NBC has taken this lame horse out back behind the barn and shot it. Thank the Almighty. Never has a show been such a laborious task to watch. Why did I watch it? Because it was on television. And Monday night to boot.
Last November, an article (can't find-still looking) detailed how writers in Hollywood watched for the sole purpose of mocking it with their writer-friends the next day; something along the lines of "Tuesday has never been such glorious romp!" Aaron Sorkin, known for his lightning-fast dialogue and shoving pretentious storylines down your throat, tried to make us care about the actions and feelings of TV executives and producers like it mattered. And the narcissism! It made me feel positively Mother Teresa-like in comparison. Bloggers and discussion boards talked at length how the show's storylines were direct parallels to his own personal and professional life. Geesh! Get some help!
I used to have a friend. He lived in his mind, his bubble, his world. Social interactions were anthropological experiments, though he, himself, was terribly and embarrassingly socially awkward. While unbelievably bright, he smoked way too much pot and became so hyper-aware, he became a bit of a pariah, never understanding people may be as smart as him. The similarities, to me, have been striking.
Strong opinions do not necessarily make good opinions. Strong lines do not necessarily make good lines in context. In script and on TV, it becomes a bit of a farce, a silliness reserved for the sort of swooning that comes with 3am insomnia, a bottle of vodka and the Google search engine (thanks, Johnny Goldstein).
When it was on, SportsNight was a joy to watch, mainly because parameters were set early on, pointedly saying that the rather irrelevant world of sports had it's moments of tension/emotions/surprises, making for good drama when contained within itself. I wanted to like Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Sorkin made it tough.
Tidbits: Andrew Leonard's column/blog How The World Works on Salon.com is a must-read and, unfortunately, has become the only thing worth reading on the website. In 2003 (and showed signs before then), it became a whip for the MoveOn.org crowd. But check him out.
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