FISH IN A BARREL
I happened to catch an episode of "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip" tonight. I didn't even know the show was still on, but apparently it's the ender for NBC's "Must See Thursday". Which, when you think about it, is a genius move on their part. After two hours of comedy there's no better way to cleanse the pallet than the least funny show about comedy this season.
As the title of this post suggests, making fun of "Studio 60" has become a pretty common thing. And really, it's pretty easy to do. I had high, HIGH hopes for the show. I really, REALLY liked "Friends", especially Chandler. Bradley Whitford is from my state, spoke at my brother's college graduation ceremony and was excellent in both "The West Wing" and Billy Madison. I love "Sports Night" and A Few Good Men. So I figured it was a can't miss.
And then it started missing. And missing by a LOT. Missing enough that NBC yanked it's prestige series off the air faster than a manager yanks a struggling pitcher in the 5th.
Now that the summer has come and the ax has already fallen on "Studio 60"'s tender neck, NBC has decided to use up the remaining episodes. Here's a brief recap of this week's episode "K&R".
-Matt (Matthew Perry) and Danny (Bradley Whitford) have gotten both old and fat since I last watched an episode. Granted, I stopped watching after the Nevada two parter (episode 7 and 8) and this was episode 19. Soooo... maybe it's just really good craft services at NBC errrr NBS.
-I know this is an hour long drama, but couldn't there be just one Major problem per episode? Jordan can't feel the baby kick, the baby has the cord around her neck, Tom's brother has been kidnapped in Afghanistan, Matt and Harriet keep fighting, and the show is falling apart. Oh, and Danny and Jordan are getting married. Despite just meeting 19 episodes ago.
-One of the more caustic slams on the show, that I know Entertainment Weekly especially likes to break out, is "BUT TOM'S BROTHER IS IN AFGHANISTAN!!". Don't worry, if that sort of heavy handedness turns you off, they only mention it half a dozen times in this episode. They even work it into the flashback that comprises half the episode.
-Upon being told the news that Tom's brother has been kidnapped, Harriet (the Christian One!!) immediately, right there in the room, just drops to her knees and starts praying. ...I don't know if Aaron Sorkin actually knows any Christians. I have never met anyone who would do that, and I have family that sing the "God's Blessings To You" verse of "Happy Birthday".
-We start our flashbacks, to show that, news flash, Operation: Enduring Freedom created differing opinions in people. Oh, and that Matt and Harriet have been having the same fight for the last 8 years. And they've broken up at least 4 times. If you're breaking up more times in 8 years than the House of Representatives is holding elections... you might not be meant for each other. Even if you are the Funniest Woman On The Show!! and The Funniest Writer Ever!!.
-Props to Harriet for making a Fed Ex joke. In the 8 or 9 episodes I've seen this is the first naturally funny thing she's ever said. And this from the Funniest Woman On The Show!!. Another flaw with "Studio 60": Funny people should be naturally funny in their every day life. Not just sarcastic or dryly witty, but funny. This does not often happen on the show. They're too busy being very serious about the glory that is sketch comedy.
-Flashback again, the loud guy getting in everyone's face is pro-war, cause he's a j-bag. He also doesn't know anything about Afghanistan, which is not full of Arabs. The guy opposed to O:EF is anti-war, he's a slob. Why? Cause he's anti-war. There are no well dressed anti-war people. Because you can't be pro-peace and pro-hygiene. He also doesn't know anything about Afghanistan, which is not full of oil. Matt knows a lot about Afghanistan, because he is The Funniest Writer Ever!! Then Matt and Harriet fight some more about George Bush and Christians.
-Danny decides to cop an attitude with the doctor because he's young and he knows what he's doing. Danny, who is not a doctor but who is ... I don't know what his special power is... anyway, he's a jerk to the doctor, but the doctor's too cool to let it get to him. Danny and Jordan have some circular conversation about the show's ratings. Or not. It's like they realized they were going to be 3 minutes short and just had to fill time.
-Flashback again, did you know Tom's brother joined the military right after September 11th? Cause he did. It's mentioned twice in the two minute scene.
-Did you know Tom is selfless? Because he is. He also appears to be sharing his real life brother Rob's hairline. Nice choice of teen heartthrob NBC central casting. Tom's selfless because he's always concerned about how the families of the other two captured airmen ("It's Airmen. They're in the Air Force. They're not soldiers, they're Airmen." You really think that's the point to be belaboring right now?) are being treated. Are they getting equal treatment? Who cares? Tom does, because he's selfless.
-We're reminded, in a flashback, that the guy from "Kids In The Hall" used to be happy. You know, before God "Job-ed" him and took away his entire family in a car accident. But his loss has made him The Best Comedy Writer (After Matt) Ever!!.
-More baby mama drama as Jordan almost has a seizure. Why? Who the heck knows. The doctor's not saying. Jordan's not saying. No one is saying. But apparently the baby's coming out now. So Danny proposes. With a 3 karat ring. The second funny line of the episode (45 minutes into the show) Jordan: (trying on ring) You couldn't have guessed better at my ring size? ...How fat did you think I was?
