Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – Summer DVD Review – The Focus Group & The West Coast Delay

studio 60

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
The Focus Group & The West Coast Delay

Original Air Dates: Oct 1 & Oct 8, 2006

Rachel M – Associate Staff Writer
rachelm@thetwocentscorp.com

So, now that we’re familiar with the characters we get to dig in a little deeper. These two episodes show a little bit more of the business of television, and all the pitfalls that it has.

These shows also show off the writing and dialogue that we have all come to love from Aaron Sorkin.

The Focus Group: A focus group has been put together to judge the boys success at the head of the show. Meanwhile, the power is on the fritz at the studio. And Jordan’s DUI becomes public knowledge. The focus group data is positive, except for a odd question about the patriotism of the show, the seeds of a back story have been sewn about Matt and Danny leaving the show shortly after 9/11 and the trouble with comedy in the aftermath.
This show displays Jordan’s heart and Danny and Matt’s perfect relationship, including a rendezvous on the beach. We’re still in the courting stages of getting to know these folks now that we know their names. We are also introduced to Sarah Paulson’s dead-on Holly Hunter impression.

The West Coast Delay: The center of this show is a the single joke Matt asks for from the writing room. To put it nicely, Matt and the head writers have a history and don’t want to play nice in the sand box. So Matt’s been writing the show by himself, a mammoth feat in the industry. So the writers room (a dozen schlubs) give Matt a joke. So Harriett and Simon do the joke during the news, only come to find our that the joke is cribbed from a stand-up comedian on YouTube. So they have to apologize and interrupt the West Coast feed…and more hilarity ensues but I don’t want to give it away.
Meanwhile, Harriett accidentally gives Matt a “used cocktail napkin” as a present, ie a bat that a baseball player gave her with his number on it. So Matt goes and does something stupid. His and Harriett’s relationship is complicated, but it’s so obvious that if they just got out of their own way they would be perfect. Also, a big time reporter is going to be on set writing a story. So keep an eye for that!

Are you in love yet? I’m keeping these short and sweet so you can discover this amazing show on your own. That and they are next to impossible to review without giving it all away or writing a billion pages. So what are your TwoCents?

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