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Last week’s “Studio 60” did not fry my burger.
First, the stolen routine wasn’t at all funny to me, and struck me as very not worth stealing. And Matt thought it was funny, which makes me wonder why everybody thinks he’s such a genius.
Second, the writer who stole it did the stealing in a ridiculously verbatim manner that made it incredibly obvious that the routine was stolen. How did he believe he would get away with it in front of a national viewing audience?
Third, “Studio 60” owned the routine all along? I fear I found that resolution a bit too … tidy?
On to this week. As many may by now be aware, those wily Canadians get to see “Studio 60” a good 24 hours before the god-fearing Americans! Several of our neighbors to the north have taken pity and now let us in on what’s doing tonight with Matt, Danny, Harry and Jordan. All but one were good enough to send in their reviews as Word attachments! Fie on the fellow who did not! Fie!!!
“RichieIce” says:
What’s it called?
The Long Lead Story
What does TV Guide say?
“The “Studio 60” cast and crew rehearse with host Lauren Graham and musical guest Sting; Matt and Harriet get questioned about their personal history by a reporter (Christine Lahti); and Jordan receives a pitch for a potential hit reality TV series but deems it too tasteless.”
LAUREN GRAHAM!?! Tell me she is prominently featured in this episode!!
Lauren Graham is terribly under utilized this week.
Do we hear Sting play?
We do.
Does the show within a show, Studio 60, keep playing with the Christian right?
Not this week.
Does network executive Jordan McDeere finally start worrying about more than the ratings of one late night show?
Yes.
Do we get any more comedy from Ricky and Ron?
No.
What’s good?
Nate Corddry in a lobster costume. The little interaction we get between Jordan and Jack. Finding out a little bit more about Harriet’s Christian past. Finding out network executive Jordan McDeere actually does have more then one show on her network. ‘The Dr. Nicolas Cage Show’. Nate Corddry in a lobster costume looking for a pen. The ending.
What’s not so good?
The stir the reporter causes isn’t nearly as interesting as the creators of this show clearly think it is. Besides ‘The Nicolas Cage Show’, the sketches on the show within a show are not remotely funny. Not enough Jordan/Jack interaction. Lauren Graham being shockingly under used. The awful first sketch we see this week.
Is this episode as good as the first four?
Not even close.
If this show continues to lose more then 30% of Heroes audience, will it be around much longer?
According to TV Guides seldom-wrong Michael Ausiello’s opinion, Studio 60 will not last this season. http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Ausiello/default.aspx
RichieIce’s Rating for 1.05 (out of 5)
**1/2
“Paul” says:
What’s It Called?
"The Long Lead Story"
Who Wrote It?
Aaron Sorkin
Who Directed It?
David Petrarca ("Everwood," "Dawson's Creek," and short-lived 2004 oddball "Jack & Bobby.")
What’s It About?
Nosy reporter Martha O'Dell (Christine Lahti) continues interviewing the cast and crew for the long lead story of the title, before taking off for several weeks to cover the midterm election. Meanwhile, NBS president Jordan McDeere tries to improve the network's image by passing on a tasteless new reality show pitched by slimy British producer Martin Sykes (Harry Van Gorkum), to the displeasure of ever-deliciously-evil Jack Rudolph.
What’s New?
For the first time, Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford aren't the primary focus of an episode.
What’s Good About It?
Jordan's wrangling with Jack Rudolph. Jack himself, all suit and sneer. The return of NBS big boss Wilson White (Ed Asner) and his plans for Macau. Nate Corddry nerdishly flattered at being called "gentlemanly." Extensive backstory for Harriet, in the form of O'Dell's interview. O'Dell's wildly vacillating interest in Harriet when Sting is discovered to be in the building. Sting, playing the lute. An lengthy Nancy Grace sketch that actually approaches SNL-quality funny. The poaching of a hot young writer-producer from HBO in lieu of the aforementioned reality show pickup, who's less convinced to sign on by Jordan's praise of his play about Pericles, than by street-cred-heavy Danny quietly ordering him to do it. "Start telling your kids to learn Mandarin." There's a bit more of an ensemble cast feel this week with Danny and Matt out of the way, and it starts to work; there's more of a sense that the show is a real, complex operation - a living, breathing thing - and not just a flimsy prop for Aaron Sorkin to vent on whatever subject irritates him at the moment.
What’s Not Good About It?
D.L. Hughley is wasted, even in his bit part. 'SNL-quality funny' still isn't very funny; "30 Rock" is looking a lot better on that count, at this point. Another awkward reference to SNL exacerbates an ongoing problem: "Studio 60," the show-within-the-show, still hasn't credibly constructed a history for itself in a world that includes Lorne Michaels as well as Wes Mendell. Finally, Sorkin's ego grows larger by the minute: in the teaser, he effectively claims his fictional proxies to be the most significant cultural force in the modern American zeitgeist; a later scene imagines them to be the only force capable of bringing Red America and Blue America together, with the power of laughter. The writer-as-character is a fine device when treated with care, but here, it's starting to come off a bit more like M. Night Shyamalan in "Lady in the Water" - a messiah complex alternating with regular old self-indulgent narcissism. If one were to be of the opinion that the show is doomed to early cancellation, this week wouldn't offer any kind of reassurance to the contrary.
Rating (Out of Five)
**1/2
“BuckyDude” says:
What’s It Called?
