studio 60

sme

just watched the first 2 eps on tv3, it seems like it could be quite good.
if you haven't seen it basically it is, for want of a better comparison, a more serious larry sanders show. ie the background running of a tv show, the tv show in question is a snl type show.

anyone up-to-date with america on this? does continue to be good?
sorkin appears to like doing shows about the cogs that keep the system running.

Milktrolley

Was kinda half watching it, looks pretty good alright. Nice number at the end too! Worth a look in next Thursday anyway.

S.M.B.

TV3 are giving it a good spot and again it's great to see another big show appearing on Irish TV before it reaches UK or mainland Europe.

As for the show, it's great! So many great characters in it with Steven Weber's Jack Rudolph being the pick of the bunch. The only problem is that it's really struggling for ratings and looks unlikely to last beyond a first season.

TarfHead

S.M.B. wrote:

The only problem is that it's really struggling for ratings and looks unlikely to last beyond a first season.

The most recent episode aired in the US received it's lowest ever ratings. It was due to screen two more before a planned hiatus. The network have decided to screen just one more before starting the hiatus.
As things stand, this is a one series wonder.

S.M.B.

TarfHead wrote:

The most recent episode aired in the US received it's lowest ever ratings. It was due to screen two more before a planned hiatus. The network have decided to screen just one more before starting the hiatus.
As things stand, this is a one series wonder.

I gave up searching for any ratings info recently as I knew good news wasn't to be found so I didn't know about this recent blow!

humanji

Yeah, I was watching it last night too and it was excellent. Pity it'll never last.

copacetic

thats a pity, i was impressed. the writing was up there with the west wing..

stipey

Slightly OT - but the US market seems to be extremely uncertain when it comes to the longvity of a show.

Over the past few weeks I've watched all 13 episodes of Kitchen Confidential on Paramount and thought it was a top show - it was canned in the US after about 6.

copacetic

stipey wrote:

Slightly OT - but the US market seems to be extremely uncertain when it comes to the longvity of a show.

Over the past few weeks I've watched all 13 episodes of Kitchen Confidential on Paramount and thought it was a top show - it was canned in the US after about 6.

it was a good show alright, fox actually only aired the first 4 before it was canned after terrible ratings..

sme

its a shame its going to be cancelled, how is it that an apparently good show like this is going to be canned and drivel like lost keeps running. maybe sorkin should write in an evil could.

as for kitchen confidental, i've only seen the original 6 eps and thought they were excellent.

copacetic

sme wrote:

its a shame its going to be cancelled, how is it that an apparently good show like this is going to be canned and drivel like lost keeps running. maybe sorkin should write in an evil could.

as for kitchen confidental, i've only seen the original 6 eps and thought they were excellent.

look out for in on paramount, they made 13 in all..

sme

don't have that channel, but didn't rte2 show some of the eps a while back.

qwertplaywert

its great,only watched orginally cause bradley cooper[main guy] was in alias,when it was still great

on studio-forgot about it,is it going to be repeated?

Killaqueen!!!

Is it a very serious, kind of boring show? Just want to know before I try to hunt down the first two episodes. I missed it when it premiered (for europe anyway) on TV3. I thought it was a comedy/drama

is_that_so

I really like it and I have been tracking it in the US. Watching episode 1 again reminded me how good it is. Next week's episode in the US (Episode 16) looks being like the last one before the "break". It may even be the last one.

is_that_so

Killaqueen!!! wrote:

Is it a very serious, kind of boring show? Just want to know before I try to hunt down the first two episodes. I missed it when it premiered (for europe anyway) on TV3. I thought it was a comedy/drama

Comedy/Drama OK. Typical Sorkin snappy dialogue. Try two or three episodes. You'll love or hate it.

geebag

I really enjoyed the first two shows, excellent dialogue and brilliently acted. Certainly West Wing fans will like it but the star of the show is definetely Matthew Perry, he looks really comfortable in the part and will surprise even 'Friends' fans. I will watch this as long as it lasts.

sme

i've never really liked matthew perry, and i don't think that the chemistry between perry and whitford is that good. although i do think whitford is an excellent actor. i loved him in billy madison.

also amanda peet is fantastic. i love watching anything with her, not just because she is beautiful but because she is just such a great actress.

holly_johnson

Love this show. Saw two episodes last October when in the states and couldn't wait for it to come over.
Being a huge West Wing fan I guess it was always going to be popular with me.

sugark

I thought the first two episodes were great and will definitely be watching for as long as it lasts.

I think part of the reason why this hasn't worked in the US is that creator and writer, Aaron Sorkin, is very blatant about putting his personal agenda about the state of television into the show and it's not to everyone's taste. Also, while the Gilbert & Sullivan sketch at the end of the second episode was witty and well done, it wasn't exactly laugh out loud funny and I can see that being a problem - the sketches have to be as funny as if they were a real-SNL type show. Either make them funnier or don't show them at all.

