Studio 60 TV Show - Blog

Saving Smart TV: Studio 60

2007-06-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

The three-part episode, "K & R" (kidnap and ransom) has been quite a ride so far. Interestingly, though, the blog chatter about this show has focused so much on its cancellation that hardly a note can be found about the shows themselves.

On that note, here is a wildly popular posting by Jack Myers of MediaPost's TV Board. He received over 1,000 (a thousand!) replies to this posting, which appeared June 15th.

Save ‘Studio 60′: Fans Need to Take Action
Posted June 15th, 2007 by Jack Myers

If the fans of “Jericho” can bring it back from the dead, why won’t fans of “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” convince NBC to bring it back for another season...

Go here to read the post:

http://blogs.mediapost.com/tv_board/?p=99

Tonight's Episode

2007-05-31T16:06:00.001-07:00

Here's the inevitable wrap up show:

"Breaking News"

Jordan is rushed to the hospital, while Harriet has big news for Matt.

5/31/07, 10pm (9 central)

Lights Out for Studio 60

2007-05-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

S60 fans, the verdict is in. NBC is cancelling the show. On a positive note, it seems that the remaining episodes that have already been produced will air in the coming weeks.

Here's a snippet of an article published on TV Newsday, where the NBC fall schedule is outlined:

UPFRONT '07

NBC GOING SUPERNATURAL WITH FALL SEASON

ASSOCIATED PRESS, MAY. 14, 10:34 AM ET

With Heroes its only new hit of the season, struggling NBC announced a fall schedule Monday that includes a spinoff and three other dramas also trading on supernatural themes.

By David Bauder

NEW YORK (AP) _ With ''Heroes'' its only new hit of the season, struggling NBC announced a fall schedule Monday that includes a spinoff and three other dramas also trading on supernatural themes.

The network took a risk by keeping its Thursday night comedy lineup intact. NBC has drawn strong critical praise but few viewers for shows like ''30 Rock'' and ''The Office,'' leaving the network faltering on a night it once dominated.

NBC, the first of the broadcast networks to unveil a new schedule to advertisers this week, canceled ''Crossing Jordan'' and the high-profile failure ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.''

Another critical favorite that hasn't found a big audience, ''Friday Night Lights,'' was renewed.
''Law & Order'' will be back for its 18th season and ''Medium'' will return, but not until January, when they take over a Sunday time slot filled by football in the fall.

###

Studio 60 TV Schedule - Show Returns

2007-05-10T20:47:00.000-07:00

NBC - Thursday, May 24th, at 10pm Eastern / 9pm Central.

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your TiVOs!

NEXT ON:

"The Disaster Show"

Allison Janney guest hosts when a strike makes everything go haywire.

Fans will remember Allison as the intrepid C. J. Craig on The West Wing.

Studio 60 Airs Again On NBC - May 24th

2007-04-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

There's some good news for everyone hoping to see another episode of Studio 60.

Broadcast of the next episode is said to be scheduled for May 24th.

It's also said that NBC will air 6 episodes that have already been produced.

Also, here are the pitiful results for the E! "Save This Show" survey:

Save One Show 2007

The Results:

Save One Show

(0%) 30 Rock
(0%) The Class
(0%) Close to Home
(0%) Crossing Jordan
(0%) Friday Night Lights
(36%) Gilmore Girls
(0%) How I Met Your Mother
(0%) Jericho
(0%) Medium
(0%) The Nine
(21%) One Tree Hill
(0%) Scrubs
(0%) Six Degrees
(2%) Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
(8%) Supernatural
(32%) Veronica Mars
(1%) What About Brian

VOTE to keep S60 On The Air

2007-04-02T10:44:00.000-07:00

Vote for Studio 60!

Save Studio 60 by voting on the E! Online poll.

Ask everybody you know to vote too!

Polls are now open and will close on april 6th.

Results on April 13th.

Here's the offer from E! Online:

"The winner receives show-saving promotion in all three of our mediums—E! Online, E! News and the Vine. Plus, I personally will deliver your show-saving plea directly to the network execs of the winning show, so feel free to share your show-saving message in the Comments section."

HERE'S THE LINK:
http://www.eonline.com/polls/full_page_poll.jsp?pollID=6084

VOTE FOR STUDIO 60!

Feb 19th Show, and What's Next

2007-02-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

The 4a.m. Miracle - That, it was. A brilliantly woven episode that brought Matt and Harry full circle, and brought Jordan and Danny even closer.

Those old predictions of the show's demise have surfaced again. Toni Fitzgerald, a staff writer for Media Life cites low ratings for its February 19th show as a death knell for the Studio 60, saying that it "left the air with a whimper... for an extended and perhaps permanent hiatus."

