Sunday, February 22, 2009

How to Improve Studio 60 on Sunset - Random Thoughts on Watching it Again

- Use the Danny Tripp character more or make him more likeable. From what we see of him he is a prat – he sexually harasses Amanda Peet’s character (she asks him to back of and he says no – I know she’s the boss but come on), he is snide to the young doctor who tries to help her, when Harriet Hayes accuses him of arrogant in from of God he does act arrogantly going on about how he deserves everything he got in like (and Harriet Hayes to her shame says to God “he makes some excellent points” – Aaron Sorkin and his Uncle Tom republicans).

- Have something at stake for the characters. In The West Wing this was the lead character’s only shot at the white house. The leads in this are all very well off financially – if they got sacked they’d just get another job. You can tell the difference with the flashback episode where Matt and Harriet are trying to first make it on the show – they have real stakes and the difference is remarkable. I think Sorkin needed to have his characters “lower” – either cast younger actors or have this a real “last shot” for them.

- Sorkin needs to get some perspective. Making a tv show is not as important as running the country. Being called a plagiarist is not as bad as being called a sex offender. Most of the country don’t know or care what writers get up to. TV shows don’t have to make a response to international events.

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