I think Sorkin is a great writer who doesn't talk down to his audience and brave to put some of his well known personal issues (dislike of internet critics, drug problems), including details of his relationship with actress Kirsten Chenowith (on whom the Harriet character in Studio 60 is based, Chenowith did appear on the mentioned religious programme).

But as mentioned before, the stand out is Matthew Perry. Even if the show doesn't last, it's a great performance from him. Could've watched another two hours straight away.

It's also fun spotting all the ex-West Wingers...

TarfHead

There was a piece in the Guardian about the arc of this programme.

It suggests that some US TV critics have already said their goodbyes, i..e the programme won't be returning.

aidan_walsh

I don't know why, but I was really put off by the fact that the first episode kept cutting to these Fraiser-style black screens titling each segment of the show. Thank God they cut that from the second episode. I'm also not entirely fond of the fact that they are using the same font face they did with The West Wing, it feels to me like the show doesn't entirely have its own identity yet, they have to keep borrowing from what we already know.

Pretty much everything else that I could say about the show has already been said, so no point in repeating it. Great stuff, nice to have another staple "must-see" show after going so long without any.

lostexpectation

just like the west wing it had great writing and cast but was overblown, overly idealistic and preachy and thought too much of itself as did studio60 in the show

marie_85

Third episode was on tonight, absolutely loved it. The chemistry between Whitford and Perry is fantastic, the dialogue is great and it strikes exactly the right note between being preachy and funny.

Dave!

Any ideas around when we can expect season 1 on DVD?

I haven't watched any episodes but I'm trying to 'acquire' 1 or 2 to see if it's any use. If it is I'll buy the season, I don't have the patience to wait a week between episodes if a show is good!

Jesus Wept

I watched about 6 episodes (downloaded when they came out in the U.S), It started out like it may be interesting, but I lost interest.

It just doesnt get/stay interesting, and the sketches that they seem to keep showing (where they are all laughing like its hilarious and telling each other how great they are) are painfully unfunny, whole thing is just arkward.

Milktrolley

It's such as shame it's going to end. Just read on Wikipedia that TV3 is the first network outside of North America to air the programme. I love the way we get all the US stuff before everyone else!

Also, Amanda Peet gave birth to a baby girl on Tuesday, so congrats to her.

Jesus Wept

Milktrolley wrote:

It's such as shame it's going to end. Just read on Wikipedia that TV3 is the first network outside of North America to air the programme. I love the way we get all the US stuff before everyone else!

Also, Amanda Peet gave birth to a baby girl on Tuesday, so congrats to her.

It's awful ****e tho.

rivers

have to say i liked this at the beginning but now on the 15th ep i think, it's lost it's appeal. I'm not interested in the characters, and i just don't see how they can extend the show with it being based around a sketch show. it seems pretty linear to me. also like someone above mentioned, the sketches are mostly terrible but i guess its being true-to-lie then (SNL anyone?).
I wanted to like this, (the WW was great - but that had alot of room to manouver) but im giving up on it...

daithimac

the storyline would seem to suggest that the show will only run for two seasons anyway. whitfords guy is prevented from doing movies for 2 years

AdMMM

According to NBC, the show is still profitable. Knowing US TV, this could mean almost anything though, but looking at the amount of money they've thrown into this, they seem to be pretty much committed to it!

cashback

I must say I thought the last show on tv3 thursday night was excellent.
The plagiarism one. Whether or not I stay with this show for its full run is another story.
Similar to the West Wing, i find the style of the show a little off putting.
The central characters are so cool and urbane, firing off wisecracks to each other(always while in an awful rush somewhere and staring straight ahead)
that sometimes I wish they were a little less polished and not always so unruffled.
That said, i think Perry is good in his role and most of the acting is of a high standard. The sketches are poor and I cringe sometimes when the blonde girl (perry's ex) is trying to be funny.

Charlie

Just to let people know that Studio 60 has been moved to a Monday night slot on TV3 @ 9pm.

All in all an entertaining show although i don't know if I would follow it if I didn't have Sky+.

I do loathe though this whole Christian far right versus Hollywood liberal left theme that runs through the show. I think it pigeon holes and generalizes too much, and assumes that people are on one or the other side of this so called 'culture war'.

geebag

charlie mchugh wrote:

Just to let people know that Studio 60 has been moved to a Monday night slot on TV3 @ 9pm.

All in all an entertaining show although i don't know if I would follow it if I didn't have Sky+.

I do loathe though this whole Christian far right versus Hollywood liberal left theme that runs through the show. I think it pigeon holes and generalizes too much, and assumes that people are on one or the other side of this so called 'culture war'.

What does this time change indicate in terms of ratings, is this Monday 9pm slot a promotion or demotion from 10pm on thursday?

sweetie

a promotion i presume. Decent lead up to lost on rte2 at 10