Holy crap, that may have been the worst hour 55 minutes of scripted TV I’ve ever forced myself to sit through. After a three-month hiatus, Studio 60 finally returned to burn off its last few episodes, starting with the aptly-titled ep "The Disaster Show." The premise: a broadcast of the sketch show in which Murphy’s Law takes over with a vengeance (prop handlers and cue-card holders on strike, bomb threat in the studio, and the usual personal crises). The problem: the imitative fallacy — showrunner Aaron Sorkin apparently thought the chaotic shambles of the plotline should be reflected in the execution of his sloppy writing and Thomas Schlamme’s uncharacteristically blind and tone-deaf direction.
Seriously, this was amateur hour all around. Subplots fizzled out and were left to die. Poor Simon (D.L. Hughley) was stuck with a storyline that had him commit the same ticket to Hawaii to two different women (both of whom, of course, found out, leaving him with no traveling companion), a plot Sorkin stole from an old Brady Bunch episode. None of the actors was given anything to play except for Lord-just-let-us-make-it-through-til-curtain desperation. I felt especially bad for Allison Janney (playing herself, as guest-host), whom Sorkin must have called in as a favor (I made you a star on West Wing; the least you can do is help rearrange the deck chairs on my Titanic), and whom he thanked by making her look as ridiculous and out-of-place as possible. And we were still stuck with Harriet’s (Sarah Paulson) continued dithering over whether or not she should rekindle her romance with Matt (Matthew Perry), even though Perry and the other two leads (Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet) were all MIA. (What happened to Jordan and her pregnancy, and her unlikely romance with stalkerish Danny? Or to the make-or-break Chinese deal?). No real explanation for the stars’ absence; maybe they saw the script and joined the prop guys on the picket line.
Observers have wondered why, when NBC is willing to take a chance on low-rated but intelligent series like 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights and renew them for a second season, it’s given up on Studio 60. After "The Disaster Show," I think we have our answer. NBC programming chief Kevin Reilly said last week that the show had run its course; I think he was just being kind. I almost want to admire Sorkin for thumbing his nose at everyone and being determined to go down in flames no matter what anyone else thinks, but then I ponder this series’ colossal waste of a cushy spot on the NBC schedule, talent, money, and time (especially mine, since I had to watch and write reviews of every episode of this show), and I just get angry.
So, who’ll be tuning in next Thursday to watch more Studio 60? And will you be tuning in because you still hope against hope that the show can go out with some dignity, or because you anticipate another spectacular train wreck?
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Wow Gary…tell us how you really feel!
Chris, LOL.
Studio 60 never gave me reason to want to watch it. The show felt very patronizing towards its audience (the message I saw screamed at me “love our injoke laden and smug series you reality tv liking moron!”), and didn’t give the good vibe of 30rock.
Rarely are my predictions correct, but I do seem to have said this series was bound for failure. Shame I was right, as there was still some potential in this series.
I really wish this would have all played out differently. I hitched my wagon to this instead of “30 Rock”. I’m staying away from Vegas – apparently I don’t have the hot hand.
I’ll continue to watch this once promising show continue to devolve into a train wreck, if only because Met games tend to end before 10 PM on Thursdays. Plus, there’s only 5 episodes left, and I’d really like to see what other plotlines Sorkin will cannibalize from Sports Night/West Wing.
Did anyone else feel that the episode was made after it was told it was cancelled, like they had to fullfil the contract so they made this? That’s why none of the three leads were on, that’s why it was a mess, it was a big middle finger to everyone and sandwiched in, and then next week they start showing the ones they made before the cancellation decision. It was just WAY too off. The only reason I kept up with it was for how Matt was able to actually move on from Friends, I thought he was great. Oh well, trying to be bitter and cute by making this just fullfils everyone’s notion that it was a bad show. Nice loss of class.
Yeah, this episode was off, but I still like the premise of the show. I will watch out the rest of the series. I mean, its not like there’s anything else better on.
I’ll watch to the end. I enjoyed most of the episodes — some of the best TV this year. Last night’s literally put me to sleep, the last thing I expected. The promo said, “Nothing will prepare you for what happens next,” and it was right.
The speculation I’ve read is that this was that this was basically a “second pilot” that Sorkin made to show NBC that he could do a second season on the cheap — without the three expensive leads, a lighter tone, and no distracting ongoing subplots. It really didn’t work.
It’s a shame that the quality of this series has declined this much. To NBC’s credit, the pilot (which I had rented on Netflix before it aired) was one of the strongest pilots that I’ve seen to date. Both “Studio 60″ and the “Ugly Betty” pilots played out like great short films.
Sadly, I was unaware this was even on last night… This show had so much potential… it is sad it was wasted.
Gary, you are being too kind.
