West-Winging It: The premiere of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"

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Wed Sep-20-06 12:38 AM
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West-Winging It: The premiere of "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"

Entertainment Weekly: West Winging It
On the premiere of ''Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,'' producer Aaron Sorkin rewrites his own troubled history on television
by Gary Susman

IN THE IMAGE OF THE CREATOR Matthew Perry (left) and Bradley Whitford play TV producers with histories similar to Sorkin's

''There's always been a struggle between art and commerce, but now, I'm telling you, art is getting its ass kicked.'' So says Wes Mendell (Judd Hirsch) in the already-famous meltdown monologue that kicks off the first episode of the eagerly awaited "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." Now, here to kick back a little on behalf of art, comes Aaron Sorkin, and he's wearing steel-toed boots.

Wes, of course, gets fired for his act of on-air insurrection at Studio 60, the sketch-comedy series he produces, but Sorkin, in a nice coup, has apparently been hired to have characters voice such opinions on the air in prime time on NBC. The line between Sorkin and his characters is a thin one, as is apparent throughout this first episode, and as I'm sure we'll see over the course of the series....If Wes' rant is a blatant reference to Peter Finch's ''I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore'' moment in "Network," then Amanda Peet and Steven Weber must be Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall. I'm actually liking Peet's Jordan McDeere, who treats every crisis as an opportunity and greets every setback with a bemused, beatific smile. It's still not clear whether Jordan is bringing Matt and Danny back to run Studio 60 because she's an idealist who believes in quality or because, like Dunaway's "Network" character, she's merely interested in creating sensationalism and controversy in order to drive ratings. I'm not too confident about the first possibility (after all, in the last great late-night-comedy war, Jordan sided with Jay against Dave), but she might turn out to be an honorable person, judging by her discreet handling of Danny's drug secret. As Danny wonders, ''What if she's for real?''

Similarly, I'm hoping that by casting Wings' likable Steven Weber as Jack Rudolph, Jordan's boss, Sorkin won't make the character a cardboard corporate villain. After all, Jack doesn't appear to be dishonest, stupid, or insincere, just expedient. And he is giving Jordan's experiment with Studio 60 a chance, however provisional. It's not like he has any better ideas � and that's usually the worst thing one can say about someone on a Sorkin show, that he's not creative or idealistic or capable of engaging in witty banter as he walks down the hall.

In any case, it's fun to watch Sorkin biting the hand that feeds him. ''This show used to be cutting-edge political and social satire, but it's gotten lobotomized by a candy-assed broadcast network hell-bent on doing nothing that might challenge their audience,'' says Wes, who goes on to insult not only "Saturday Night Live" but several other NBC shows as well. NBC, in turn, gets to inoculate itself from such criticism by being daring enough to air Sorkin's polemic. When the wee Suzanne, a Tiny Tim-like production assistant, meekly asks Matt, ''Are you coming to save us?'' it seems she's not just asking about the sketch-comedy show but the whole NBS network (read: ratings-challenged NBC) and maybe even all of television itself. That's a tall order for Matt/Sorkin to fill, but it's a load he's placed on his own shoulders. I look forward to seeing how far he can carry it.

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1536352_3_0_,00.html