Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Needs Your Help!

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Needs Your Help by Mike Liebner

We’re going into the 7th week of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and I’ve been dying to write up how I feel about this incredible new tv show. For one reason or another I get sidetracked and have yet to have written about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Not because I have little to say about it, but because this show is so special and monumental that I wanted to express exactly the right things… and that takes more than a fleeting 5 minute review of the show or what happened on it…

 

So here I am in awe of this wildly inovative new show and as I watched Ellen last night on Tivo with guest Amanda Peet, I heard Ellen say Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was in trouble” and has “difficulty finding an audience.

What??? With 6 episodes under it’s belt we’re already being subjected to gloom and doom scenarios about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip???

Ohhhh nooo! I’m shocked!

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is one of those rare shows that inspired me to go WOW as I watched the first episode. I remember instantly connecting to it and being amazed at how sharp and witty the writing was. It was far more than entertaining, it was satirical and right on the money spoofing the NBS Network.

While I must say I have always been a fan of the West Wing (Aaron Sorkin created that as well), the one thing that sometimes bothered me about it was the fast paced yet predictable dialogue that often employed long run on sentences that mere mortal actors must have been challenged with.

I know I could expect to be challenged when watching West Wing sometimes, as the believeability factor sometimes dropped in the toilet when those long run on sentences were trying to convey points. BUT, while evident on occasion on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, this writing style has been far more accesible and tolerable… in fact it really works, especially with grade A acting talent like Matthew Perry, Bradley whitford, D.L. Hughley, Amanda Peet, Steven Weber and Timothy Busfield rifiling off the long winded dialogue with perfection. For whatever reason, the frenetic dialogue worked well… perhaps because there are so many characers and the pace is so hectic as we watch an SNL sketch type TV show come together before our eyes.

Whatever the reason, from episode 1 I have been in awe of this great show. To hear that Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was having trouble finding an audience scares me BUT you know what… I hate to say it does not suprise me… beacuse history has shown that shows that are ‘too smart” or ‘too clever” often fall to the wayside. I can rattle off a large list of shows that have been abandoned despite being brilliant and having heaps of critical acclaim… but all too often the impatience of the network big wigs has prevented the shows from being allowed to find an audience. Of course there are expceptions. We all know about Seinfeld building a loyal following after stumbling initially… But how many shows get the chance to find their audience???

All I can hope is that because of the huge star power involved with this show, that the network executives can look past the declining ratings and get behind a show that is truly deserving of top ten status. It deserves to be seen and allowed to develop… It’s sad really when a top notch show like Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip falters, when it seems every show about celebrity reality this and that, dancing and singing and skating and farting and dieting and bloopers and anything that has Hollywood has-beens in it succeeds.

I never intended to write my first article about Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip in this tone. Sorry! I’m still in shock.

So, how bad are the ratings??? Well, the trend is a stiff decline. The share on the debut episode was a whopping 14 which is very commendable. Week 2 pulled in a share of 12 wich is still great! If it only held at that pace… but it has since dropped to 10 and 9 and the past two episodes have had a share of 8.

Is a share of 8 enough to keep Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on the air??? Will it be given an opportunity to develop and grow it’s audience? Can qualitative demographics be enough to keep Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on the air? Boy, I do hope so!

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is a ton of fun. Every episode has delighted me and it is the one show I can’t wait to watch. I’d say it is at the top of my list of favorite shows. What is so interesting is that I immediately connected with it. Characters made sense from the get go. It didn’t need to grow on me. It just worked.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is one heck of a show! Sure, it may be side by side with CSI: Miami, the 6th most popular Nielson rated show on tv last week, but hey - you can always TIVO both (yo do have Tivo, don’t you?) or watch that other excellent show in re-runs in the Spring like I do! Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip needs to be watched now!

If you have not yet seen Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip I highly suggest you give it a try. IF you love this show as much as I do - now is a crucial time - get out and tell anyone you can this show deserves to be seen. If the word of mouth can get pumped up a notch this may still have a chance. Let’s get behind it and give it a nice push!

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