TV commentary -- man, this takes me back

[stakebait]

I didn’t see the first episode of Studio 60. (I was having a little medical drama of my own, which has – knock wood – hopefully been cancelled.) So last night was my first chance to watch it, and they had me before the end of the teaser. More precisely, they had me at “you get thrown into a firey pit” “can we do that now?” when I laughed so hard and long my friend had to pause his DVR. This is going to be a problem when I am watching at my own, totally low tech house. I don’t even have cable.

I love the concept of having, instead of the standard TV rationing of one snarky guy per show, who is always my favorite, the snarky guy and the other snarky guy be the heroes. It makes a lot of sense in a show about writers (and man, Sorkin gives good writer, and even better *collaborative* writer. I am getting a hit here I haven’t gotten since season 4 of the West Wing.) If there ever was a place made up of all the class clowns from high school, you gotta figure the writer’s room of a comedy show is it.

I love that this is simultaneously an unabashed buddy show a la old fashioned cop programs, *and* an ensemble. Two guys, equals themselves, in that Buffy/Angel/Mal role. Maybe it’s been done and I just had my head under the rock again, but I can’t remember really ever seeing it before, and I think its genius.

I love that already I’m starting to get a character vibe about the rest of them and it’s a little nuanced even after only 20 minutes. I’m not sure if I like the leading ex-girlfriend or not, and I like that I’m not sure.

I love the moments of meta/self-referentialness (“it needs to do too many things”), especially since at least so far they don’t seem to be getting lost in it.

I love the Gilbert and Sullivan, because the Achilles heel of so many creative works about creative works is the excerpts supposedly being created. And you know, it *worked* as TV. I’d have laughed. I did laugh. “that’s not what we said.” Bwah!

Most of all, I love the writing. With great love. “count backward from 7.” Bwah again!

Things I don’t love (you knew there had to be a couple, right?)

The name of the show is also the name of the show-within-a-show. Minus one point for being too precious, minus three points for what I can already see is going to be an ongoing confusion akin to Serenity the pilot episode, battle, ship, movie, and dessert topping.

I don’t love the Christian prayer before the show-within-a-show opened. Maybe that’s totally legit showbiz tradition but it felt dragged in, like they were making a point because NBC did not have the courage of NBS and demanded a sop thrown. Plus, isn’t one of the writers Jewish? Does he do Hebrew when it’s his turn? Do the atheists get to deliver short pithy speeches on the non-existence of God? Are there people who refuse to participate and do they run into bad feeling from their co-workers? Maybe this is all going to be a plot point but it just left a bad taste in my mouth – I would no more pray with my co-workers than I would invite them to sleep over. Although come to think of it they did that too.

I am mixed on the president of the network. She did say president, right? I have a hard time believing that someone who is about my age and female would get that job, when they all seem to be at least 20 years older and male. OTOH what I lose on suspension of disbelief I gain back on good example. I don’t understand who the guy who hates spunk is and who is in charge between them, so I’m having a hard time understanding the power dynamics. Presumably all will become clear in time, or if I can find anyone who taped the first episode. In the meantime, I can’t not like someone for refusing to break promises. And I can’t not thrill a little to her announcement that she doesn’t think people who watch TV are any stupider than the people who make it. This, clearly, is going to be Studio 60s version of the wish fulfillment West Wing politics, at least for me.

Though can we have a brief reality check? The shows that I and my mom like and that I would want my kids to watch are a tiny fraction of what’s popular at the moment, not because other people are stupid but because they’re not me. Some people even eat green beans voluntarily, and if I were in the vegetable business I’d be wise to take that into account.

Of course, this halcyon moment only lasted until one of those people who watch television dared to open her mouth. Granted, it’s a different character who went off about Revenge of the Hacks (and still another who came back with Bernadette’s five cats), but to an extent these are all the Voice of Sorkin – and given that I’ve already seen similar speeches coming out of Josh and Donna on the West Wing(Parliaments and muumuus), I think that extent is not negligible.

