MovieChat Forums > Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006) Discussion > Studio 60 'United Nations' show

Studio 60 'United Nations' show

posted 17 years ago by blackedouteyes
12 replies | jump to latest

Looking at the episode "The Wrap Party", I'm noticing that there might be some similarities between "The West Wing", Aaron Sorkin's prior tv work, and The United Nations show that Jordan buys for NBS.
A seemingly boring locale, with possibilities of being great (West Wing of course which succeeded, and S60 got cancelled before the viewers found out the success of the UN show).
And since a lot of S60's characters, storylines, arguments are based on actual happenings and people, i was wondering if The UN show was based on Sorkin's "West Wing".

Anybody know?

[–] jfsugden 17 years ago

A lot of stuff in studio 60 comes from Aaorn Sorkin trying to stick it to everybody who ever disagreed with him. His main characters think like he does and we are all expected to agree. He attacks the religious right, TV network executives, the FCC and others. This was just another example. Two main characters complain about the dumbing down of television and want to put on a political show. Network executives dislike the idea and want more reality TV. The writer of the show doesn't want it on the network because its 'too good' for network TV and wants to sell it to HBO.

The whole thing is an unsubtle "In Your Face" from Sorkin to anyone who doubted the viability of his previous work or his skill as a writer. He's waving the success of The West Wing and telling the audience that he was right then and he's right now. We should all just do it his way.

Don't get me wrong I love his previous work and loved this show whilst it lasted. Sadly, it was a bit too self congratulatory and annoyed everyone else in TV whilst failing to find a sizeable audience. Cue cancellation

[–] blackedouteyes 17 years ago

Contrary to popular belief, S60 did have a favorably sized audience. The problem was that it's debut came during the boom of the DVR, which doesnt record audience numbers. So at such a late time on a weekday, a sizable amount of it's target demographic was already asleep, or working night jobs. This caused an appearance of bad ratings.

[–] JDeluxe73 16 years ago

by - jfsugden on Mon Apr 14 2008 06:35:50
"Sadly, it was a bit too self congratulatory and annoyed everyone else in TV whilst failing to find a sizeable audience. Cue cancellation"

In the summer of '07, here in Dallas, TX, D.L. Hughley was on the radio promoting his standup for that week at The Improv.

When the DJ asked about Studio 60, even D.L. himself, in an exasperated tone, replied, [and I'm paraphrasing here] "Man, it just took itself way too seriously. ... The show took itself too seriously."

That was it. He wanted to move on to something else.

[–] magicscoobysnacks 16 years ago

I can tell you what the show took too seriously, D.L's ability to read cue cards. News 60 was pretty painful whenever he had to do that. His scenes with Nate or Steven were fun though, I think there was a really fun part in there somewhere but it didn't not come out from over-seriousness. Sorry. Saying the show took itself too seriously's a cop out. There need to be specifics, like say "X never would've happened that way" or "Y is so much more lighthearted than that." They can't because there's nothing to point to. The way Andy was is how a lot of the SNL writers are as I gather. Conan's writers too (and he came out of the SNL environment). The 'oh yeah, that's funny' with a weird seriousness. S60's just not got the absurdist approach of 30 Rock and I fail to see how a drama of behind the scenes at a sketch comedy show could take itself much less seriously without being an hour comedy. It's a drama what are ya gonna do?

About Aaron's motives, the more I read his responses to the Facebook movie questions, the more you just realize, he's a good guy. A genuinely good guy, and he's actually pretty hard on himself about the show. He really isn't trying to be preachy. To me if the intent to be preachy isn't there, it just can't be. Maybe it means he still needs to change something but it can't be preachy accidentally. Preaching implies a certain arrogance and I think the more you hear from him the more you realize he's just not that. Someone asked him about how he writes women and they had a really good discussion. He didn't realize some things he thought were endearing or cute bugged some ladies out there and he clearly appreciates funny smart women. I'm too much of a chicken to put my real name out there to him and ask something unless I really have a great question but some of the others there are doing a nice job. Malina even popped in a few times earlier on to tease him.

"Do you think the world is crawling with Phyllises?"

[–] leemorr23 17 years ago

I look at this show...then I look at this season's Journeyman...then I look at the decision to greenlight a new Knight Rider...then I look at the new Bionic Woman...then I look at NBC letting Scrubs go to ABC...then I look at NBC agreeing to let Friday Night Lights air new episodes on DirecTV exclusively before rerunning them for the rest of the non-satellite owning public...and I realize, NBC deserves to have its license revoked...

[–] blackedouteyes 16 years ago

You included this show in your list, not this show getting cancelled. did you not like this show?

[–] Jeancarlo-Gabrielle 16 years ago

He didn't include S60 in the list. ._.

[–] blackedouteyes 16 years ago

he did, he said "i look at this show...then i look at..." etc etc. see its in the list.

[–] agedbritishpopstar 16 years ago

Since, as an earlier poster pointed out, the show was written often in a way that suggested Sorkin was preaching, I always found it interesting how harsh Matt (basically a Sorkin avatar) was on religious people. The reason it was so odd is that Sorkin's best known work, The West Wing, had perhaps the most sympathetic portrayals of religion I've seen. Bartlet was VERY religious and yet also extremely intelligent and sympathetic. Tobey, also very intelligent, was Jewish. There were other characters whose religion popped up throughout the show, but they were almost always portrayed sympathetically, with the exception of religious extremists (as in the pilot). Then, on Studio 60, even with the presence of Harriet and Matt uttering a little prayer of desperation in one episode, religion was almost ceaselessly mocked.

[–] dslah 16 years ago

I find it annoying how everyone assumes that everything his characters say is Sorkin's opinion. As a writer myself I know that while the basis of every character comes from your own experiences, that doesn't make them carbon copies of yourself or people you know.

Just because two people are arguing on the show, doesn't mean that Sorkin believes in what the characters are saying. Most of the time he had two viewpoints, both as valid as each other, being argued against. Things aren't as black and white as we'd like.

Yes, Bartlet was religious. Does that make Sorkin religious? Yes, Matt Albie mocked religion. Does that mean Sorkin believes the same thing?

What do I know? I'm a bear. I suck the heads off of fish.

[–] Jes' Sayin' (6398) 4 years ago

Bartlet was very religious for a while, but then argued with God in Latin in the Two Cathedrals episode, put out a cigarette on the floor and left his faith.

[–] leemorr23 16 years ago

I meant the fact that they cancelled this piece of brilliance...