“There are so many wonderful moments in Studio 60, and it is such a shame that the series was cancelled.” This is the general consensus among television viewers of my acquaintance.
Studio 60 should have been given a better chance at catching on with the general viewing audience. As it is, having the complete DVD set with special features will allow those of us who loved the show to see it again, and to enjoy the blend of sophisticated story and good acting that made this such an intelligent series.
From the opening of the first episode Studio 60 is smart and slick, timely and timeless, heartbreakingly sad and incredibly funny. It only gets better as we follow the story of what happens backstage at a live late-night television show. Fans of Aaron Sorkin’s other shows such as Sports Night and The West Wing will find the same type of witty exchanges and determination to not write or play anyone as a stereotype.
While not as consistently elegant as The West Wing, Studio 60 had much going for it in the cast and crew that obviously believed in their work, and made the audience believe in what they were seeing. Even guest stars playing themselves on screen (and often never on screen) added to the veracity of the production.
Many agree that the Christmas episode was one of the most meaningful holiday stories they have seen, as a point of the story revolved around the out-of-work musicians from Katrina destroyed New Orleans and the kindness of spirit shown by those who wanted to help.
In addition fine guest performances by John Goodman as Judge Robert “Bobby” Bebe from Parump, Nevada and Eli Wallach as an elderly man with a strange connection to the Studio, the quality of the series was raised to an even higher level. (Both Mr. Goodman and Mr. Wallach were nominated for their performances, and Mr. Goodman won the EMMY.)
This was the television we watched, talked about and looked forward to every week. It is a mystery to many why something so good was not an instant hit, but given that there were multiple interruptions to the airing schedule, we felt the viewership would have to be overwhelming to save the show from cancellation.
The DVD boxed set contains all episodes on six discs, illustrated with the program descriptions, and photos from the series. The episodes are presented in a matted widescreen format, with subtitles in English, Spanish and Chinese.
There is a commentary for the Pilot episode by Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme, and a featurette In Depth: The Evolution of Studio 60 which was made early on in the series.
If you loved Studio 60, or if you missed it the first time around, this is a great set to own. There is much of our current culture in this series, something that will be interesting to look back on in the future.
And for those of us that wanted this show to go on, we can watch it and imagine what might have been. The characters became so real, that we are certain Matt and Danny are still out there writing.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - The Complete Series is now available at Amazon . As of yet, there is not a release date for the UK. Visit the DVD database for more information.
Your Talkback on this Story