This is my biggest fear about this show, that Sorkin’s dismissive attitude towards active fandom is going to spoil it for me. It only turned up in TWW twice, but on Studio 60 it could quite legitimately become a running subplot. [Further rant deleted because it was no fun and most of y’all are in the choir. Clearly I’m just bitter because I quit smoking Parliaments and I’m four cats behind.]

On a much lighter note, why is S60 the show-within-a-show an hour and a half long? Or did I just misunderstand? I could have sworn they said 11:30-1. An hour would be standard, and if they’re changing that it would make more sense to me to make it half an hour, so that on a Very Special Episode we could see the whole show-within-a-show and still have time for some backstage action.

I’m skeptical about Bradley Whitford’s character getting caught doing drugs, not because it Sends the Wrong Message but because that happened to Sorkin. And there can be a fine line between Write What You Know and Marty Stu. I never felt that his handling of Leo’s alcoholism on the West Wing was anything less than uncompromising and brilliant, but now there are so many more points of correspondence between Sorkin’s bio and the character’s that I just worry. But we’ll see. He hasn’t put a foot wrong yet.

I also got to watch the first half of Heroes (then the DVR malfunctioned). I liked it. I’m not as totally sold as I was on Studio 60 – I found the Star Wars-esque text intro and all the Portentous Voice Over About Human Nature kind of eyeroll-y. But as soon as the actual humans started actually talking to each other, I warmed up fast. ‘Cause I liked them.

I have a special soft spot for the Indian professor, ’cause nothing warms my heart like intellectual enthusiasm. Plus, accent. And he’s really cute. But I kind of like *all* the cast of putative protagonists so far, despite being a little perplexed about what cheerleader girl is trying to do – kill herself or find the limits of her power or what. I hardly got to see Clockman, but anyone who references Spock can't be all bad. I like “I believe I can fly” co-dependant guy in spite of his tendency to say earnest things, especially his relationship with his mother, which is already more complicated and interesting than some shows get in years. Congresswannabe Brother I just want to smack, so far, and sigh for the Selfish Politician stereotype again, but hey, first episode. Maybe he’ll get layers later.

Speaking of which, is there only one normal girl in New York, that she’s dating one mutant and gets asked out by another? Manageable cast of characters good, but unless 1 in 10 people are gonna turn out to be heroes, and/or there’s some kind of non-random reason that they’re drawn to her, I’m still on ‘kay.

Also having a little trouble suspending disbelief when they start poking at the quasi-scientific causes of all this. Rapid healing, even regeneration, sure. Starfish do it, why not us. But what kind of genetic mutation could possibly cause your reflection to have a mind of its own? Unless, you know, it’s a fake out, she’s just a little mental and it’s her son who’s the superhero – or someone else is messing with her somehow. Not that my beloved Buffy was such a marvel of scientific plausibility, just saying its easier for me to swallow as “magic”, which by definition doesn’t make sense.

But again, first episode. First half of first episode. Possibly all this was resolved in the half hour I didn’t see.

Anyway, I’ll be watching Studio 60 for sure. Heroes, probably, especially since it fits nicely in the hour between when I get home and finish dinner on Mondays and when Studio 60 comes on.

Comments

[taffimai.livejournal.com]

The last minute of Heroes was what sold me. Find someone who has the whole thing, and get ready to fall in love.

My thoughts on S60 are here (http://taffimai.livejournal.com/71784.html).

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Cool! Thanks. ::goes to read::

[thebratqueen.livejournal.com]

Things you missed from the S60 pilot:

The ex-girlfriend in S60 is one of the "big three" castmembers on the show, aka very powerful and been on the show for a long time (Simon and Tom are the other two of the three). She's a devout Christian who says a prayer with everyone before the show starts. She and Matt broke up when she went on the 700 Club to promote an album of spiritual music that she had done.

Danny is vaguely based on Aaron but not really. Matt's Aaron. Danny is Tommy (aka the director). But Aaron put the drug thing on him to posit a situation where "What if Tommy was the one who screwed up instead of me?" (Implication being that normally Aaron is the one who not only screws up, but screws up constantly.) Danny got caught when he took a drug test as part of being bonded to make a movie that Matt had written. So yes, caught, but not the "Caught with it in his luggage like a schmuck" that Aaron had done.

