Cathy Seipp, TV critic
Cathy Seipp, TV critic:
“But lack of comic writing is less a problem with this new show than you might think, because “Studio 60” is only superficially about a comedy. Actually, it’s about the same thing “West Wing” was about: Characters of proper liberal moral clarity making rousing speeches to each other while the swelling soundtrack tells viewers what to feel.”
September 23rd, 2006 at 11:49 pm
I caught this post earlier this week with the pilot episode of Studio 60 sitting on the TiVo. I wanted to wait until I watched it (which I did tonight) before I commented on this.
So, I, a big fan of The West Wing (and of Sports Night for that matter), after seeing the pilot and reading Seipp’s whole article… can’t disagree with her main points. :) Sorkin does seem to have made a career out of writing liberal characters who get to use pretty much every episode to take a victory lap with their apparent moral and intellectual superiority. He lets them have their little challenges and setbacks, but the heroes always triumph. Studio 60 looks like it’s giong to be similar. Is it realistic? Nope. Is it fair? Of course not. Realizing that, do I enjoy watching it? Every minute. :)
Amy will tell you that my favorite comment about Sorkin is that I realize real people don’t talk that way, but it’s fun to watch. :) Watching Bartlett mop the floor with his pitiful strawman opponent in “Game On”, or seeing him mow down the thinly-vieled stand-in for Laura Schlesinger in “The Midterms”… I admit those are cheap shots, and simultaneously they’re some of my favorite moments from the show.
I guess what I’m trying to say, at least a lot of us who perhaps hold more liberal viewpoints don’t think that Sorkin’s shows really represent a superior or even realistic alternate universe. Just one that’s a lot of fun to watch. Seipp declares, “one thing [Sorkin is] not is funny.” I guess we just have to disagree on that one. My TiVo has a season pass set up for Studio 60. *shrug*