Many Sorkin-lovers will defend Studio 60 as brilliant (as if people walking in circles spouting lame dialogue about product placement is interesting) and tell me to shut-up and stop watching if I hate it so.
But I can't. And I finally figured out why. The show is DELICIOUSLY BAD AND OVER-HYPED -- in a Showgirls sort of way. What I mean is -- everyone involved actually performs this super-serious, hyper-earnest, pseudo-intellectual, pretentious crapfest as if they are reciting Shakespeare -- without pausing to recognize its crappiness.
And honestly -- I can't wait to tune in each week and see just how bad it will be.
Last night's episode was a perfect example of Sorkin lameness. The A Plot: Amanda Peet wants Danny and Matt to can 15 employees or consider product placement. This might just be the MOST BORING plot ever conceived for American TV. What made it lamer? In their passionate discourse (while running haphazardly through the halls of Studio 60) -- the characters manage to LAMELY name-drop half a dozen corporate sponsors.
The B Plot: Tom and Simon passionately following Harriet around the halls of Studio 60 for 60 minutes saying the same thing over and over again. They don't want her to pose in her lingerie, but Harriet wants to do it -- to prove she's sexy. The only problem is that we see Harriet mostly nekid in the first four minutes of the show and it IS NOT A PRETTY SIGHT. She has the body of a boy -- or a pre-op tranny. Harriet -- please keep it on. If this show hinges on the chemistry between Matt and Harriet, then it's really in trouble, considering I'm pretty sure that Matt and Danny are the real ROMANTIC COUPLE of the show (they have the chemistry and continuously "stroke each other's egos" with Aaron's "Intellectual Reach-Arounds).
The C Plot: The writing staff walking out. But I wonder how this is an issue since A) Matt writes every second of the show himself and B) as far as I can tell, besides the black guy and English chick, the writing staff hasn't shown up to work in weeks.
Not only do I get freaking dizzy following the characters on their STUPID WALK AND TALKS -- I get sleepy listen to them REPEAT THE SAME ARGUMENT 100 TIMES -- you know for the stupid people in the audience who don't quite understand anything unless hit over the head with an ANVIL. Aaron, HANDLE THIS TRUTH -- you have an inability to BE SUBTLE OR OFFER NUANCED WRITING. Ever since A Few Good Men, your writing has been heavy-handed and melodramatic.
What I find most funny about Studio 60, is how serious it is, and how smart it thinks it is. And yet, take away the walk and talk (THE BIGGEST SORKIN DISTRACTION DEVICE), and you realize that all the characters are one-dimensional turds and this is the second-rate dialogue at best. Any TV101 TEACHER would tell you the dialogue is bad, because:
1) NOBODY ACTUALLY TALKS LIKE THIS.
2) IN THE REAL WORLD PEOPLE HAVE PERSONALITIES AND THEY DON'T ALL TALK EXACTLY THE SAME IN LAME SORKINESE.
3) THERE'S NO SUBTEXT TO THE WRITING.
4) EVERYTHING IS A LECTURE OR A DISCOURSE. THE DIALOGUE DOESN'T SERVE THE STORY AS MUCH AS IT FEEDS INTO SORKIN'S AGENDA -- WHICH IS TO PROVE HOW SMART HE IS.
I guess I keep watching because the show isn't boring. In fact, I get a thrill watching how horrifically bad TV can be, when someone hands the reign of power to ONE MAN and nobody tells him that he's lame or that perhaps he SHOULD GET OFF HIS HIGH HORSE.
Part of me hopes that Studio 60 goes on forever. Because right now I am so damn amused by its awfulness -- in the same way that I used to be amused by Baywatch.
Wordy McWord, G. You are spot on, chica.
Posted by: Bianca Reagan | Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 04:41 PM