Pilot

Episode aired Sep 18, 2006
TV-14
1h

IMDb RATING

8.7/10

719

YOUR RATING

John F. Carpenter in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006)

Comedy Drama

When the Executive Producer of sketch show 'Studio 60' has an on-air meltdown, new network president Jordan McDeere hires Danny Tripp and Matt Albie to replace him and save the show.When the Executive Producer of sketch show 'Studio 60' has an on-air meltdown, new network president Jordan McDeere hires Danny Tripp and Matt Albie to replace him and save the show.When the Executive Producer of sketch show 'Studio 60' has an on-air meltdown, new network president Jordan McDeere hires Danny Tripp and Matt Albie to replace him and save the show.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

8.7/10

719

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
In the commentary track included on the DVD, Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme reveal that Bradley Whitford's scenes in the pilot were shot while he was still finishing up work on the final season of The West Wing (1999) (hence his absence in two of the final three episodes of "The West Wing"). Schlamme also says that he, Whitford and other casting staff made conscious, deliberate effort to help Whitford create an entirely new character and 'check' himself from employing as few of the mannerisms as possible on which he relied in the portrayal of his longtime "The West Wing" character Josh Lyman.

Goofs
When Matt and Danny take the stage at the end of the episode we hear applause and cheers, but the waiting crowd isn't clapping.

Quotes
[Jerry tells Wes to cut a sketch]
Wes Mendell: Who's it gonna offend, huh? Tell me.
Jerry Jones: Wes...
Wes Mendell: Just give me the names.
Jerry Jones: People who, religious people. God, Wes, and you knew that when you
[stops short]
Jerry Jones: - What do you want me to say to the fifty million people who are gonna go out of their minds as soon as it airs?
Wes Mendell: First of all you tell them that we average nine million households, so that's at least 41 million who are full of crap. And the second, you can tell them that living where there's free speech means sometimes you get offended.

Connections
Featured in The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2007)

Soundtracks
Under Pressure
Written by David Bowie, John Deacon, Brian May, Freddie Mercury,
and Roger Taylor
Performed by David Bowie and Queen

User reviews9

Review

Featured review

9/10

What Writing Should Be

In the first few minutes of the pilot, you can tell that this is the crew that brought you the west wing. The bustling crowds and flowing crane shots will be familiar and comforting for fans of the previous show. The mock studio that Studio 60 is shot on is both a visually interesting backdrop and a way of clueing you in that you are watching a show within a show, a drama about a sketch comedy show ala Saturday Night Live.

Then during a heated exchange between the show's current producer Wes Mendell (Judd Hirsch) and a Standards & Practices guy, you are reminded why the first few seasons of West Wing were so good: Rapid fire dialogue that is both witty but not so overly technical that the layman gets lost. Wes Mendell, having been humiliated by Standards and Practices, hijacks the "live" show to deliver a Chayefskyian screed that accuses the network of lobotomizing television because they are afraid of nutty religious cults. This speech is also an example of excellent television writing.

The cast is phenomenal. Totally an ensemble group, Schlamme and Sorkin are playing with a deep bench! Bradley Whitford, Matthew Perry, and Amanda Peat seem to be the triumvirate that will 'run' the sketch comedy show. These three 'leads' exhibit a wonderful chemistry. Perry manages to be snarky and sweet without rehashing a previous "well-established" character. Whitford is the quiet , strong guy whose rough past and self-destructive tendencies simmer beneath the surface. Peat plays a mogul who feels that commercial success and artistic integrity are not mutually exclusive and has the talent to walk the fine line between them.

Fans of the West Wing should really pay attention to this show. Writing like this should be rewarded, and I sincerely hope that Studio 60 has a long and healthy career.