Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

There are (delightful) shades of Sports Night's Dan & Casey combo in this very well written series. Matthew Perry was right to wait for the perfect project to come along. From the looks of it, Studio 60 will let him do what he has seldom been afforded the opportunity to do, and that is subtle comedy with an edge. West Wing fans will have no problem accepting Bradley Whitford in this decidedly un-Josh Lyman role. Rounding out the core cast are some of Hollywood's most interesting and under-cast actors, including D.L. Hughley, Sarah Pauley (perhaps this will finally be the break out that she deserves) and Steven Webber. And Amanda Peete is magnetic in her return to both the small screen and to center stage, as a driven and enigmatic young television exec. Aaron Sorkin & Tommy Schlamme deliver once again.

I will forever be mad that NCB cancelled this show. Studio 60 is the perfect example of a show that would've thrived on a streaming service, sadly it was ahead of its time. Is it perfect, no. Is it Sorkin's best, no (but that is a tall ask), but it is a million times better than the majority of shows renewed for a second season and deserved better. The pilot episode and the Christmas episode are two of the finest hours of television ever made. It is my second favourite of Sorkin's shows and the short one season makes for excellent comfort viewing. The cast is phenomenal, so nice to see Matthew Perry in a more dramatic role, he's excellent. Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Steven Webber particularly shine with Sorkin's dialogue. The main complaint I see against this show is that the sketches are not funny, and to that I say the Dateline Santa from the Christmas episode of Studio 60 was funnier than any sketch I've seen on SNL in recent years. It's a travesty this show wasn't given the chance it deserved, I believe with a second season it really would've found it's audience, but I will rewatch it forever because it's perfect to me.

Saw the pilot on NetFlix, and it's everything one should expect from Sorkin, Schlamme and this cast...sharp, tense, funny, and exhilarating television. Even if you don't care about behind-the-scenes drama or live TV or Saturday Night Live (which the show is based on), check this out...it's got a ton of drama, heart, and fun. Hopefully Sorkin will take time to develop each character. My only issue with the episode is that there's too much to cover, so we only get quick glosses of characters, but it's just a pilot, so it's OK to serve as an introduction. Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Brad Whitford, Timothy Busfield are all perfectly cast and show new range. Can't wait for the season to get going.

I will not only be talking about Matthew Perry here, i promise, but i need to say this. I am a Friends fan. A can-quote-them-in-the-middle-of-the-night, know-and-own-every-episode kind of fan and i was worried about Mr. Perry, it's just the curse of playing a certain role for 10 years. I must admit, hands down, he is brilliant! Fantastic! Not once did i think of Chandler or Friends for that matter and i applaud him.

Now, Ms. Peet is wonderful too and i did not know she was this talented, i must admit. And Bradley Whitford - i loved him in West Wing, i love him here. I could in fact go on and on about the casting of this show, which is brilliant (Sarah Paulson - OMG), but i don't want to make this comment too long.

I was looking forward to this show and i am not disappointed! The writing is superb, engaging, the dialogues are quick and witty and intelligent! I am a sucker for shows that make me think, that make me watch open mouthed and leave me shell shocked and in not being able to believe the 45 minutes are gone. I re-watched it a couple of times just because i knew there were things i missed in the first run.

To Mr. Sorkin and everybody who is creating this show: you're doing an amazing job! I am hooked. And i so hope this show is here to stay!

I've enjoyed Sorkin ever since I saw A Few Good Men. Sports Night gets regular repeats in my DVD player, and while I never quite got in to West Wing because of scheduling problems on my end, what I did see always impressed me. So I was waiting very eagerly for Studio 60 to premiere. It didn't disappoint.

Now, this show is probably not for everyone. Sorkin doesn't lob softballs at us. He wants us to think, he's not going to spell every little thing out for the audience. Some see him as being preachy, but I'm afraid they not seeing for the forest for the trees here. Some also accuse him of anti-whatever propaganda, but fail to acknowledge or account for the existence of counter balance in the show itself (IE anti-Christian sentiments in S60, although one of his main characters is a level headed and likable Christian woman).

The cast is sublime. Matthew Perry pretty much does what he does, but now he can be the edgier actor he wanted to be. Bradley Whitford has always been underrated and he doesn't fail to impress me here. All of the other members of the supporting cast (including Timothy Busfield, who was looking surprisingly John Ritter-esquire in profile) are worthy. I've seen tons of criticism for Amanda Peet as the newly named president of the network, but I honestly can say I'm buying it. She does have a tendency to make the same face for everything, but otherwise, she's playing the part as it's written. Sometimes it's not the actor, it is the character (see Holmes, Katie and Begins, Batman), and I think this is one of those times. She's playing a relatively young powerful female exec like I'd expect her to. Kinda wink wink like, with a poker face.

Overall, I think this show, only 2 episodes in, is already one of the best shows on the network channels today. Hopefully NBC will give it the due course it deserves, even while it openly mocks the network.