You forgot the worst line:
WEBER: “Do you know what a bomb will do to our insurance premiums???”
Ouch. Down there with “Your brother is standing in a field in Afghanistan!!”
GARY SUSMAN SHUT THE HELL UP!
I normally love you, but PLEASE! You’ve made it clear the whole season how much you hate the show. It is cancelled. You got your damn wish. Now will you let the few of us who do enjoy it (No we aren’t all morons)in its final moments? I mean, what are you trying to prove right now? Can we expect more of the same next Friday too? I admit it wasn’t the best episode, but damn, you’re like a broken record.
The show didn’t have an original moment during the whole episode. Timothy Busfield did a fine job with the worst writing Sorkin’s ever handed down, but let’s face it, it was only half-watchable with the three leads. Trainwrecks are only fun when someone interesting is on the train.
I really can’t express how disappointed I am in this show. I was hoping it would almost be like giving Sports Night a second chance, with all the new resources open to Sorkin after the success of the West Wing.
I wish this show would have been made on an Etch-a-Sketch, so we could just shake it and start over.
I really can’t express how disappointed I am in this show. I was hoping it would almost be like giving Sports Night a second chance, with all the new resources open to Sorkin after the success of the West Wing.
I wish this show would have been made on an Etch-a-Sketch, so we could just shake it and start over.
I don’t know if it was the broadcast or my DVR’s fault but about halfway through an entire channel of audio cut out, leaving only the background music and a few sound effects for me while I tried to read lips for five minutes before giving up. But before deleting the recording the thought did pass through my mind that maybe it was on purpose as some kind of joke, to turn this broadcast into a disaster as well…
I need to calm down. But I just don’t understand why Susman keeps writing the same thing after nearly every episode. And now that the show is nearly done and gone, I just don’t see the point to waste the energy. Does that make sense?
Well alrighty then. I liked it. I’m going to miss it. My beau and I watched it last night and continued to wonder why NBC didn’t pick it up for season two. The characters are great and the actors are wonderful; I still say there’s plenty of potential and NBC is making a boo boo. ABC should come in and swoop it up.
As for using a tactic from The Brady Bunch — show me a single show that hasn’t repeated a single idea from a previous show. Comeon, it’s all been done before; the thing now is to do it better so viewers don’t realize they’ve seen it before. And the talent on Studio 60 is certainly there to do it better.
Reading all of these posts makes me feel guilty for liking the show and last night’s episode. Can my tastes really be this bad?
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to watch my tapes of Homeboys in Outer Space.
I watched it. I’ll watch more since I’ve watched all other episodes…I think it’s a good show; I enjoy it. This was probably the weakest ep I’ve seen and I did miss the main characters, but I’ll watch any other episodes that still remain. Bummed that it was canceled.
the only reason I will continue to watch the leftover eps and will buy the DVD is because I adore the Jordan/Danny storyline. Every other aspect of the show, eh.
I understand the prop people were on strike, but the only way the whole “delayed squib shirt” could make sense would be if the original plan was for Allison Janney to wear a blood covered, bullet ridden shirt in the James Bond sketch.
The episode was excellent, and Allison Janney was hilarious. Get over yourself already, Gary.
i watched it and i laughed my ass off. i will also watch the last five episodes. i will never watch ‘friday night lights’. so there.
Rosie Rose, you’re depriving yourself of some classic television by not watching “Friday Night Lights.” I was reluctant to watch it at first, but it is such a good show.
I thought Allison Janney was funny last night, but the rest of the show was bland as usual. It’s too bad, because I really like Sorkin, too, but I find myself not even remotely interested in this show.
We really tried to stick with this show after the first few great episodes, but boy did it ever tank. Sarah Paulson is un-watchable and the storylines just got SO tedious. The Danny character has become completely creepy. Friday Night Lights is better by leaps and bounds–so glad it will be back.
It’s not so weird once you accept that Aaron Sorkin has gotten a career out of writing elaborately produced Mary Sue fanfic in which his Mary Sue is always played by Bradley Whitford.
It’s not so weird once you accept that Aaron Sorkin has gotten a career out of writing elaborately produced Mary Sue fanfic in which his Mary Sue is always played by Bradley Whitford.
I had enormous hope that this would be great. It started out very strong. Now, it’s just different, like watching the Titanic sink slowly. But, I’m there for the rest of the new episodes and reruns of the early episodes if they run them.
I’m in near-total agreement, Gary…I’m not ready to call it the worst hour of TV I’ve ever seen, but it’s right up there. And this is from someone who loved the pilot and gave the benefit of the doubt to some of the subsequent episodes. This was so astonishingly bad, I think it should be shown in TV writing classes the way accident films like “Blood on the Asphalt” are shown to student drivers.