-A company called the Trask group could get money to the rebels to get the airmen freed. This Trask group should not be confused with the Trasks that built the Sentinels. I'm sure this group is totally cool with Homo Sapien Superior.
-Cal hears the name Trask and immediately can rattle off their entire history, even though they're supposed to be super secret Black Ops type people. Why? Because Cal is The Hardest Working Set Director Ever!! Cal seems stoked about the idea.
-Scene change. Cal now hates the idea, all but calling Trask the greatest scam on humanity since the Moon landing. Everyone else seems intrigued. We do not get to see how it plays out... but I'm willing to guess that the rebels will only trade for Tom's brother/everyone but Tom's brother and Tom nixes/okays it even though it means certain death for Tom's brother/Tom's brother. Why? Because Tom is Selfless!! And His Brother's In Afghanistan!!
-Harriet is still praying. The Pope doesn't pray this much in a one hour time span. Jesus, in the garden, thinks this is over kill. Matt mocks her religious beliefs yet again. Prayer is stupid. I bet you didn't know that.
-We are treated to a montage of Matt and Harriet fighting over "religion"/"reason" for 8 FREAKING YEARS!! Why would these two even put up with each other? He must be an absolute dynamo in bed, because Matt is the most close minded, spiteful person I've seen in a long time. And he's supposed to be the good guy as far as I can tell. The problem is never religion vs reason, that's why I put it in quotes up top. It's close mindedness vs close mindedness. It's being so fragile in your faith that you think if every word in The Bible isn't true the world will fall apart around you versus being so narrow minded that, surprise, if every word in The Bible isn't true, then religion must be a great big hoax. Slacktivist, as usual, has something to say about this.
-The main point is Matt is a giant tool, and I don't know why Harriet is so enamored with him. Oh, wait, she just said "because she loves him." Wow. That's actually a little scary.
-Hey, for an hour long drama, shouldn't we have seen more than 7 of the regular cast members? You can't throw black guy or fat guy or new girl a line or two?
-NOTHING is resolved in the end. Oh, and Matt demands that God do something nice for a change. As a Jew, you would think that Matt would remember that God heard the cries of his people and freed them from slavery. Matt should also remember when Moses started demanding things, he ended up banned from the Promised Land (Motto: Now With Milk AND Honey).
So after an hour we have nothing new to report, other than Tom's brother is still a soldier, Tom is still selfless, Matt is still a tool, Harriet is barely funnier than we thought, and Jordan is still pregnant.
Can't understand why this show didn't catch on better.
As the title of this post suggests, making fun of "Studio 60" has become a pretty common thing. And really, it's pretty easy to do. I had high, HIGH hopes for the show. I really, REALLY liked "Friends", especially Chandler. Bradley Whitford is from my state, spoke at my brother's college graduation ceremony and was excellent in both "The West Wing" and Billy Madison. I love "Sports Night" and A Few Good Men. So I figured it was a can't miss.
And then it started missing. And missing by a LOT. Missing enough that NBC yanked it's prestige series off the air faster than a manager yanks a struggling pitcher in the 5th.
Now that the summer has come and the ax has already fallen on "Studio 60"'s tender neck, NBC has decided to use up the remaining episodes. Here's a brief recap of this week's episode "K&R".
-Matt (Matthew Perry) and Danny (Bradley Whitford) have gotten both old and fat since I last watched an episode. Granted, I stopped watching after the Nevada two parter (episode 7 and 8) and this was episode 19. Soooo... maybe it's just really good craft services at NBC errrr NBS.
-I know this is an hour long drama, but couldn't there be just one Major problem per episode? Jordan can't feel the baby kick, the baby has the cord around her neck, Tom's brother has been kidnapped in Afghanistan, Matt and Harriet keep fighting, and the show is falling apart. Oh, and Danny and Jordan are getting married. Despite just meeting 19 episodes ago.
-One of the more caustic slams on the show, that I know Entertainment Weekly especially likes to break out, is "BUT TOM'S BROTHER IS IN AFGHANISTAN!!". Don't worry, if that sort of heavy handedness turns you off, they only mention it half a dozen times in this episode. They even work it into the flashback that comprises half the episode.
-Upon being told the news that Tom's brother has been kidnapped, Harriet (the Christian One!!) immediately, right there in the room, just drops to her knees and starts praying. ...I don't know if Aaron Sorkin actually knows any Christians. I have never met anyone who would do that, and I have family that sing the "God's Blessings To You" verse of "Happy Birthday".
-We start our flashbacks, to show that, news flash, Operation: Enduring Freedom created differing opinions in people. Oh, and that Matt and Harriet have been having the same fight for the last 8 years. And they've broken up at least 4 times. If you're breaking up more times in 8 years than the House of Representatives is holding elections... you might not be meant for each other. Even if you are the Funniest Woman On The Show!! and The Funniest Writer Ever!!.