Of course, there is no official news about a cancellation. NBC announced that Studio 60 will return later this season, date to be determined.

Next week, Feb. 26, we'll see the premiere of the Paul Haggis series drama, "The Black Donnellys," another highly anticipated show. It looks to be their rendition of "The Sopranos," with an Irish crime family.

TV Guide did have another episode listed, "Breaking News": the tale of things going haywire during a live broadcast, as Jordan has a pregnancy scare, while Tom has a crisis of his own. Matt's pill popping comes out into the open. This episode has been postponed.

A skeptical Variety, noting that the latest episode's ratings were the lowest yet, suggested that pulling the show a week earlier than planned will no doubt raise a new round of questions about the show’s long-term fate.

There are bound to be nay sayers with a series like Studio 60. After all, this series was created by two lauded NBC producers, Sorkin and Schlamme, just off a tremendously successful and long-running series, The West Wing.

The fact that the show was put on hiatus a week early may mean that the ratings plunge was too steep for NBC execs' tastes, and they're trying to rescue what should have been a fantastic time slot.

In the mean time, we can still enjoy NBC's other show-wrapped-in-a-show, 30 Rock.

Studio 60 news sources

2007-01-31T11:50:00.000-08:00

If you're looking for news about Studio 60, check out our links. The official TV Guide listing for the show has the latest plot synopsis, pictures, fan information, and interviews.

NBC has a small site for its fictional network, NBS, as well as a page for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

The fictional network page is a bit sparse. NBC should solicit us here at this blog to help them flesh it out.

Just for fun, here are the official Credits for the show from NBC:

Day & time: Mondays on NBC (10-11 p.m. ET)

Premiere date: Monday, September 18 (10-11 p.m. ET)

Starring: Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Steven Weber, D.L. Hughley, Sarah Paulson, Nathan Corddry, Timothy Busfield

Executive producers: Thomas Schlamme and Aaron Sorkin

Co-executive producer: Eli Attie

Creator: Aaron Sorkin

Producers: Mark Goffman, Dylan Massin and Patrick Ward

Story editors: Dana Calvo and Mark McKinney

Staff writers: Christina Kiang Booth, Jessica Brickman, David Handelman, Cinque Henderson, Amy Turner, Melissa Myers

Director: Thomas Schlamme

Casting director: Meg Liberman

Production designer: Kenneth Hardy

Art director: Chris Nushawg

Director of photography: Thomas Del Ruth

Origination: Los Angeles

Produced by: Warner Bros. Television

Seeing Studio 60 - Recaps and Encores

2007-01-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

The next episode, "The Harriet Dinner," features Heroes star, Masi Oka. If you're not familiar with him, check here on the Internet Movie Database. Some may recognize him as Franklyn on Scrubs, but he's done a lot of visual effects film work, too, proving his true geekiness.

Based on the Danny/Jordan situation, last week's episode could have been titled "A Thousand Times, No." Just to make this uncomfortable romance a bit worse, Danny and Jordan are locked on the roof of the theater while the cast and staff attend a dinner honoring Harriet. For her part, Harriet is getting seems headed for romantic entanglement with both Matt and a new friend.

For encores, Bravo has run just about everything from 2006 in a sort of marathon around the 22nd of January. NBC also offers a download of the current week's show, in case you missed it, and also there's the 2-minute recap for those of us who are time-starved.

Be sure to tune in to this week's episode, at 10:00pm Monday, 1/29/07.

Next On: January 22nd and Sarah Gets a GG Nom!

2007-01-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

Two great bits of news:

Real life - Sarah Paulson, who plays Harriet on the show, is an official Golden Globe Nominee, Best Supporting Television Actress! Congratulations, Sarah!

The show - Returns to its regular schedule on January 22nd, with an episode all about the raging FCC battle, while Matt and Harriet go a few rounds. Ah, love...

The Christmas Show - It's for Real

2006-12-11T17:06:00.000-08:00

Those of you who missed last week's episode will get another chance when the Christmas Show episode airs again on 12/18/06. Tonight, starting at 9:00pm, NBC is presenting the NBC movie, "The Year Without a Santa Claus."

Check out the Music From the Show section of the NBC/Studio 60 page.

12/11/06 on CNET:

The New Orleans arrangement of "O Holy Night" that was featured on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is available for free download.

A group of New Orleans musicians led by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews played the new version of the Christmas classic as part of "The Christmas Show" episode's story line.

