one. We have the money and you have the distribution." And my answer is always the same. I love this industry like it's my own child. To date, we've put substantial money into 2nd Unit and other productions to help others with no ROI except things like the comments we got from everyone who came to Birns and Sawyer to hear George Dibie, Jaime Emmanuelli and me and a few of our sponsors from Sony, Tiffen and Lite Panels talk. But what I don't have is the talent. Sorkin does. He's got a great cast and doubtless a great crew. Is one in a million; a true genius talent in his own genre much the same as Bruckheimer is in his genre. Gosh I wish I had the talent to write a Studio 60 the way it deserves to be written; funny, revealing and seriously emoptionally touching. There are so many great stories iin our industry. Why can't they find them.

Good to hear from you, Charles and hope to see you at HD Expo. Find the Sony area and I'll be there with our newest sponsor.

[Charles Papert]

I'm going to try to stop by tomorrow, Jonathan. I'll be in the neighborhood attending a mandatory sexual harrassment seminar that Universal is now requiring of everyone who works on their shows. Hoping to pick up a few new tips, most of my material is pretty dated...