MovieChat Forums > Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006) Discussion > Sick of Viewers Missing the Point

Sick of Viewers Missing the Point

posted 12 years ago by Speranza9
3 replies | jump to latest

I've read a number of comments on this board about Studio 60 not being funny, particularly the sketches.

In my view, the people making that comment have utterly missed the point.

The point of Studio 60 isn't to sample sketch comedy like 30 Rock (apparently) does. I say `apparently' because I've never seen it.

The central theme of Studio 60 is much more powerful and compelling. The theme is: `How does a sketch comedy show deal with the post 9/11 world, when the viewers are polarised on both political and religious lines and emotions are raw? When you have a satirical show which traditionally comments on politics, how do you deal with something so raw without going too far?'

Hence the sensitivity over `Crazy Christians' and `The Thin Skinned Prophet' etc; neither of which we actually saw.

(I also recognise that the show is an outlet for Sorkin to vent over his relationship with Kristin Chenoweth. Although, happily, the religious argument ties in with the major theme.)

In this context, it doesn't really matter whether the sketches we see are funny or not. I agree that few of the sketches seem very funny and, doubtless, the writers knew that because we rarely see them and never the complete routine.

It's what's happening behind the scenes which is compelling.I found the theme fascinating.

[–] killmeifyoulike 12 years ago

The actual problem is that the quality of Matt's sketches is directly related to Matt's credibility as great writer. When Matt's sketches fail, the character fails -- and the sketches fail all the time. Generalize this to every actor on the show within the show, and you see the problem. A large part of who they are is supposed to be their comedic sensibilities, yet when it comes time for them to actually do their job, they have zero believability. That's not good for the characters, and it's not good for the show.

[–] napierslogs 12 years ago

I'm not sure if viewers miss that point or not - especially if your argument is that people miss the point because they're confusing it with 30 Rock.

I would say the sketches that we see on 30 Rock's TGS are worse. Which is part of the point on that show. The sketches are the lowest of low quality comedy and you can't believe anybody would actually watch their show.

I agree that the point of the show is not the quality of their sketches, but I don't agree that the sketches were purposely bad.
I found the sketches from Studio 60's show to be closer to what one would find on Saturday Night Live. Which would probably be a more realistic view. A lot of the sketches aren't very funny, but some are decent, and I laughed at some of them. Probably a similar ratio to when I watch SNL.

To the poster above me, I think writing for a show like that would be next to impossible (which is part of the point with Studio 60) - you have restrictions coming at you from every angle and yet your viewership is broader than any other show.

Most people frequently complain that SNL isn't funny, and consequently complain that Seth Meyers is a bad writer, but that's just their personal taste. No writer can be so good that every viewer will be satisfied with their sketch comedy.

Just because you think it proves that Matt is a bad writer, thereby questioning the validity of the character in the first place, doesn't actually prove anything, because it's just your taste. Matt was promoted to head writer (that was his position, right?) because he was the best at what he does, compared to the other candidates.
I believe that's true because I think Seth Myers is the best at what he does (compared to other available candidates).
I've seen many clips from older episodes of SNL, and I thought they were crap. However I liked 2008-era SNL and those episodes had the highest number of sketches that I liked - that was a Seth Meyers-led year. If my taste was all that mattered, then therefore he's the best writer. But things like that are too subjective.

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[–] scrapmetal7 12 years ago

There is simply no way to like Studio 60. Even when the show as a whole approaches being tolerable, "Harriet" (Sarah Paulson) destroys it every time she has a scene.