The musicians are really Hurricane Katrina survivors as they played on the show. The vignette was coordinated by the Tipitina's Foundation, an nonprofit organization dedicated to helping New Orleans musicians affected by Katrina.

An MP3 of the song can be streamed or downloaded from NBC's Studio 60 music site.

Posted by Candace Lombardi. Candace Lombardi is a staff writer based in the Cambridge, Mass., bureau.

NBC Keeps Smart Shows

2006-11-22T18:31:00.000-08:00

Although this isn't directly concerning Studio 60, we're sure that fans of Studio 60 are also checking out its sister show, "30 Rock."

Good news for 30 Rock fans: According to The Hollywood Reporter web site, NBC has ordered three more episodes, bringing the total pick-up to six episodes.

It's a cool show, also a smartly written show, that fans of great dialog will favor. And with a new time slot at 9:30 on Thursdays, it is on right after the ever-popular "Scrubs."

Studio 60, meanwhile, has indeed been picked up for a full season, along with the highschool-themed drama, "Friday Night Lights." We should note that outdoor scenes for FNL were shot in Pflugerfille, TX, where the locals partying in the awesome city of Austin go to sleep it off.

"The Option Period": Monday night's episode of Studio 60 was, again, stellar. The intertwining of the story lines of the budget squeeze, the betrayal by the head writers, and the money vs. art question posed via "product placement" was classic Sorkin.

Don't forget to see the full episode, or the two-minute replay, if you missed this episode. You'll find both on the official Studio 60 site.

Next Week:

Episode "B-12" Christine Lahti and Howie Mandel guest star. A hostage-taking gunman causes a crisis, a virus ripples through the cast, and Matt digs deep for "funny" with a newly reduced writing staff. As if that wasn't enough, tune in to see Jordan drop a bombshell on Danny. (We may already know what it is. Shhhhhh...)

Studio 60 ON THE AIR - Full Season to Come

2006-11-10T21:32:00.000-08:00

It's true. They're keeping Studio 60 ON THE AIR. (Sorry - it's the only valid use of blinking text we've ever come across.)

According to Ben Grossman's Nov. 9 article in Broadcasting & Cable, NBC has given Studio 60 a full season pick-up. That means they're paying for all episodes to the end of the season. They're banking that the show will gradually find its audience.

Seems the show is averaging a 4.0 rating among all you 18-49 year olds, and continues to appeal to extremely upscale audiences.

SO -- if you want to feel really, really upscale, you don't have to check into the nearest Hilton; just tune into Studio 60, and bask in the luxury.

Now, my question is this: why put this wonderful show directly after the youth-audience hit, Heroes, which appeals to a completely different crowd, and then expect that audience to stick around for Studio 60?

If NBC would like to know how to fix their schedule, they should just hire US.

In the mean time, get comfortable, tune in, and enjoy the show...

Awesome Part I - Can't Wait for Part II

2006-11-08T00:39:00.000-08:00

Studio 60 continues next week with part two of the episode, "Nevada Day."

We really loved this episode, and so did fans. Sadly, it might be that because of the break in episodes, and a not-so-great episode prior to that, people didn't tune in to see this more energetic, engaging episode.

One fan comments on this blog, "Last night's episode was wonderful; a very, very clever plot, great guest spot by John Goodman, the usual brilliant dialog we can reliably expect from a genius like Aaron Sorkin, and laugh out-loud funny."

Hear that, NBC?

Heck, they don't need to. As we mentioned in our previous post, NBC CEO Robert Wright is denying any rumors about cancellation, saying that NBC has too much invested in the series. Of course, they did cancel The West Wing after a paltry seven seasons and two presidential elections. What were they thinking...?

Anyway, if you're really interested in keeping the show going, check out the comments on the NBC site here:

Studio 60 - Photos

No, we don't know why they stuck the comments area on the photo page.

The final word: Studio 60 Stays

2006-11-02T18:33:00.000-08:00

From the CEO's mouth: it's unlikely that Studio 60 will be yanked from the schedule.

He's said so to Mr. Roger Friedman, of FoxNews.com. Some of you may have seen an article by Friedman where he claims that insiders had indicated that the smart Sorkin series was about to be cancelled. It seems that NBC CEO Robert Wright is denying the rumor.

Wright said such a move was unlikely because "We have too much money invested in it. ... I think it will go on."

NBC CHIEF SAYS STUDIO 60 WILL STAY

Interestingly, following the cancellation rumor came numerous blog entries taking pot shots, alternately at the strength of the show's premise, and at the intelligence of an audience that would tune out such a snappy show.