-Props to Harriet for making a Fed Ex joke. In the 8 or 9 episodes I've seen this is the first naturally funny thing she's ever said. And this from the Funniest Woman On The Show!!. Another flaw with "Studio 60": Funny people should be naturally funny in their every day life. Not just sarcastic or dryly witty, but funny. This does not often happen on the show. They're too busy being very serious about the glory that is sketch comedy.
-Flashback again, the loud guy getting in everyone's face is pro-war, cause he's a j-bag. He also doesn't know anything about Afghanistan, which is not full of Arabs. The guy opposed to O:EF is anti-war, he's a slob. Why? Cause he's anti-war. There are no well dressed anti-war people. Because you can't be pro-peace and pro-hygiene. He also doesn't know anything about Afghanistan, which is not full of oil. Matt knows a lot about Afghanistan, because he is The Funniest Writer Ever!! Then Matt and Harriet fight some more about George Bush and Christians.
-Danny decides to cop an attitude with the doctor because he's young and he knows what he's doing. Danny, who is not a doctor but who is ... I don't know what his special power is... anyway, he's a jerk to the doctor, but the doctor's too cool to let it get to him. Danny and Jordan have some circular conversation about the show's ratings. Or not. It's like they realized they were going to be 3 minutes short and just had to fill time.
-Flashback again, did you know Tom's brother joined the military right after September 11th? Cause he did. It's mentioned twice in the two minute scene.
-Did you know Tom is selfless? Because he is. He also appears to be sharing his real life brother Rob's hairline. Nice choice of teen heartthrob NBC central casting. Tom's selfless because he's always concerned about how the families of the other two captured airmen ("It's Airmen. They're in the Air Force. They're not soldiers, they're Airmen." You really think that's the point to be belaboring right now?) are being treated. Are they getting equal treatment? Who cares? Tom does, because he's selfless.
-We're reminded, in a flashback, that the guy from "Kids In The Hall" used to be happy. You know, before God "Job-ed" him and took away his entire family in a car accident. But his loss has made him The Best Comedy Writer (After Matt) Ever!!.
-More baby mama drama as Jordan almost has a seizure. Why? Who the heck knows. The doctor's not saying. Jordan's not saying. No one is saying. But apparently the baby's coming out now. So Danny proposes. With a 3 karat ring. The second funny line of the episode (45 minutes into the show) Jordan: (trying on ring) You couldn't have guessed better at my ring size? ...How fat did you think I was?
-A company called the Trask group could get money to the rebels to get the airmen freed. This Trask group should not be confused with the Trasks that built the Sentinels. I'm sure this group is totally cool with Homo Sapien Superior.
-Cal hears the name Trask and immediately can rattle off their entire history, even though they're supposed to be super secret Black Ops type people. Why? Because Cal is The Hardest Working Set Director Ever!! Cal seems stoked about the idea.
-Scene change. Cal now hates the idea, all but calling Trask the greatest scam on humanity since the Moon landing. Everyone else seems intrigued. We do not get to see how it plays out... but I'm willing to guess that the rebels will only trade for Tom's brother/everyone but Tom's brother and Tom nixes/okays it even though it means certain death for Tom's brother/Tom's brother. Why? Because Tom is Selfless!! And His Brother's In Afghanistan!!
-Harriet is still praying. The Pope doesn't pray this much in a one hour time span. Jesus, in the garden, thinks this is over kill. Matt mocks her religious beliefs yet again. Prayer is stupid. I bet you didn't know that.
-We are treated to a montage of Matt and Harriet fighting over "religion"/"reason" for 8 FREAKING YEARS!! Why would these two even put up with each other? He must be an absolute dynamo in bed, because Matt is the most close minded, spiteful person I've seen in a long time. And he's supposed to be the good guy as far as I can tell. The problem is never religion vs reason, that's why I put it in quotes up top. It's close mindedness vs close mindedness. It's being so fragile in your faith that you think if every word in The Bible isn't true the world will fall apart around you versus being so narrow minded that, surprise, if every word in The Bible isn't true, then religion must be a great big hoax. Slacktivist, as usual, has something to say about this.
-The main point is Matt is a giant tool, and I don't know why Harriet is so enamored with him. Oh, wait, she just said "because she loves him." Wow. That's actually a little scary.
-Hey, for an hour long drama, shouldn't we have seen more than 7 of the regular cast members? You can't throw black guy or fat guy or new girl a line or two?
-NOTHING is resolved in the end. Oh, and Matt demands that God do something nice for a change. As a Jew, you would think that Matt would remember that God heard the cries of his people and freed them from slavery. Matt should also remember when Moses started demanding things, he ended up banned from the Promised Land (Motto: Now With Milk AND Honey).
So after an hour we have nothing new to report, other than Tom's brother is still a soldier, Tom is still selfless, Matt is still a tool, Harriet is barely funnier than we thought, and Jordan is still pregnant.
Can't understand why this show didn't catch on better.
posted by Matt Worzala at
10:03 PM
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