Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip

[The Slak]

I did, too. 

I, uh, think we're the only ones.

That could be because you're the only ones watching it.  There's a good chance that both Studio 60 and 30 Rock will be canceled soon as 60 is hemorrhaging viewers and 30 doesn't have them to begin with.  Who would have thought that shows about the behind the scenes happenings of a show that's not funny wouldn't be funny?  Not me.

But 30 Rock IS funny.

If you say so, Slak.  I only saw the first episode, and while Baldwin was good, I think the major stumbling point is Tina Fey as the main character, because she can't act at all.

Baldwin is great. Some of the flashbacks remind me a little of Arrested Development. At least their writers are influenced by great shows. I'll be interested to see the ratings on this one. Studio 60 is getting beat up by What About Brian...

[Bad Kermit]

I didn't like 30 Rock other than the Alec Baldwin lines.  Tina Fey sucks and Tracy Morgan is just plain annoying.

I have to defend one skit from the "show within the show" from Studio 60.  "The Nicolas Cage Show" cracks me up every time they show it.  It's such a stupid concept, but I think the guy who spoofs Cage does it pretty well, and I can't help but laugh.  Every other skit has sucked.

[MDZ]

I agree that 30 Rock was funny last night.  Tina Fey is awful, but I kind of like what they are doing with her.  She's in every scene, but is rarely the focus.  This could be because she has no presence, but she also plays the straight man to keep the show somewhat grounded. 

That said, Tracy Morgan has been the funniest non-Schrute character I've seen this season.  The line that got me yesterday was, "I'm Bill Cosby, jello sweaters." And a close second was "We're a team now, like Batman and Robin, like chicken and a chicken container."

[The Slak]

I agree that 30 Rock was funny last night.  Tina Fey is awful, but I kind of like what they are doing with her.  She's in every scene, but is rarely the focus.  This could be because she has no presence, but she also plays the straight man to keep the show somewhat grounded. 

That said, Tracy Morgan has been the funniest non-Schrute character I've seen this season.  The line that got me yesterday was, "I'm Bill Cosby, jello sweaters." And a close second was "We're a team now, like Batman and Robin, like chicken and a chicken container."

I'm with you, Morgan is cracking my shit up. I never liked him much, but playing the mentally ill movie star is working well for him. When he was cutting that promo and kept emphasizing Cock and called the girl Baloney I was having definitely a few laughs.

[MDZ]

I also like that Sanjay from Weeds plays Alec Baldwin's assistant that only speaks in Post-it notes.

[Andy]

Baldwin is very funny in 30 Rock.  Morgan's less annoying than I thought, but I don't like Tina Fey.  She's just not funny.  She was the head writer on the worst SNL seasons of all time, she didn't realize that Mean Girls only found an audience because Lindsey Lohan hadn't lost her boobs yet and Rachel McAdams had just found hers and on top of that, Fey can't act.

As for Studio 60, they need to lose the scenes where they show the skits from the show.  They are terrible, and they don't do much to help the notion that Matt is some brilliantly funny writer, when the skits he's writing are pure horseshit.

30 Rock will hang around for a while, but Studio 60 costs a fortune to make and it's dying.

[James Westfall]

Of course 60 is dying....I like it.

[Old Style Man]

Count me in with The Slak. My girlfriend and I have Tivo'ed Studio 60 and have tried to watch it a couple of times. I can barely make it half way through. I should have known it would suck. It has the skinny drug addict from friends. Not that it would be any better with either of the other annoying clowns from Friends. I've only seen 30 Rock once. I thought it was pretty good. Alec Baldwin is a pretty good comic actor.

[forkserker]

Tracy Morgan has been at his best (other than Spoony Luv) in 30 Rock, and Baldwin has been good too. The chicks, not so much.

Sorkin needs to get a real-life comedy writer to write the comedy bits. They suck. Maybe Nate Corddry can get his bro in there to help out?

[CPT]

Tracy Morgan has been at his best (other than Spoony Luv) in 30 Rock, and Baldwin has been good too. The chicks, not so much.

Sorkin needs to get a real-life comedy writer to write the comedy bits. They suck. Maybe Nate Corddry can get his bro in there to help out?

He's got Mark McKinney from Kids in the Hall and SNL on staff already, although how much input he actually has is another matter.  It's not just the comedy that's the problem though, the whole thing just strikes me as too dramatic.  I mean, Sorkin seems to be unable to draw the line between The West Wing and Studio 60.  A head writer with a cocaine problem?  A network exec with an old DUI?  These are things that might be problematic for a politician, but in the entertainment industry?  I doubt it.

[JD]

I gave Studio 60 a shot last night.  It didn't take.

[Bad Kermit]

I'm liking Studio 60 so far, but the fast-talking, if it's one of Sorkin's trademarks, is silly and unbelievable.  No one has conversations at that rate.  Suspension of disbelief my ass.

Also, I wish a sketch comedy show would have hired me after one of the many times I bombed at stand-up.  Assholes.

[KD]

I suspended disbelief for a while, but it was too hard last night during the bit about the Corddry's character's parents.  These guys are in their mid-50s, tops, and they still have a turntable that goes to 78?  They stopped making 78s in the early 50's, righto?  And I don't care how removed they are from Hollywood, everyone and their great-grandfather has heard of "Who's On First?"  I mean, half of the dialogue from "Rain Man" is cribbed from that bit.  Needless to say, Sorkin's a bit removed ... from a lot of things.  Besides that and the sketches, I still like the show.

(btw, one of the funniest sketches in TV history has to be the Kids in the Hall take on "Who's On First." 

Dave Foley: "no, I'm a vaudevillian.")

EDIT: here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-dCdgUixMg

[Bad Kermit]

KD, I think I completely annoyed Mrs. Kerm because I kept complaining that his parents had never heard of "Who's on First?"

[JD]

You guys missed the point.  His parents were from OHIO!  And they work for a living.  Therefore, they don't have TV and the radio shows just ain't as good as they used to be.  Sometimes they like to sit outside and watch the bug zapper, but it's gettin' colder and momma's hip can't take the chill like the old days. 

Fuck Sorkin.