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Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Episode 2 - Watch-Along Version (Patreon)

Published:
2026-03-31 00:59:11
Imported:
2026-08
Tags:

Content

The Cold Open

Files

S60 1 2

Comments

Adam Crandall

I subscribed to your channel way back when you were on the second season of West Wing. I have stayed, watching you complete The West Wing, and then moving on to The Newsroom. I have been waiting 4 YEARS for you to see the "cold open" The very model of a modern major TV show. This is PEAK Sorkin. The only reason they got cancelled is because Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey were willing to work for less, because it was Lorne and they were ok with it. 30 Rock was the reason this show got cancelled and it's a shame. But again...that budget though. And yes it's why Sorkin soured on TV.

Kt B

You know how The Wire decided to write 5 distinct seasons about looking at a problem from 5 different perspectives? You had the boots-on-the-ground soldiers at the heart of the drug conflict- gang members vs cops for Season 1. Then you had subsequent seasons evaluating how the drug problem was affected by corruption at importation (docks), corruption in politics (Mayor’s race), an educational system not serving all the children (middle school), and the gutting of meaningful media coverage to inform and hold people accountable (newspaper). That was a brilliant, intentional examination of institutions failing its citizens and the consequences across social strata. I think what Sorkin has done with his TV shows is a less planned, messier, but incisive look at how society is not being sufficiently served by media and politics. The West Wing was “here’s the state of national politics, with both its limitations and its promise, and here are the factors that get in the way of the government functioning well. That included a hefty dose of how public perception, especially as portrayed by the media, affected politicians’ decision-making and posturing. In turn, Sports Night, Studio 60, and The NewsRoom are all embedded in different media formats, but they share common philosophical discussions that continue to examine things like 1) What’s perceived as important versus what’s actually important 2) Who controls the narrative about important topics and how does that influence viewers/voters 3) What are the actual power structures driving programming and what narratives are allowed to be discussed on the air 4) Why are we constantly having things dumbed down for viewers, and what are the consequences 5) What happens when you try to speak Truth to Power, and what are the relevant Truths and who are the real Powers 6) How does human frailty undermine effectiveness, and how do you keep up the good fight anyway? Seeing you make your way through the different Sorkin shows really highlights the commonalities, and all of them have philosophical and political debate woven through every episode. I’ll be interested to hear how you feel about the way it’s explored in this context.

Balazs Foldes

And that, my friends, is what good television is. Damn, I love this episode. We always say, Sorkin is surprisingly good at writing funny for a serious writer. And this show challenges him, for sure . He has to write the small bits of funny in all his dialogues that he is admitedly great at, but must amp it up a ton. Because now he is not writing for government people, who may accidentally be funny at times; h is writing day-to-day dialogue for people whose job and personalit is to be funny and witty. But also, he has to write snippets of what would be ON this show in the show. Something that can sell it to people that Studio 60 would indeed by a classy and funny sketch show, and that Matt is indeed a genius writer. And while Sorkin is great, but I dont think he has much of a background in sketch comedy. So, I'm fine that it would only be small allusions to actual sketches most of the time, but it is a serious balancing act sometimes to maintain a kind of suspension of disbelief, make me accept that the funny is happening week by week.

Rich H

You may already know this , but the line where Jack says "Mary, you've got spunk. I hate spunk!" was from the Mary Tyler Moore Show -- spoken by Ed Asner's character, Lou Grant.

Gail Hislop

I just came across a Sorkin carry over in this episode and the series actually from the West Wing ( which I am doing my hundredth rewatch of but with your full length reactions. Season 4 Episode 13 Guns not Butter there is the exact same clock timer being used for a deadline Josh has on an up coming vote sitting on a conference table and in one scene he looks at it the same way Matt does and says ‘I hate that clock’ ! Made me laugh and wonder if Sorkin had one in his writers room or office for episode deadlines !?