Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

I saw the show recently, put up a review on my blog, here it is:

Got a copy of the pilot of the new NBC show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It's not funny. It's a great drama with a good cast and good writing. But there's a huge problem: It's suppose to be the behind-the-scenes look at a Saturday Night Live type show, but the characters don't have a sense of humor. Example: A producer named Wes has an on-air meltdown. Afterward, the comedian characters spend the night in "serious talk" mode. "What does it mean for the show?" "Has he been fired?"

Ah, what planet do these characters live on? Rather than emotional talk, it'd be gallows humor galore. "Personally, I thought Wes' crazy rant killed in run-throughs." The night Princess Di died, I was at IO and while we did have some somber moments, it was a theater filled with quip kings and queens. People's nature didn't' change because of a tragedy. Comedians in a room of other comedians are always tring to be funny! And that's the cloud hanging over the show. Neither the main comedy writer characters NOR the comedian characters say anything funny.

Of course, maybe it's just that the drama behind making an SNL-type show is more interesting than the humor which passes on the actual SNL nowadays.
 

Sorry to say that, without having seen the show, I disagree with your premise. It's generally been my experience in the improv world that there's a vast different between the energy on-stage and the energy-off stage for a comedian. It's the whole, "Dance, monkey!" idea - that the stage is their release and while they don't feel the need to turn off the funny behind the scenes, they don't feel the need to be funny there, as well. I'm always fascinated by how unfunny very funny people often are when the crowd isn't around.
 

It's up on YouTube for those of you that care to search...

It is a pilot, it has alot of leg work to do in the first show. Give it a chance. I don't ever remember anyone saying it was a comedy anyway. Just because it is about a comedic sketch show does not mean it is mandatory that it be a comedy... They will bring the funny eventually... I can't wait to see if they do open with the Crazy Christians bit...

Elizabeth
 

You said it is a great drama with a goot cast and goot writing. Congrats, you understood the concept of the show. It never intended to be a comdey, just a drama with comedic moments.

I also saw the show, and I disagree strongly with your idea of reaction to the "Wes rant". The way I see it, he was respected by the cast, and anything else than their shown reaction would be highly insensitive. The reason no one loved was, that everyone agreed with him. Just noone could say that out loud, in fear of being fired also. Even the execs agreed with him.

The whole idea behind the plot is, that the studio 60, after being 20 years on air, lost its edge, and they have to either reinvent the whole concept, or give up the show. And this i think, is in no way a comedy, but real-life drama (as real as a hollywood based scenery could be) and not the least bit funny.

Although I loved about the "Vancouver" rant from Danny.
 

sorry, that should have ment "no one laughed" instead of "no one loved"
 

Yeah, I haven't seen it yet either... but it's not a comedy. Why are you faulting it for not being hilarious?
 

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