studio 60 bye bye

For some of you who don't know - Studio 60: On the Sunset Strip - has been laid to rest. It's unfortunate that Aaron Sorkin's new venture did not succeed. The first few episodes were killer- weaving fabulous characters, superb writing and energetic editing. The pace was fantastic. But then something happened- it became old habit. We just didn't care anymore about Matt and Harriet's relationship woes, if they would beat the digitial running clock to Saturday night or how bad Jordan McDeere's past was.

And if we are going down this road... Amanda Peet really bothered me- I don't think she was right for the part. I mean who believes that the head of a major TV studio can be so young, beautiful and DUMB. Yes I said it, I never believed she was as savvy as they tried to portray her. And I don't think Peet can act. So I have identified the major weakness of the show. And maybe in the end middle America just doesn't care about the inner workings of TV. Of course, I loved it- I could relate to the deadlines and political wars.

I also loved the introduction of religion and politics. The show really tried to pick these fights all the time. Harriet's religion was a problem for the show- the "gays" didn't like her, Matt supposedly broke up with her because of her faith, a pro family organization banned her. I thought this was a very interesting sub plot. So interesting, I did a little research. Aaron Sorkin, the series creator, actually was mirroring his own life. Some years ago he had a challenging relationship with a Christian actress (who was on the West Wing). When I say challenging I mean she was Christian and he was Jewish. Of course I found no elaboration on this point but he must have found it interesting that a practicing Christian was in the entertainment industry and she was dating him. Food for thought, too bad the show is now canceled and can't be more of sounding board for the religious conflicts we have in the USA. Oh yes they do exist they are just hidden in the depths of our niceness and "acceptance" of all peoples.

Whatever happened, it's tragic that the TV gods didn't give it a second chance. Why do serial crime dramas keep coming back when a show like this is discarded? And even worse why is it treated to a final 3 episode airing after a 3 month hiatus and a cancellation sticker has been stamped on it? It is was so sad to tune in for the last episode this past Thursday night. And it was a great episode. Oh yes a corny good ending but exactly how it should end. These last episodes- part of the 1st season- should have aired 3 months ago. C'est la vie"