Running Studio 60 thread (spoilers)

The show is going on hiatus -- a week earlier than originally planned -- and NBC has not announced a return date. That is a scenario that has spelled doom for a show before.

EDIT: That said, I don't think the show's in trouble yet. NBC, of all the nets, will most sacrifice ratings for quality (St. Elsewhere, Homicide immediately come to mind) on occasion.

 

shotty, i hope that's not the case -- believe me. i love the show. i just don't trust the peacock to bring it back after hiatus. i've been burned too many times.

 

The biggest problem with that argument is Friday Night Lights, which is far better reviewed and way cheaper for NBC. The early indications are that they are really thinking of bringing it back and I'm not sure if there is enough room at NBC for two ratings challenged 1 hour dramas. Especially with a guy like Sorkin, who has, in essence, a no-edit clause for his scripts.

 

btw, matchett is the chick that was part-alien on "invasion," wasn't she? run, matt! run!!!!!

 

I see your point, and it's a good one. In fact, I was thinking of FNL as I made my post.

My hunch is that S60 will be back. At the very least, NBC, considering what it has paid to produce them, will burn off the four (I believe) episodes still in the can, so tonight won't be a swan song by any means.

 

I agree -- I think that they renew on a hunch and that they get burned.

It's funny -- the legacy of Studio 60 may be the fantastic NBC Thursday comedy lineup -- after Grey's Anatomy was moved to Thursday, Studio 60 was moved to Monday from Thursday. That allowed what became the 2 hour comedy block on Thursday night.

 

Please see Geeks, Freaks And for NBC's "committment" to quality television. I was so mad about NBC never giving Freaks and Geeks half a chance to succeed that I swore I'd never watch the network again.

This is also the network that foisted "Fear Factor" upon us and is now saving the 8-9 hour for "reality" programmning, i.e. cheap programming.

As you and others note here, NBC likes Friday Night Lights and can renew it and use it as an example that the network supports quality...while killing the $2.5 million an episode Studio 60.

You're right in that the network will probably air the last four episodes, but I don't see it getting renewed.

 

Point taken on Freaks And Geeks, a show I also loved. I said NBC was most likely of the nets to keep a quality show, and I think history bears that out: Elsewhere and Homicide, and you can add Cheers and (to an extent) Seinfeld to that list as well.

NBC's mistake with Freaks And Geeks was scheduling it on Saturday night, when the show's target audience is nowhere close to a TV.

Unfortunately, you can't keep every good, low-rated show. I was upset when NBC canceled American Dreams.

 

At least NBC gave American Dreams a few years (three?). It set Freaks and Geeks up to fail. As you noted, the scheduling was particularly bad for a show like F&G. It was as smart as scheduling a sleepover party at noon. And when F&G returned to the schedule on a Monday, it got, literally, like two or three promo spots the preceding week. Then it was canceled Tuesday morning. The F&G yearbook edition of the DVD has some priceless dirt on the clueless bastards at NBC.

You're right on St. Elsewhere, et al, but those are shows from a bygone era. None of those shows would survive a second season today. Network execs need immediate gratification to save their bacon for another sweeps period. And NBC is among the worst of the bunch. I'd rank Fox above NBC just for giving 24 a second season.

 

Earl, Office, Scrubs, 30 Rock, Studio 60 -- that should have been NBC's Thursday lineup in September, with ER moved to another night (say, Tuesday). Studio 60 would have done much better against two freshman series on CBS and ABC instead of the established CSI Miami.

On that topic, there is no night on network TV least deserving of its ratings than CBS on Mondays.

 

ER would tank on any other night. Which is as good a reason as any to move it. FINALLY put it out of its misery. Every show feels like a rehash. There's nothing left to do.

 

fellow "west wing" aficionados: isn't the attorney working the sexual harrassment case on "studio 60" from the same firm sam worked for before joining bartlet on "west wing?"

the firm's name: gage, whitney. ???