So, I know at least 3 other people who are loving Studio 60 on NBC. I am definitely one of them, but I had to get past an initial uneasiness about a plot that is so similar to that of my beloved Sports Night. I thought maybe Aaron Sorkin was suddenly on the hook for the next big thing and simply recycled his last, best idea before The West Wing. After a few weeks I decided to get over it. However, linking the similarities of those two shows and all the connections to another media darling, Desperate Housewives, could turn into a fun parlor game.
* The first guest on the first minute of Studio 60 was Felicity Huffman.
* Two of the housewives (albeit one of them is dead) are former enemies on Sports Night -- Dana and Sally moved to Wisteria Lane and became friends.
* Jeremy is, was, and will always be Jeremy. I still don't remember his character's name on The West Wing. It's just Jeremy.
* On Sports Night, Dana goes a little nuts whenever they play the KC & the Sunshine Band hit -- a few years later Lynette did the same trying to ditch her needy boss.
* Why do all three of Aaron Sorkin's shows have a prominent character named Danny? (ok, he was Dan on Sports Night)
* The production company for Studio 60 is Shoe Money. Either you know this one or I've lost you entirely.
[If you go on Wikipedia and look up Sports Night there is an extensive list of these things with The West Wing.]
4 comments:
i am also a huge fan of Studio 60. I am not sure why I like it unless I bought the hype. I currently am into Studio 60 and Boston Legal. I have never seen this sports night show so I can not play your comparisson game.
wd
Bill and I love Studio 60. We never got into Sports Night, but we loved the cleverness and quick dialogue in West Wing and I, personally, loved Bradley Whitford. We kind of lost interest in WW when Sam Seaborne left, and so were delighted with this new incarnation in a venue where we weren't missing Rob Lowe every night.
And Matthew Perry is great.
We definitely love Harriet Hays (having strange commonality, in some ways, with WW's Ainsley Hays), and really like the intelligence and honesty with which the show treats her conservative Christianity.
Intelligent television. It isn't always an oxymoron.
Thanks for the post-- I keep checking in!!
Okay. Sorry to put this on a comment page, but I need to ask you about switching to Beta. Did you do this? If so, I need to ask you about how it works and stuff. Would you e-mail me so I can get your address?
Okay...I am also a fan of Studio 60. And, as big of a fan I am of Matthew Perry, as you and most know, it seems to me the better one to fit Aaron Sorkin's writings is Bradley W...I was worried when it started, but I enjoy it a lot, now, especially since they seem to be beginning a solid story with Bradley. He has comedy timing from WW to Studio 60 that isn't the same for Mr. "Friend"(who was on WW briefly as well)...
A few things....
They used the same Jewish joke on WW and S60...if you want to hear it, let me know.
On SN and WW, they used an episode or two when the whole thing was narrarated by someone who was writing a letter or email. When will it happen on S60?
Showing the ending first, then how they got there throughout the episode is big with Mr. Sorkin. It happened in all three.
Did you notice that Dave "the TD" on Sports Night was a reporter on WW...?
I like the Shoe Money reference! "Shoe Money To-NIGHT"
Dan on Sports Night was called Danny by Rebecca....and he liked it.
And since you got me hooked on Sports Night, I'll help you out with this one...Jeremy's name on WW was Will Bailey....oh won't you come home.
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