And this isn't from the pilot but just to answer your other question, S60 is a riff off of Saturday Night Live which is an hour and a half.

[thebratqueen.livejournal.com]

Oh - and as for Jordan, while I'm still undecided on her Mary Sue self, actually not only could there be a president of a network her age, there was one who was two years younger than her and was arguably just as pretty. She worked for CBS but I'm blanking on her name.

[shadowlongknife.livejournal.com]

Jamie Tarses

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. I guess it's the Mary Sue thing I'm picking up on, but I don't know why I think so. I don't *think* I'm uncomfortable with women in power, or with very pretty women either (not my type, but pretty in a kind of Lilah Morgan goes good way). So why is she tripping my not-quite-right button? Oh, well.

[thebratqueen.livejournal.com]

Well it's one thing for the reality to be that there was a beautiful, young woman in that position of power, it's another if Amanda Peet is successfully making us believe that she could be that woman.

There was one moment in the pilot that I won't got into detail if you don't want to be spoiled, but suffice it to say in that one moment I thought she showed it. But in the others she dances a very fine line between "Competant and confident woman of power" and "Mary Sue who psychically knew all the answers before the problem was even presented."

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Gotcha. Makes sense.

I'm not going out of my way to avoid spoilers for the pilot, since I'm not sure how long it will be before I can get my hands on it, and presumably as one out of two episodes its going to come up in discussion of the second ep. But I'm not seeking them out either.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Thank you! This is hugely helpful.

[thebratqueen.livejournal.com]

*tips hat* Just doing my job, ma'am.

[mbarr.livejournal.com]

That probably means that you didn't get the comment about Lorne Michaels, who's the producer of SNL. They've referenced SNL & NBC at least one other time so far, IIRC.

Just so you know: The voice over for the show is "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

This one, (I'm not quite exact...) "Live from Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, It's Friday Night in Hollywood!"

It would be cool if they got the same guy to do the voiceover. They may have :-)

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I didn't, thanks! I've vaguely seen some SNL, but not enough to really know stuff about it. I can see that's about to change.

[ros-fod.livejournal.com]

I love all the things you love!

why is S60 the show-within-a-show an hour and a half long?

Because SNL is.

I’m skeptical about Bradley Whitford’s character getting caught doing drugs, not because it Sends the Wrong Message but because that happened to Sorkin.

You know, this seems to be the point of contention for everyone, whether or not this amount of meta isn't a little over the top. I really enjoyed the setup of Danny having been caught with cocaine since it allows Sorkin to make fun of himself and oftentimes I think his issue is that he takes things a little too seriously, so a little self deprecation looks good on him.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Fair enough. It's too early for me to have contention. Plus I really do live under a rock, and I don't *know* much of the background (see why TBQ had to explain to me who's meant to be who). So I probably won't even recognize meta. It's just my fear -- totally projecting here -- that if he gets too close to the storyline he'll pull a Marty Noxon and not keep his lightness of touch.

But that's just the long way round to saying "I hope he doesn't lose his lightness of touch." If he doesn't, I don't care how close to autobiography he gets, and if he does, I only sort of care why.

[bill-leisner.livejournal.com]

If you are on Netflix, you can rent the S60 pilot on DVD.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm not, but for that, maybe I should be.

[sienamystic.livejournal.com]

The show-within-the-show is actually called Friday Night In Hollywood. Not much of a name, but there it is.

Plus, I'm not sure of this, but I think the prayer before the show was something that got rotated every show (somebody said, "it's your turn, Harry," or something like that) so I wonder if they give everybody a turn and sometimes it turns out Baptist and sometimes it's Hebrew and sometimes everybody does the chicken dance for thirty seconds.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Ah, gotcha. Nevermind, then. And if they do the chicken dance all is forgiven. :)

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

Speaking of which, is there only one normal girl in New York, that she’s dating one mutant and gets asked out by another?

