In the interest of full disclosure, I must confess there's no show on television I want to succeed more than Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Excluding Shakespeare, there isn't a single writer I admire more than Aaron Sorkin. The first two exquisite seasons of The West Wing have no equal when it comes to smart, lyrical, storytelling, and things haven't been the same in television since Sorkin left the show after the fourth season. I am such an unabashed fan of the rhythms he weaves into his dialogue that I occasionally listen to the show in my car. Not watch. Just listen. That's how obsessive I am about Sorkin's gift with language. I mention this only because I can’t say with certainty whether the pilot for Studio 60 is as entertaining as I thought it was, or if I just need it to be as entertaining as I thought it was.
Speaking of a gift with language, that last sentence -- the polar opposite.
But I digress.
On paper, I can't imagine a more enticing show than Studio 60, a workplace drama that takes us behind the scenes of an SNLish sketch show. Not only do I get to once again revel in the symphony of a Sorkin teleplay, but he brought along director Thomas Schlamme whose walk-and-talk direction saved The West Wing from becoming a glorified stage play. Heading the cast are West Wing veteran Bradley Whitford and the most comically gifted Friends cast member (and another West Wing alum), Matthew Perry. With Amanda Peet, Tim Busfield, Steven Weber, and D.L. Hughley rounding out the cast, Studio 60 would appear to be a can't miss. But did all this talent work out to a compelling first episode?
Absolutely. While it didn't have the consistent excellence of The West Wing’s pilot (which is damn near impossible), it hit enough high notes to earn a spot on the top of my Must See list.
Sorkin can write a teaser like none other, and Studio 60 is no exception. After a pissing match with standards and practices, Studio 60's producer, Wes Mendel (Judd Hirsch), goes Peter Finch during a live broadcast, castigating the television industry for its cowardice and mediocrity. Sorkin and Schlamme show they still have remarkable creative synthesis as this opening scene starts slow then builds and builds until snap the credits roll. Not quite the same as the POTUS mystery featured in the West Wing pilots teaser, but just as dramatically satisfying.
Mendell's breakdown and subsequent firing forces a newly hired network president, Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet) to find a quick solution to a serious problem on her first day. After a number of cinematic missteps (Saving Silverman, A Lot Like Love), I had forgotten what a talent Amanda Peet is. Here she delivers Sorkin's dialogue with aplomb, while maintaining an entertaining poise that shows her character is no stranger to playing rough with the boys -- in business anyway. Peet manages to show that she has the upper hand in every situation without coming off as a tyrant, and her coy smile is equal parts enticing and emasculating as she negotiates the hire of two former Studio 60 employees who have recently gained some notoriety on the big screen.
Enter Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford, or Matt and Danny -- a writer/director duo with no shortage of man-love between them. I drooled over this combination on paper, and was stunned to find that it plays better than I ever could have dreamed. The first scene with the two at the Writers Guild Awards (Matt gets a big win) has Sorkin, Perry, and Whitford all at the top of their games. The conversation involves back surgery and a relationship-killing Dodger game and it was the first time in the episode where I thought "Ok. This is going to be fun." This is buddy movie chemistry at its finest.
The rest of the show sets up the innumerable conflicts that will drive the show. Once again Sorkin has put a bunch of Type-A personalities into a confined space for open warfare. Amanda Peet's main foil is network bigwig Jack Rudolph (Steven Weber at his slimeball best), the man responsible for firing Matt and Danny in the first place. Naturally he has major issues with hiring them back. There's also the so-called "Big Three" of Studio 60: Simon Stiles (D.L. Hughley), Tom Jeter (Nathan Corddry), and Harriet Hayes (Sara Paulson). Hughley and Corddry don't see much action in the pilot, but Paulson gets her fair share of screen time as Matt's former flame. This will be the trickiest character for Sorkin to pull off -- a born again-Christian in the entertainment industry will be easy to stereotype -- but Paulson has an affable presence, so likeability shouldn't be an issue. And if The West Wing's Ainsley Hayes is any indication of what Sorkin can do with the "outsider," Harriet should be one of the more compelling characters on this exceptional show.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is funny, smart, and stylish, and should be considered "Can't Miss" by TV junkies everywhere.
Grade for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: A-
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