REVIEW: ‘Sunset Strip’ shines in pilot episode
‘Tis the season to be jolly.
No, it’s not Christmas yet – it’s the beginning of the fall television season. In my opinion, the happiest time of the year.
There’s a whole slate of new shows premiering in the coming weeks, and I am going to try and review as many as humanly possible so students will know what to watch and what not to waste time on.
I’ll start off the season by reviewing the new drama “Studio 60: On the Sunset Strip” from writer/creator Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing”) about the gritty inner workings of the television industry.
The show is about a fictional TV network called NBS, but even more specifically, it’s about a show on the NBS called “Studio 60,” which is comparable to our “Saturday Night Live.”
The show has one of the best openings I have ever seen for a pilot episode. The show’s executive producer, Wes Mendell (Judd Hirsch “A Beautiful Mind”), is angry about all the restrictions being forced upon him and his show by the Federal Communications Commission. In one last desperate attempt, Wes stops the live broadcast of the show and lets loose with a tirade about the FCC and fanatical religious groups “lobotomizing” the American public.
Wes is promptly fired. Enter Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford “West Wing” ) and Matt Albie (Matthew Perry “Whole Ten Yards”), who are hired to take the reigns of “Studio 60.” These guys make an amazing duo on screen. Perry especially, since this is the only character I have ever seen him play that he isn’t Chandler from “Friends.”
The show is very well-written a la “The West Wing,” and has that same kind of chaotic, yet seemingly flawless, style that Sorkin is known for.
“Studio 60” shows us what it’s like to work in the TV business – and by the looks of it – it’s not pretty. I think everyone, especially “West Wing” fans, should check this one out.
“Studio 60: On the Sunset Strip,” premieres Monday, Sept. 18, at 8 p.m. on NBC.
Aaron Peck is a sophomore in computer science and is the Statesman TV critic. He has access to all the premiers he will review. Comments and questions can be sent to aaronpeck@cc.usu.edu.