Alive and Well - Studio 60 Schedule

2006-10-30T17:19:00.000-08:00

Recently a fan mentioned that Studio 60 would not be airing tonight Oct, 30, and asked if Studio 60 was in trouble as a series.

Good question.

Here's the essence of our reply to this all important question:

The official NBC site says the following: "Studio 60 returns with an all-new episode in one week! And on Monday, October 30, don't miss a special presentation of Friday Night Lights at 10/9c."

As with Sorkin's previous work with NBC ("The West Wing"), there are occasional weeks off, followed by new episodes. People may be reading doom and gloom into this skipped episode so early in the season of the show, but this show has already aired 7 episodes, so it wouldn't be unusual to have a break, or for them to try out other shows in that time slot.

The next episode, "Nevada Day Part 1," airs Monday, November 6 at the usual time.

Since the next episode is a 2-parter, I wouldn't read too much into this break happening at this time. Better to break before the 2-parter than to break in the middle.

One article we found (sorry, the link to it is lost to the sands of time) had surmised that this schedule change meant that the NBC execs didn't feel good about the show, or that the show was in trouble.

We don't think that is the case, and here's why. NBC already has the show scheduled for the same day and time, the following week. This skip in airings seems simply part of NBC's modus operandi for spreading out the airings of this popular and expensive series, and giving other shows a chance in a popular time slot.

It's a "Sting," People - Sting on Studio 60

2006-10-20T01:35:00.000-07:00

Monday's episode, "The Long Lead Story," jumped into dual quagmires: as a reporter probes for juicy reality tidbits for an article, Jordan is pitched just about the worst sounding reality show, ever. As the “Studio 60” cast and crew rehearse with host Lauren Graham and musical guest Sting, Matt and Harriet get grilled about their personal history by a reporter (played wickedly cool by Christine Lahti). Jordan receives a pitch for a tasteless reality TV series and has to decide whether to take on the potential hit or shoot for something better.

Don't you just love when people 'do the right thing' for once?

Next week:

"The Wrap Party" - Jordan gets skunk-drunk at a wrap party; Danny tries to ease Matt's female problems... by adding more females; Simon pushes for more color on “Studio 60” in the writers bullpen. Eli Wallach, of all people, mysteriously turns up backstage. But aside from that, it's the perfect model of a late night network TV show.

Use Your Closed Captions, People -- Studio 60 Still Good Odds

2006-10-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

As of Friday, Oct, 13th, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is at 130:1 for being cancelled, according to Brilliant But Cancelled's "Deathwatch." They say that S60OTSS most recent rating is 5.5, which would be horribly destructive, were it an earthquake, but pretty decent for the ratings on a new show just hitting its stride.

Perhaps things would have gone better for them if they hadn't said "funny is in short supply" in their promo materials. It seems to set the viewer up for a hilarious show that makes up for that short supply. Regardless, the trademark snappy writing is all there (watch the show with Closed Captions on, so you can get everything the characters are saying) -- and the cast is doing all they can with it.

Meanwhile, step on over to one of our fun sponsors, Phunny Foodz, and grab yourself some really hot nuts and spicy treats. They'll be fun to munch while you watch next week's episode!

Studio 60 Saves the Night... for SNL

2006-10-08T11:21:00.000-07:00

It's been reported in Ad Age that Saturday Night Live actually got a ratings boost with the introduction of NBC's two "show within a show" shows - Studio 60, and 30 Rock.

There's more work to be done, Studio 60 fans...

The article goes on to say that "Studio 60" has taken a tumble from its first night. The show premiered to 13.4 million viewers, but dropped to 8.9 million in week 3. The 18-49-year-old demographic rating was 3.4, down from the premiere, which was 5.0.

Peet News, TV Listings, and More: Studio 60 Oct. 2 Episode - The Focus Group

2006-10-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

The TV Guide folks describe tonight's episode this way:

Episode Title: "The Focus Group"

“Studio 60” is reviewed by a focus group, and the results are less than reassuring for the cast and crew.

We all want other people's opinions, until we actually get them. It'll be fun to see how the cast and crew handle the critique.

As a nice soft cushion between Deal and S60, NBC is airing Heroes tonight at 9:00pm. We can only take just so much Deal.

Apparently, that's not the only news. Amanda Peet announced that she and screenwriter David Benioff, engaged for more than a year and expecting their first child in early 2007, tied the knot over the weekend.

Peet and Benioff were married Saturday in a ceremony at Friends Seminary, the Quaker school Peet attended as a teenager. Guests at the wedding included Mark Ruffalo and his wife, Sunrise, and actress Elizabeth Berkley and her husband, artist Greg Lauren, the celeb weeklies report.

