Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - 10/09/06
 

"The West Coast Delay"


Cast: Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Steven Weber, D L Hughley, Sarah Paulson, Nathan Corddry, Timothy Busfield.
Producer(s): Aaron Sorkin.

Original Airdate: October 9, 2006.

Studio 60

NBC really wants this to succeed, but it's numbers and comp just aren't doing that well. I think this show might not survive the month.

Didn't like it as much as the first couple of episodes, but it was still pretty good. Was the Weekend Update part based on a real life incident in any part?

As much as I enjoy Sorkin + Schlamme, I really hope the show moves away from the politics a bit. It sounds like this week's episode may do that.

It's impossible for Sorkin to move away from politics, it's just what he does. Sports Night was chock-full of social/political commentary and it was a show about making a sports highlights show. Studio 60 is about making the type of show that routinely lampoons politicians.

Was that the girl from the UK Office? (at the writers table)

yes

The first 10-15 minutes were boring me to tears (Matt and Harri - they simply don't elicit much from me as this couple that needs to be together), but the rest of the episode got more and more amusing by the minute.

BTW, Jordan reminded me of a grown up version of Rory Gilmore when she hangs up on Jack on the phone towards the end of the episode.

I'm really enjoying this show, much like I've enjoyed all of Sorkin's work. For some reason the end of the episode this week, the very very end, where they find out the copyright was theirs all along weakened it just a bit. It went from humorous to over the top.

I enjoyed most of it...great episode. Harry thinking the phone number on the bat was the guys jersey number? not real funny. Matt sayin '...you thought his number was 324 billion...' whatever, was good stuff.

I didn't think it crossed to over the top...I thought that added touch was just hilarious... and like they said "this isn't the comedy we set out to do at the start of the week" but it ended up probably being the funniest "Studio 60" bit in ages. Loved the "Paula" stuff with Nate - really funny and Christine Lahti was a good addition...her scenes with Danny were great. I really hope the numbers start to go up because I can't bear the thought of this thing getting cancelled.

MATT

As if this show didn't have enough marketing problems, NBC's piling on with their typically obnoxious and manipulative promos.

das

Oh my God -- they need to hire some really comedy writers immediately. Everything about this show is great -- except for the skits, which make Jean Doumanian SNL seem like the height of comedy. It's like if the West Wing was exactly the same as it actually was, except instead of dealing with things like terrorism and health care, the the policy decisions were all things like whether we should invade Antarctica or drill for cheese in Minnesota.

This episode reeked of mediocracy.

I thought Meet the Press with Juliette Lewis was pretty funny, the bit from the news that they thought was stolen on the other hand...

Good episode, I'd like more Amanda Peet and Bradley Whitford and less about Harriet and Matt.

To go along with the baseball theme of tonight's show:

Strike three!

Too boring for me--a bunch of bland characters who don't ever seem to say or do anything interesting or funny. And it would be much better without the Harriet character.

Sorry, Sorkin. . . you're out.

you're bluffing!

Yeah, I've seen Sorkin before. I didn't say stop it altogether; I said dial it back a bit.

Why? I mean, it was a good Juliette Lewis impression, but so what? What's she doing hosting Meet the Press? Once you get past the first 15 seconds of "Hey, it's Juliette Lewis doing Tim Russert's job," what's the point?

In fairness to Studio 60, this is what passes for comedy on shows like SNL, so I won't judge Studio 60 too harshly.

I have enjoyed the first few episodes, but found myself very bored with this one. The Matt/Harriett relationship thing is about to make me gag, how about lets explore and develope some other characters, why do we have to focus on Matt/Harriett every other minute, its very tiring.

Other than that it was above average, the Juliette Lewis thing was funny....other than that, ugh. I am sticking with it for now, if the show keeps this up, I'm out.

I just saw the episode and in my humble opinion, Sorkin's personal political bias is starting to hurt the show. Small wonder why the Neilsen ratings takes a nosedive after Heroes a hour earlier on the same network.

Looks like they were already hiding Peet's pregnancy with wardrobe choices and often making her carrying something.

Can they turn on the subtitles when Hughley's talking? I cant understand a word he says.

The show itself has high aspirations, but is mired in mediocrity. I say its gone by Mid-November.

I don't have a problem with the politics (heck, if 'Brothers & Sisters' had the courage to include politics like it was originally supposed to, I'd give that another shot) but Sorkin ('Sports Night' notwithstanding) does NOT understand comedy. NOTHING about that lame stand-up act was funny and it CERTAINLY was not worth turning into a desk piece. And having the stand-up guy admit that he stole it and that they owned the copyright all along was groan-worthy.

As was the whole "writing your phone number on the inside of a stinky boot" nonsense.

What I found truly funny is that D.L. Hughley was on the renewed <i>Def Comedy Jam</i> this Sunday night, and 90% of his routine was rehash of common jokes or outright theft. He opens with, "And now they want to build a wall between the US and Mexico. Well, if we keep all the Mexicans out, who's going to build the wall?" I half expected him to follow with, "And whaaaat is the deaaal with airline peanuts?"

When his character claimed to have never stolen a joke in his life, <i>that</i> was comedy.

das