How the mighty, etc

If you're sick of hearing me talk about Sorkin and/or Studio 60, you may...or may not...want to follow this link to a column by Tim Goodman of the SF Chronicle. I think most of what he says is true.

Perhaps especially:

Who's the rooting interest here? (Take your time.) Ultimately, it was hard to care. Those who tried to care were Sorkin loyalists

I cared about Matt, as I care about most characters who care about writing well. But even as a "Sorkin loyalist"...it was hard to care as much about him after last weeks episode practically begged for our sympathy.

I have a few other exceptions or at least qualifications which I'll get to now.

It was a drama about a comedy show but the skits weren't funny.

And it didn't help that the series kept asking us to believe this was supposed to be not just a more-than-fitfully-funny show. On the order of the best years of Saturday Night Live. No, this was The Virtual Reincarnation Of The Commedia dell'arte.

Even an experienced troupe of sketch comedy writers and players would have had trouble living up to what Studio 60, in the reality of the series, was supposed to be. Aaron Sorkin & crew never had a chance.

Sarah Paulson [was] not funny in this series playing [a] comic...

Same thing. I'd argue that she was...but not so funny as we were asked to believe she was. Sarah Paulson was my discovery of the series, and I look forward to seeing her in projects where the writing doesn't put her in untenable positions.

Here the writing failed her twice. First by telling us over and over that Harriet Hayes was supposed to be not just a hardworking actress and comedian but something like a less-flitty Drew Barrymore.

Someone who is perceived to be so talented at comedy and at drama, and so sexy, that the worlds and men of show business lie at her feet. Come on. Talk about giving someone a heavy burden.

And then, to my dismay, Sorkin backed away from one of the things I found most interesting about the character: Her religious faith. There were lots of places I think that could have gone, not all (but some) to do with her relationship with Matthew.

It's a path-less-traveled in television, whereas we've all seen the inter-office dating stories (and seen them, and seen them, and seen them). But it seemed much of that got thrown by the wayside in an attempt to find something, anything, for a mass audience to latch on to (and by extention, not be offended by).

Maybe better he should have made this about such a show's first year on the air. Then maybe we wouldn't have had those embarassing moments where the characters are celebrating their great ratings victory...when we know it's just not true.