By the way, here's a handy SHOWCARD for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Studio 60 Premiere - Ratings

2006-09-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, folks, here's the verdict on the Studio 60 premiere.

Aaron Sorkin's new drama "Studio 60" started off not too badly for NBC on Monday, but it was "Deal or No Deal" that led the network to a ratings win on the first night of the 2006-07 season.

At 10 p.m., the season premiere of "CSI: Miami" scored the night's biggest audience with an 11.2/17. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" averaged a decent 8.6/14 for NBC but lost a significant number of viewers in its second half-hour. ABC was third with "Supernanny," 4.8/8.

Zap2It article: 'Deal' Strong, 'Studio 60' OK for NBC

Maybe people were just channel surfing between other premiering shows that night, or maybe most of us had already seen the thing on the web and we got bored seeing it twice. I'm not convinced putting the whole deal out there early on the web and Netflix was the brightest idea, since it gave people less to look forward to. With "Deal," there wasn't a preview out there spoiling the surprise.

Studio 60 was part of making the network the winner for the Fall Premiere season - which tells you something, given the super-smart writing typical of Sorkin fare.

I'm planning to watch the whole darn episode next time.

Studio 60 Premiere - Place Your Bets

2006-09-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT! 9/18/06 - NBC - 10:00PM EST / 9:00PM CST

In U.S. markets, tonight September 18, 2006 is the official NBC premiere of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. See Judd Hirsh blow his top: full screen, full motion, living color!

Question - do you feel that the show will hold up?

The NBC Universal -owned website Brilliant But Cancelled is taking bets. Check out their "Deathwatch" list and see how S60OTSS rates, along with the new shows from all the major broadcast networks. Sign up, and place your bet. The site doesn't load quickly, but be patient and you'll satisfy both your gambling and S60OTSS itches in one fell scratch.

Of course, all good series have a next week's episode. This one will be "The Cold Open," airing September 26th.

Here's the TV Guide synopsis for "The Cold Open": "Matt and Danny are under a tremendous amount of pressure, with only five days to put together their first show. Making matters even more stressful are increased tensions between Matt and his ex-girlfriend Harriet, whom he still feels strongly about. Also, Jordan finds herself battling a religious group (and her bosses) over a controversial sketch...before it has even aired."

Premiere episode online now!

2006-09-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

It's been on YouTube (temporarily) and Netflix. The blogs have been full of speculation and links to online promos (heck, we even have a couple on our site, Studio 60 TV Show.com).

Everybody's been looking for a way to get a sneak peek at the "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" premiere episode before it airs next week.

Guess what!

AOL is NOW SHOWING the premiere episode, without commercials. Well, not exactly -- AOL will have a light, flaky crust of online advertising, for your distracting pleasure. But the premiere is THERE for the watching.

Studio 60 - AOL Television

Here's an article on Mediapost that mentions Studio 60 and number of other shows that AOL plans to debut before their air dates.

Sneak peeks of the series were kind of fun when it was someone posting the video in crummy pieces on YouTube. The Netflix release seemed like a bit of a come-on to get new subscribers (but then we all knew that, and subscribed anyway). But now that die-hard Studio 60 pre-fans sold their souls to the Netflix database, the AOL thing seems a little bit uncool.

Give your opinion: Will this slick, smooth, ad-free pre-airing suck the anticipation and energy out of the Studio 60 premiere? What do you think this means for TV?

For those of you who don't want to spoil your Studio 60 Premiere Night on Sept. 18th, don't go to AOL. Heck, have you seen the
2003 Charlie Rose interview with Aaron Sorkin on Google Video yet?

In the News: NBC is Primed with Studio 60

2006-09-05T11:21:00.000-07:00

Hi, Studio 60 fans, it's official: there's already critical praise for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, coming from a Madison Avenue advertising research company. Of course, we don't need to be told it's gonna be great, but it's nice to hear it from outside.

From the Media Daily News:

"The new drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" is among the best pilots we've seen in a while...," wrote Magna Global's Steve Sternberg in a report released last week.

Read the article:

Report: NBC Is Primed, Reality Slammed

Episode 1 airs soon - are you watching?

2006-09-01T18:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Studio 60 TV Show blog. Feel free to comment on any of the announcements you see here, or blurt out what you're thinking, as long as it's something about the show.

A few lucky people have seen the pilot episode (please, no spoilers) -- many of these people may wish to see it when it airs for real on September 18th.

What do you think? To watch, or not to watch -- and do these sneak releases of show pilots help or hinder the buzz for a show?