Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006–2007)

A behind-the-scenes look at a fictional sketch-comedy TV show.

Creator:

Aaron Sorkin

Stars:

Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 2 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Matthew Perry	...	Matt Albie (22 episodes, 2006-2007)
Amanda Peet	...	Jordan McDeere (22 episodes, 2006-2007)
Bradley Whitford	...	Danny Tripp (22 episodes, 2006-2007)
Steven Weber	...	Jack Rudolph (22 episodes, 2006-2007)
D.L. Hughley	...	Simon Stiles (22 episodes, 2006-2007)
Sarah Paulson	...	Harriet Hayes (22 episodes, 2006-2007)
Nathan Corddry	...	Tom Jeter (22 episodes, 2006-2007)
Timothy Busfield	...	Cal Shanley (22 episodes, 2006-2007)
Nate Torrence	...	Dylan Killington (19 episodes, 2006-2007)
Lucy Davis	...	Lucy Kenwright (15 episodes, 2006-2007)
Ayda Field	...	Jeannie Whatley (15 episodes, 2006-2007)
Camille Chen	...	Samantha Li (14 episodes, 2006-2007)
Simon Helberg	...	Alex Dwyer (13 episodes, 2006-2007)
Merritt Wever	...	Suzanne (12 episodes, 2006-2007)
Mark McKinney	...	Andy Mackinaw (10 episodes, 2006-2007)
Columbus Short	...	Darius Hawthorne (10 episodes, 2006-2007)
John F. Carpenter	...	Herb Sheldon (9 episodes, 2006-2007)

Storyline

A behind-the-scenes look at a fictional sketch-comedy TV show.

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Plot Keywords:

television | homosexual subtext | television studio | television flop | actor shares first name with character | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

CTV [ca] NBC [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Studio 60

Filming Locations:

Dijon Street, Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros. Television, Shoe Money Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The episode title card and opening credits use the same font as The West Wing, another show written by Aaron Sorkin.

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Goofs

In many episodes the countdown clock in Matt's office jumps back and forth. Also, in many cases, after doing some math, it is obvious the clock is not accurate.

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Quotes

Matt Albie: Look, I hate Los Angeles just like everybody else, but I have to work here because in any other part of the country I'm unemployable.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Dane Cook/The Killers (2006)

User Reviews

Strong, dialogue driven show.

I've enjoyed Sorkin ever since I saw A Few Good Men. Sports Night gets regular repeats in my DVD player, and while I never quite got in to West Wing because of scheduling problems on my end, what I did see always impressed me. So I was waiting very eagerly for Studio 60 to premiere. It didn't disappoint.

Now, this show is probably not for everyone. Sorkin doesn't lob softballs at us. He wants us to think, he's not going to spell every little thing out for the audience. Some see him as being preachy, but I'm afraid they not seeing for the forest for the trees here. Some also accuse him of anti-whatever propaganda, but fail to acknowledge or account for the existence of counter balance in the show itself (IE anti-Christian sentiments in S60, although one of his main characters is a level headed and likable Christian woman).

The cast is sublime. Matthew Perry pretty much does what he does, but now he can be the edgier actor he wanted to be. Bradley Whitford has always been underrated and he doesn't fail to impress me here. All of the other members of the supporting cast (including Timothy Busfield, who was looking surprisingly John Ritter-esquire in profile) are worthy. I've seen tons of criticism for Amanda Peet as the newly named president of the network, but I honestly can say I'm buying it. She does have a tendency to make the same face for everything, but otherwise, she's playing the part as it's written. Sometimes it's not the actor, it is the character (see Holmes, Katie and Begins, Batman), and I think this is one of those times. She's playing a relatively young powerful female exec like I'd expect her to. Kinda wink wink like, with a poker face.

Overall, I think this show, only 2 episodes in, is already one of the best shows on the network channels today. Hopefully NBC will give it the due course it deserves, even while it openly mocks the network.