TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Sharkflei Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

Jenni Devyn Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

John_Truby Studio 60 has not been the big hit everyone at NBC hoped it would be. And it's taken more than a few shots, mostly from insiders who say that it's not an authentic view of a sketch comedy show. Why? Because it's not funny. And they're right; it's not funny. That could be because creator and writer Aaron Sorkin can't write funny. Or more likely it's because the show's not a comedy. It's a drama about working in a corporation, a corporation that just happens to be in the business of making culture.Sometimes Sorkin gets too cute in his writing, typically from updating a classic story beat. He always does the beat well, but it's still a recognizable beat. And I get the feeling that he is writing so much so fast that for long stretches he just puts it on automatic and lets his considerable knowledge of story carry him along.To see one of the reasons why Studio 60 may be having trouble with audiences, let's look at a technique that is crucial to a TV drama: the episodic desire line. In other words, what is accomplished in each episode? In a classic cop show, it's solving the crime. In a courtroom drama, it's winning the case. In a doctor show, it's saving the patient. On Studio 60 it's … Well, we know what it isn't. It's not putting on a 90-minute comedy show. So what is it? The desire line in each episode is what gives the story its shape, and is one of the key elements of a show's DNA. You can create a show in which the desire line extends over many episodes, but you will have more difficulty holding a mass audience. So many shows provide at least one desire line that is accomplished by the end of the episode, and extend the others. Aaron Sorkin doesn't do that on Studio 60. It's not a bad thing. It's just not popular. Regardless of Studio 60's essential structure, there is a lot to like and learn from by watching it.For example, we see a great technique in the second part of a two-part episode in which Harriet gets an award. It's the technique I call the "dialogue of equals." Good conflict dialogue should be a heavyweight fight. Punch/counter-punch. One throws a hammer blow. The other comes right back with a hammer blow of his own. Not only does each line have dramatic power, the scene builds in the sequence of the blows (lines), ending in a knockout punch.To create a building punch/counter-punch, you have to have two equals, by which I mean two characters with an equal ability to verbally attack. If one is too strong, he or she will get in the most blows and the scene will not build. In the concluding episode of the two-parter, Matt and Harriet go at each other with ferocity. Matt is the obviously more aggressive and nastier of the two. But Harriet does not shrink back and ends up having the more powerful blows, including the lethal knockout punch.FOR MORE REVIEWS please visit www.truby.com

tripperM the best thing to be on TV since the west wing and they pull it for the crap laden 30 rock???when baldwin had his meltdown and the writers came off strike, i thought: "great! finally this'll take off like it should." but no. too "deep", too "intelligent", to close to the mark! i say. i think the only reason this is off the air is political. the back lot money mongers didn't like the idea that studio 60 may be airing too much dirty laundry. TOO BAD! this was brilliant, yeah, it had it's flat moments, but it had SO much better scripting, and dialogue, and cast, and chemistry, and, and, and...

johnmatthewforan The best written show since the West Wing was taken off the air was the highlight of last years TV. Although Heroes is fantastic this show made me sit up and take notice.With some fantastic actors both new and familiar to us in the UK not sure about the US, and some great story lines this show could have gone from strength to strength. It took the West Wing 7 seasons to make me cry and even that was based around an actual death of a cast member but the Studio 60 finale is a thing of beauty. It is all you'd want in a programme heart felt, funny and good actors turning in great performances.This is the perfect starting point for anyone wanting to start looking at the works of Mr. Sorkin it's not as heavy as the West Wing but every bit as brilliant. I already have the DVDs and the finale again got the best of me.You'll laugh, you'll cheer and you should cry unless you're made out of stone or something.

siseo05 ...and you'll see that this show was INCREDIBLY underrated. The rating itself (8.7 at the time of this comment) shows how well loved it was by its fans.I have to admit, I've kind of felt a downtrend in TV series lately. I know a lot of people love the law/crime dramas like CSI or similar, but I admit those were never to my taste--not that that's a reflection on the quality of those shows. I will say that I watched plenty of other primetime dramas and comedies alike and was disappointed in every one. I had great hopes when I heard the WEST WING creators were coming out with a new show, and the previews looked promising.I was surprised when I watched the first episode. Not unpleasantly so--just surprised. Maybe I felt that the show would have slightly bolder humor than it delivered. As others have said, though, the dialogue was one of its strongest points; it was a show fully driven by it. The humor, though not overt, was still marked and gave me a good laugh now and again; and it maintained that balance between humor and drama--a little like life, you might say. It had a much more realistic feel in that sense than dramas constantly bogged down by solemnity and string sections, or comedies with canned laughter (that really grates on my nerves--you should never have to be TOLD when to laugh at a show).The issues the show took on were real and challenging, and it was another thing I admired. It's very easy--well, if not easy, then more common--for shows now to slip into neutrality, keep everyone happy so everyone will keep watching. If we offend anyone, we're going to cause a stir and get our show banned! I respected the fact that STUDIO 60 had the guts to take on such strong issues as race and religion, especially in the media.As for the acting, I can't say enough. Bradley Whitford could bring a smile to my face just by appearing on screen. He and Matthew made an excellent head team; Perry proved his versatility with this role after his ten-year run on FRIENDS. Amanda Peet practically shines as Jordan, whose character is in danger of being the stereotypical "hard-nosed businesswoman who must be taken seriously in a man's world," but has a much more human interpretation. You remember that she's a woman--a very smart, extremely capable woman, but not a woman trying to be a man.One negative thing I will say is that some of the will-they-won't-they plot between Matt and Harriett seemed to drag and bogged the show down a little, more because of the cat-and-dog nature of the relationship than the actual uncertainty. It would have been nice to see their relationship take on some sort of stability after an entire season, whether good or bad (always time for more catastrophe later, Mr. Sorkin!). The constant change, nearly every episode, became a little tedious and bordering on soap opera material.I'm at a bit of a loss to find the reason for this show's failure, especially with some of the crap that's airing now. Perhaps, like me, people came in with different expectations for the show. All I can say is that, with all of these things working for them--the script, the actors, the music, on and on--this show deserved to see many more seasons.