Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

[Fast Learner]

I thought it was going to be better than 30 Rock.

It is way, way better than 30 Rock, in my book. I crush heavily on Tina Fey, but the show is so bad that seeing her in nearly every scene wasn't enough to make it worth watching.

I also completely disagree with Felon. And y'know, the show actually was smarter than a whole bunch of people who might be watching. Shockingly, I consider that a good thing.

 

[satori01]

I would say the show pretended at being smarter. Ultimately while I love the cast, and I love the premise, the writing was poor, unrealistic, and self indulgent.

The 'issues' the show dealt with, were often only given the most trivial and superficial treatment, and once dealt with, disappeared into the ether, never to trouble faux Hollywood again.
The show w/in the show aspect never worked...there was never any real humor.

I would also say it suffered from DS9 syndrome, in that the show introduced too many characters at once, and there was no distinguishable personalities. All the characters were quip meisters, all the scenes had the same, unrealistic dialogue, if always felt to me the script for Studio 60 had the the dialogue written and the character names were optional, and interchangeable.

In the beginning I liked Studio 60 more than Hereos, but Hereos got better, and Studio 60 became more and more a bad stage play.

 

[Mark CMG]

The show seemed to be doomed by unreasonable expectations almost from the beginning.

Maybe. But for me to enjoy it as a viewer it doesn't have to out-funny the bear, it just has to out-funny enough other shows.

I thought it was going to be better than 30 Rock.

It is way, way better than 30 Rock, in my book.

Despite both shows taking place behind the scenes of similar fictitious shows, 30 Rock and Studio 60 should not be compared.

 

[Crothian]

Studio 60's position wasn't just that mainstream American TV is dumbed-down, but that mainstream Americans are dumber than the people behind Stuido 60. Remember the way they portrayed a focus group as a bunch of morons? Remember Jordan sitting behind the glass criticizing one guy's mispronunciation of Commedia Dell'Arte

That's what I would call reading too much into it. The focus group was not middle America it was out of work Hollywood people looking for a job. And ya, they thought they were smarter then everyone else. That was part of their character; these are flawed people.

 

[el-remmen]

Despite both shows taking place behind the scenes of similar fictitious shows, 30 Rock and Studio 60 should not be compared.

I disagree.

I think 30 Rock accomplishes everything Studio 60 thought it would while being a hell of a lot funnier and relevant. It touches on a lot of the same issues but never takes itself seriously - and it seemed to me that Studio 60 always took itself too seriously even when trying to be funny. It is an absurd world out there, folks, stop pretending like it ain't. . .

 

[LightPhoenix]

I don't really have much to add, except that I pretty much agree with Felon.

The first episode? Great. After that, downhill for a long time. Some of the later episodes were okay, but by then the damage was done.

 

[Mark CMG]

I think 30 Rock accomplishes everything Studio 60 thought it would (. . .)

It doesn't. Nor does it try. One is a half hour comedy while the other is a one hour drama with comedic moments. I agree that 30 Rock does a better job at what it is meant to do than Studio 60 does at what it is meant to do, but that isn't a direct comparison.

As a point to consider, look at how they each deal with substance abuse. 30 Rock has raging alchoholism as comedy while one of the underlying premises of Studio 60 is how the entertainment industry is rife with a glamorized drug culture.

 

[el-remmen]

I would say 30 Rock's handling of substance abuse if more relevant and real and not as after-school-special-cheesy. . .

 

[Fast Learner]

Despite both shows taking place behind the scenes of similar fictitious shows, 30 Rock and Studio 60 should not be compared.

I'm not comparing them on the basis of their themes, just on whether I think the shows are any good. Heroes is great, Daybreak was good, Studio 60 is good, 30 Rock sucks. I'm purely comparing them on a "new shows this year" basis.

 

[Felon]

It was Peripheral Vision Man.

Thanks, I knew it was something devoid of premise.