I think you are slowly but surely going to have all your questions answered!

The point of that was that all of the characters are slowly but surely being drawn together... I don't know if you saw it, but the guy who thinks he can fly got into a cab that was driven by the Indian professor. Also, little things like the kid reading a comic that the Japanese time/space manipulator had the cover of as his screen rest. So the only normal girl in NYC knowing two mutants isn't meant to be a coincidence. I just wonder if *she* is all that normal!

Oddly enough, my one moment of being thrown out of the show was when the mother & the obnoxious brother come down on the would-be flying guy for wasting his life being a nurse looking after the elderly and dying as a "dead end job"... my sister is a nurse and she pulls down the big bucks, and can pretty much write her ticket anywhere, such is the need for good nurses in NYC. And male nurses tend to be represented in the top 10% of salaries for nurses, too. He's probably making between $60 and $110 an hour looking after an elderly, rich, dying guy in NYC, depending upon just how rich the guy is.

One thing: the networks are repeating pilot episodes of shows in order to snag more viewers: Heroes is on again, tonight. Not sure when, but it is being repeated. Studio 60 is on NBC, Bravo, and USA, so you probably can catch the pilot some time this week on some channel or other.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Cool! I'm looking forward to it. I didn't catch the cab or the cover, but I did catch the webcam girl on the Japanese guy's screen.

I see your point about the nurse -- I was wondering about the professor myself, because the New York City public schools, at least, *always* seem to want more teachers. I don't know if there were immigration complications or something but I would think if you're an experienced teacher who speaks fluent English that if you wanted to teach you could. Though I suppose if he's trying to keep a low profile maybe he wants to break his old habits... and cab drivers may very well make more money.

I missed the Heroes repeat due to having to work late, but I'll catch it eventually.

[tamnonlinear.livejournal.com]

You can also watch it on nbc's website. I just did.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Don't think my dialup is up to it, but thanks.

[mbarr.livejournal.com]

You can also watch Heroes @ 7pm on Scifi this week. That means 3 showings of the ep...

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Clockboy, whose name is Hiro *cough*, is omg! my favorite of all. He is pure geek, through and through. I hope you were able to catch the rebroadcast tonight, because we learn something cool about flyboy and his brother.

What I want to know is what exactly is Mirror girl's power. Also, does the Indian prof have a power or will he be the brain that ultimately brings them together -- his voice is hot, he's hot; it's all of the good.

I really like the idea that one of them is a drug addict. I hope that they keep him acting like an adict or a recovering one at least. I want to be able to see someone cave to the pressure. Then again, the cheerleader is also doing that, and I love that too.

I have no requirements on reality in superhero shows, so I'm liking it loads. I just hope that it wasn't just an interesting pilot that has no follow through.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

I didn't catch the rebroadcast, dammit. Stupid work.

I kind of hope the Indian prof doesn't have a power and is the brain, but I'm not married to it.

Even more rebroadcasts

[kuzibah.livejournal.com]

Sci-Fi -- 9/29 7pm
USA -- 10/2 11:05pm

You need to catch the second half. Things really get cranking.

And I'm giving the over/under on how long until someone references Buffy in regards to the Super-Cheerleader at three episodes. Do you want some action on that?

Re: Even more rebroadcasts

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

I have no cable, alas. But thanks. Maybe Mom of Mer could be persuaded to tape it, or something.

Someone on the show references it, or someone in fandom? If on the show, I'll take five episodes. What are we betting? (If it's someone in fandom, I would assume it's already happened.)

Re: Even more rebroadcasts

[kuzibah.livejournal.com]

I hope so. As I said, a lot of things happened.

And yeah, someone on the show. I actually kept half-expecting her cameraman to say something, but maybe they don't want to call attention to the comparison. And if you win, I'll buy you a drink next time I see you. :)

Re: Even more rebroadcasts

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

More than fair, and if you win, same here. :)

[kradical.livejournal.com]

Amanda Peet's character is based on Jamie Tarses, who was made president of NBC at that very same age.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Thanks! That's good to know (and encouraging re: the real world) but somehow doesn't make her feel any less off to me, so I think whatever I'm reacting to must be in the execution rather than the concept.

