Alas, Studio 60 is really starting to blow. How do I feel? Saddened, yes. Disappointed, certainly. But more significantly, I feel betrayed.Me and Aaron, we got history. In 1992, A Few Good Men first taught me how to love. I loved Danny and his daddy issues. I loved Jo for her uptight hair and fast-talkin' rants. I loved "Unit Corps God Country" and "You can't handle the truth!" I loved.
In 1995 I learned from The American President that even the ruler of the free world needs love. Malice was filmed in Northampton for Heaven's sake. Me and Aaron? There are so many similarities between us, we're basically the same person. And what about the love lessons of Sorkin television? I can't even talk about Sports Night and The West Wing. Gone too soon. Their absence from my life is just too painful.
This is all by way of saying how important (and assured) it was that Studio 60 be awesome. It was a given. In the bag. Done and done. But here's the thing—Studio 60 is not awesome.
It's not funny. It's not engaging. When there is a to-be-continued ending, as there was last night, I'm not that upset that the story arc remains unresolved. When characters get caught in hilariously sticky situations, I don't laugh and I sure as hell don't worry. Sorkin loves the high moral ground, and I love following him there, but I just can't this time. The moral nobility of producing a live sketch comedy show is not translating. And the premise isn't the problem. I hate sports but I loved Sports Night and felt the magic. There's just no magic at Studio 60.
I've lost my equilibrium. How can a Sorkin show with Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, and my dreamlover Bradley Whitford fail? How is this possible?
The problem is the writing. It's the writing. Last night's episode was boring. Two fueding characters (and possible lovers) locked on a roof? Cliché. Breaking a date and getting caught with another woman? Been done. Even the vaguely funny woman-who-swallowed-the-fly-esque storyline involving a coyote sent to catch a ferret that was sent to catch an escaped viper in the studio...too tedious to even explain. Much like the breath I run out of explaining, the bits seem tedious and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d, not madcap or winning. The stories just aren't vital and the project just isn't urgent. I hate myself.
I feel like such turncoat. I'm going to go self-flagellate now.
2 comments:
Brave post! I read somewhere the Sorkin makes his actors recite their lines EXACTLY as he wrote them (no contractions or shortenings). I dunno if that's confidence or arrogance.
I think this show has major potential, but Sorkin's just missing... something. So far my favorite characters are Jordan and Jack Rudolph (I've always loved Steven Weber), and the more they are used the more interested I find myself. Unfortunately great characters cannot be saved from bad storylines. This whole Danny/Jordan thing makes NO sense. He's acting like a stalker! I'm hoping they wrap that up shortly before it gets even more painful to watch. My fear is that Sorkin does not expect the show to last another season and is packing in as many relationships as he can, quickly. And am I the only one that really wants to see Harriett with Luke instead of Matt? I love Matt, just not with Harriett.
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