Posted on 10/18/2006 10:04:13 AM PDT by RayChuang88
NBC ripped up its fall schedule shortly after unveiling it to advertisers last spring to protect the network's hefty investment in Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."
It looks as though the fourth-place network has been ripped off to the tune of $3 million an episode.
The most-hyped show of the new TV season has become the biggest disappointment. "Studio 60" is a bust.
The drama about backstage intrigue at a "Saturday Night Live"-esque show from "The West Wing" auteur Sorkin that NBC outbid its rivals to land, is dying like one of those mirthless "SNL" sketches shoe-horned in just before the closing credits.
It's not entirely clear why, though viewers historically have not swarmed to inside showbiz dramas. It's also possible they've found Sorkin's tale of how a big-shot heroic writer deigned to return to network TV a tad smug. The allegedly brilliant work his fictional alter ego churns out seems very ordinary indeed.
(Excerpt) Read more at chicagotribune.com ...
If any of you know any independent filmmakers, how many of their films are about struggling independent filmmakers? The reason why they do this is simple enough: they're writing about what they know. But writing about something that you don't know anything about 1. takes extra work, and 2. may require that you be good at something besides writing stories. There are a lot of writers that don't fulfill either of these.
We have had a DVR for almost 5 years, but this season has it recording nonstop during the evening shows almost every night. Hero's has become our favorite show of the week and my wife was very disappointed to find out that Medium was cut from the schedule for Studio 60 which was turned off after the first 5 minutes. Another surprise this year is Friday Night Lights, but my wife won't watch it with me.
These people are just so 80s. Go away already, you bore us to tears.
The problem with all the shows you listed is that I haven't watched any of them.
The only good new show on NBC is "Friday Night Lights". Then again I'm a football junkie, so you can take my comment with a grain of salt.
Even at its peak, SNL sketches were hit or miss; and the unfunny ones always went on wayyyyyyyyyy too long.
Sorry, I thought you wrote DVR player, not DVD/VCR player. I guess you don't like TV this fall.
I liked it better when it was called, "SportsNight."
They could have pulled it off, if they had come at it from an "outsider" point of view.
Ugly Betty is about a facet of American life (high fashion)that only, say, 5% of Americans care about. But with the fish-out-of-water point of view, the over the top charactarization, and the incredible comedic skills of the lead actress, the show is a hit. Shoot, if they's drop the stupid, unneccesary sexual content, I'd let the kids watch it.
But with Sorkin, it's all about HIM - and nobody cares anymore.
ER is not tanking this season. In the 18-49 year old audience, it's #4. Overall, it's still in the top 20.
It's ratings improved so much this year that they've decided to keep it on all season as opposed to putting it on hiatus in the spring.
Give me the old stuff -- vintage movies and classic tv shows. Most of what's on tv now is drivel...and that includes cable as well. Turner Classic Movies sometimes will have a good old film, but most of the rest is garbage.
SNL has just been painful this season. Usually there are one or two gems in a show, so I record it and skip a skit when it gets boring. The first two episodes I just gave up on. Then after two episodes they repeat the first one on the third week. Can't they get three weeks of writing in a row before they have to take a week off?
Now my shameful confession: I liked Studio 60 so far. It's not the greatest show around, but it has been pretty good. I haven't quite put my finger on whether the anti-Christian comments are really anti-Christian or if they are attempts to parody the Hollywood attitude.
This show was doomed from Day One. Who the hell was its target audience? The vast array of comedy sketch performers from coast to coast? Nothing says "masturbation" like an entertainment industry figure developing a pretentious show about the entertainment industry.
When is 30 Rock going off the air??
I'm pleased to report that even checking the alphabet channels for their shows just doesn't happen at our house anymore. We simply don't even surf by that section of the "Guide" on the directv feature.
Lots of other cable channels, movies etc. to watch. And "24" of course ;^)
When everybody on the street is selling hot dogs, why open up a hot dog stand, when you can make a killing selling hamburgers? The networks are all peddling the same line. The first one that makes an effort to cater to the other half of the US population is going to make a ton of money.
It's actually based on a Mexican TV series of all things.
A drama about a comdey show? How about a comedy about a comedy show, like The Dick Van Dyke Show? That one did well.
-PJ
NBC just WON'T learn.
They had a similar problem with Daniel. It lasted 6 epi's, IIRC.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.