[batyatoon]

Also having a little trouble suspending disbelief when they start poking at the quasi-scientific causes of all this. Yeah, I'm with you there -- I'd have liked that a lot better if that had been one of several theories put forth about why this is happening. Since it's the only one, I fear it's less likely to be wrong about it. And you're right, it's not really very plausible -- though it is pure comic-book.

Most of the characters don't really grab me yet. But Hiro is completely adorable. "Yes! Exactly! Like Spock!"

And cheerleader girl had me at "...and this is Attempt Six." I still don't know why.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

It could still be an accurate but incomplete explanation, I suppose. If it turns out to be totally wrong, that would turn up the pathos on Indian professor guy times a thousand, since his dad would be wrong *and* dead. Although that would also give fabulous motivation for him to continue the research, if his dad was right about the phenomenon but wrong -- or deliberately misled somehow -- about the explanation.

I like "and this is attempt six" too, it seems so determined and unflinching, and I'm a sucker for that, especially in people where it's clearly a reaction to hard circumstance and not a natural grimness. But I can't quite get past the fact that she's running around in her cheerleader uniform, which is weird unless she adores it, in which case its weird that she's so willing to expose it to damage.

[volund.livejournal.com]

I don't understand who the guy who hates spunk is and who is in charge between them, so I’m having a hard time understanding the power dynamics.

He hired her and is her boss, and is chairman of NBS. He's also the (semi-)villain who forced Matt and Danny out several years previously.

Among the cameos in the first episode is Ed Asner as the chairman of Tunney Media Group, NBS' parent company. Which, of course, might have made the "spunk" line funnier if you had seen both episodes.

They will probably rerun it again on Bravo ...

Like West Wing, the episodes will definitely bear rewatching, if only to catch the references you didn't catch on the first viewing.

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Ah, gotcha, thanks. Yay context!

I must admit I kind of liked him. We'll see how that holds up.

[dotsomething.livejournal.com]

Was wondering when we'd get to discuss S60.

instead of the standard TV rationing of one snarky guy per show, who is always my favorite, the snarky guy and the other snarky guy be the heroes.

I've been thinking of you ever since I started watching *G* Snarky guys who also care about each other in this snarky guy sort of way? My genslash buttons are being pushed. Overall the humor, pacing, rapid fire dialogue (the energy of the pilot made The West Wing look sedate).

"How does it know?"
"It has batteries."
"So it always KNOWS?"
*loves*

I think Jordan is going to turn out to be eeeevil (in the Sorkin way, not in the "take over the world way") and she and Steven Weber's character can hook up, have sex, and be evil together. That would be fun. She's awfully precious, our canon Mary Sue, but I'm betting they have plans for her.

And I can’t not thrill a little to her announcement that she doesn’t think people who watch TV are any stupider than the people who make it.

Also liked that moment. Because. True. And Sorkin is either making fun of his own wank regarding fans, or he needs to get over himself already. But possibly he was taking a dig at himself; I'm being charitable.

The cheerleader character is my favorite on Heroes so far, not sure why. It's possibly her mild annoyance at all of this. She's not railing at it and she's not excited geeky like Hiro either and she's not dropping to her knees (figuratively) trembling at what's happening to her. She's just: Bzuh? But isn't my life complicated enough?

[stakebait.livejournal.com]

Hee! You're not wrong, but it is too early for even me to start the slash -- and anyway I've yet to find out whether Sorkin has said "please don't write fanfic" or not.

Evil Jordan would be interesting, but I sort of hope she doesn't. I think she might be more interesting as a kind of stuck-in-the-middle character between Art and Business with a foot in each camp and attacked by both as being too in bed with the other.

[dotsomething.livejournal.com]

I think she might be more interesting as a kind of stuck-in-the-middle character between Art and Business with a foot in each camp

Well, yes. And much more likely. It's just that there's something about her that makes me think of Audrey Hepburn if she were possessed. :p