Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip

I didn't do anything to prepare for this recap. I did the best I could to stay away from the glowing reviews and anticipation this show has been generating since the fall '06 upfronts back in May. I wanted to approach this with as little bias as possible. But then again, I do own several seasons of "The West Wing" on DVD. I watch "Sports Night", also on DVD, in its entirety every year. And then I watched the season opener of "The New Adventures of Old Christine" before "Studio 60 on The Sunset Strip" and the sight of Aaron Sorkin familiar Clark Gregg bought me back to the peerless "Sports Night", where Clark played the maverick venture capitalist who [spoiler alert] saved the network just as "Sports Night" was cancelled by ABC.[/spoiler alert] