Remember Studio 60? It was a little show that not many people had opinions about, and no one here really talked about it that much. But creator/writer Aaron Sorkin is talking about it, to GQ. Sorkin actually feels guilty about the entire thing, because he knows he screwed it up. He tells Mickey Rapkin that the ultimately the show didn't work because he made too many mistakes:
I was too angry when I wrote Studio 60. The show became like the cover of Abbey Road. Everybody was trying to figure out who this character was in real life or what that incident was trying to be.
It's interesting to hear Sorkin take the blame for the failure of the show and not try to defend its shortcomings to the death (for the record, I liked the show more than 97% of the public did). He also feels guilty about how it affected the cast:
I felt like I had let so many people down-from Warner Bros. and NBC to the cast and crew. You live and die with these things. It is a feeling that you can't look these people in the eye anymore. Someone like Matt Perry.
Sorkin also reveals that he recently met with HBO head Sue Naegle. Really, cable is the place Sorkin should be. Imagine what he could do when given even more freedom than he gets on the networks (and less time slot/exec pressure). He's not sure what type of show he'll do and even asks for some ideas.
But don't send him any ideas. Sorkin repeats his hatred of Internet (or at least certain aspects of the Internet) that we saw in episodes of The West Wing and Studio 60. He calls the web "a bronchial infection on the First Amendment," and says that "nothing has done more to make us dumber or meaner than the anonymity of the Internet."
So, though Sorkin might not read your comments below, what type of show should he do?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
8-13-2008 @ 2:45PM
Adam P said...
Does he mean Sargeant Pepper? There's not much to Abbey Road aside from the out of step shoelessness...
Is he saying that his show was out of step and not taking proper precautions at laying a good foundation to protect it from tripping all over itself? He is DEEP.
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8-13-2008 @ 4:42PM
adi said...
I think he meant everyone read too much into it--the whole John is dead thing, remember?
For the record I loved Studio 60 and would love to see it come back, especially on cable. NBC did not give it the love it deserved. I watched every episode religiously and was in knots waiting for the next. I thought the scripts were great, the actors were great, the stories were (mostly) great and the concept was great. I never saw what the detractors saw. It was better than anything else on TV at the time.
8-13-2008 @ 2:46PM
Cody said...
He should do a show about how people on the internet are the ones that watch his shows so maybe don't talk bad about people on the internet.
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8-13-2008 @ 3:18PM
kirby said...
Given the freedom for creative licence on HBO and other cable outlets, bring back Studio 60, learning from the "mistakes" made during its NBC run.
Gotta be the original cast.
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8-13-2008 @ 3:24PM
hiki said...
I think he's being a little egositical, and living inside his Hollywood community, if he thinks the average veiwer gave even the moments thought the show had anything to do with his personal life. I certainly had no idea any I knew his name and what he had done before.
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8-13-2008 @ 3:25PM
Argus said...
@$!@#$!@#$ Sorkin!
But really, the internet is great, and I think Sorkin needs to lighten up and realize that on internet forums people become naturally more aggressive, naturally more pack minded, and naturally more likely to bring Jesus or Hitler into an argument. Alot of good stuff goes on too though, like fan-feedback, especially when the creators interact with the fans, which can help guide the direction of a show in a way which viewers will appreciate.
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8-13-2008 @ 3:56PM
Carole said...
Actually, I liked the show, I liked the characters and thought it had real potential.
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8-13-2008 @ 3:56PM
MacGuffin said...
I've been watching all 7 seasons of The West Wing.
The best drama ever IMNSHO.
I miss Aaron Sorkin. HBO would be a great place for him to do whatever he wants without being too reliant on the lowest common denominator thinking that is so prevalent in America.
Just imagine if S60 was done properly there, it would have been incredible.
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8-13-2008 @ 4:22PM
Jim said...
Bob... writing something about Aaron Sorkin? NO WAY!
What a douchebag (Sorkin, not Bob)
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8-13-2008 @ 4:29PM
bruce said...
I liked Studio 60 too, but it did have problems and was more overtly "preachy" than other Sorkin works, like West Wing. I also really hated the "Harriet" character. But the premise was interesting enough.
I can name 100 tv shows with more "problems" than Studio 60 ever had. Is this a case of expectations being too high? Or were people watching expecting to see a funny sketch-based comedy show? I actually really liked how none of the sketches were funny at all - kinda like Larry Sanders. Was there anybody less funny than Larry Sanders? That one guy did an okay Nicholas Cage impression, though.
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8-13-2008 @ 6:56PM
Skapig said...
I thought what little of the sketches that we saw were true to life: unfunny just like SNL.
S60 was enjoyable, but by no means perfect. The romances were extremely forced and Sorkin's many heavy issues hitting the comedy program got out of hand fast. Clearly he was indeed distracted by something. If he had toned down the drama to a believable level, we'd probably be talking about the next season right now.
8-13-2008 @ 4:31PM
David said...
Thanks for the link to the GQ interview. I thought he was being remarkably candid.
Sorkin belongs on HBO - where he can enjoy near-complete freedom in his scriptwriting.
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8-13-2008 @ 4:32PM
David said...
oh, and Bob? Kudos on:
"Remember Studio 60? It was a little show that not many people had opinions about, and no one here really talked about it that much. "
I laughed out loud :)
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8-13-2008 @ 4:47PM
bkdealer said...
I enjoyed Studio 60, except for the central female character in the cast who we were to believe was very funny & never for a second did that come across. It wouldn't have been the first show where one of the original cast members/characters didn't jell and was written out. It's too bad series are axed so much sooner than they used to be, without the chance to develop. I would certainly watch anything Sorkin did on cable.
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8-13-2008 @ 4:55PM
starky22 said...
Oh, if only he could resurrect Sports Night...
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8-13-2008 @ 4:59PM
Dave said...
Sorkin's sorry about Studio 60? Good, he should be. That was the biggest piece of crap show since The West Wing (which was a HUGE piece of crap). What a waste of potential.
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8-13-2008 @ 6:50PM
ac said...
The problem with Studio 60 was that it took itself too seriously. Its about a sketch comedy show, not the White House. Yet they were acting like every little thing they did had the fate of the world resting on it.
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8-13-2008 @ 6:10PM
DaveD said...
@adi (odd, you have the only comment without a reply link?)...
Anyways, it was "Paul is dead". Not John. And IIRC even some of *that* rumor went back to the Sgt. Pepper album. Or at least, to another albm they released in 1967 - Mystery Tour.
But it was Paul! Can you tell I was always a John fan? And yeah, Yoko was the real issue. :)
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8-13-2008 @ 6:28PM
HD Guy said...
Studio 60 was great show and deserved better than it got. The ONLY reason (IMHO) that Studio 60 failed was in the first episode it included the "Crazy Christians" concept.
Religious folks just shut down at the very idea -and never bothered to listen to the message.
Hell yea HBO should take on Studio 60 and Swingtown, maybe even Men in Trees.
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8-13-2008 @ 6:40PM
nick said...
No one here talked about Studio 60? Are you kidding? I think you guys had way more articles on the show than was necessary.
I like Aaron Sorkin. Loved the West Wing. Hated Studio 60. It just wasn't interesting, nor was it a premise that could be carried over many years. In fact, in many ways, it seemed to be another ill fated attempt to revive a Sports Night-type of program, which was equally executed just as poorly.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but Studio 60 even had one or two episodes without all the principles! What show does that?!
I think the only reason Studio 60 lasted as long as it did was because Sorkin was involved. If it were made by anyone else, it would have been yanked much much sooner.
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