The Long Lead Story
Who Wrote It?
Dana Colva wrote the story and Aaron Sorkin did the teleplay.
Who Directed It?
David Petrarca
What’s It About?
Martha starts getting some dirt, specifically about Matt, Harry, and the Bombshell boot debacle from last week. Meanwhile Jordan gets her own plotline about her exercising her power to turn down a profitable yet trashy reality show as well as her trying to convince a writer with a smart idea for a show to come to NBS. It sets up for some funny parallels between NBC and HBO.
What’s New?
Matt and Harriet connect at the end of the episode which will definitely be affecting the next few episodes. The tension during this scene is intense, mainly because the two end up staring at each other for a solid twenty seconds. Next, it looks like we may not see Martha for a while since she leaves for Washington at the end of the episode. Finally, there’s no “next time” during the closing credits, at least not in the Canadian broadcast.
What’s Good About It?
The Matt and Danny combo gets some good air time and Harry is starting to really improve as a character. The speech she gives about her childhood and religious roots gives her some depth, even if the speech itself is far too long and a little clichéd. The banter is as sharp as ever and there are some great moving shots throughout. There are some funny sketches in the show itself, especially the Nancy Grace scene, which actually plays out on your TV like an SNL sketch. What’s probably the best part of the episode is Sting. He’s actually in the show and he plays one hell of a lute. Plus he has some witty banter of his own.
What’s Not Good About It?
The humour of the show is getting broader every episode. Last episode we had Matt with a huge slapstick “bat-through-the-glass” joke. Right off the bat we get Tom entering Danny’s office in a giant lobster suit after a speech by Martha about the seriousness of Studio 60. It’s not as though these jokes are necessarily bad, it’s that they don’t seem to fit with the show. Also, there’s a lack of Matt and Danny moments which are some of the best parts of the show. The two talk for a few minutes but your left wishing there was more by the end.
Rating
3/5
“Daniel” says:
What’s It Called?
“The Long Lead Story"
Who Wrote It?
Teleplay by Aaron Sorkin, Story by Dana Cavlo (in his first "writing" credit)
Who Directed It?
David Petrarca ("Everwood", "Jack and Bobby")
What’s It About?
Martha Odell tries to find an interesting piece of reporting on the topic of Matt and Harrett; Jordan and Jack disagree over a new reality show pitched to the network
What’s New?
Lauren Graham is the fictional host of the week(albeit sparsely), with Sting as the fictional musical guest, Martha Odell from last week gets a lot more screen time, we learn a lot about Harriett's life, and Wilson White (Ed Asner), someone with possibly more authority than both Jack and Jordan, makes his first appearance since the pilot.
What’s Good About It?
The beginning of the episode is possibly as close to "Sports Night" as the show has been as a result of the banter between Martha and Matt, Danny and Jordan's scene at the bar, the great, great scene between Jordan and Jack over "Search and Destroy", Jordan in general, Matt's makeshift dartboard, the general random lobster-ness, "It's addition and subtraction, Matt. It's not advanced cryptography.", "I was doing a dangling modifier joke.", "I...am...eating...it.", "If I had said it, I would have used more sophisticated adjectives.", "Sting or the lute?", "You're still mic-ed, Matahari."
This episode just clicked for me on so many levels, and I think it is what happens after you have developed characters and situations for four episodes. Every pair up of characters in this episode works, and like Martha states, "You guys really look out for each other here." You can really sense the character caring for, and helping each other. This is my favorite episode.
What’s Not Good About It?
The Christine Lambert sketch runs a little long and wasn't that funny in my opinion, I don't mind that much, but the Matt/Harriett story really is taking up a good deal of each episode, and the episode was only 55 minutes on my watch.
Rating (Out of Five)
****.5
“El Fuego” says:
What’s It Called?
“The Long Lead Story"
Who Wrote It?
Aaron Sorkin, with Story Credit to some Dana Something-or-other
Who Directed It?
Not Schlamme
What’s It About?
Martha interviews a number of people around Studio 60 for her article, while Jordan faces the dual challenges of securing a new highbrow series written by someone arguably based on Sorkin, and convincing Jack Rudolph to pass on the latest series by someone arguably based on Mark Burnett.
What’s New?
We see a musical guest performance for the first time! It's Sting! With a lute! Ed Asner returns for the first time since the pilot!
What’s Good About It?
Seeing Not-Sorkin, a hot new off-broadway talent intending to bring his sharp, intelligent, high-quality show to HBO only to be convinced otherwise. Nate Corddry in general, particularly hints that he might be over Paula. “Great work, Mata Hari!” Jordan's british accent. There's a moment at the end that hints the whole Harriet-Matt thing might actually be as good as the Casey-Dana stuff from Sports Night. It's not quite there yet, but it's there.
What’s Not Good About It?
It feels like the least remarkable episode thus far... nothing really stood out except for the last couple minutes. It just felt like a lot of setup for stuff that's going to come during sweeps, and as such it was decent, but given that this is the 5th hourlong episode... well, to put it gently, Sports Night had covered far more area, and arguably far better, in its first 5 half-hours. It's good, but I honestly expected better.
Rating (Out of Five)
***
For Posterity, what I've thought of the previous episodes
1.1: ****1/2
1.2: ***
1.3: ***1/2
1.4: ****
Defenders of the Earth Vol. 1
$17.49 Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut!!
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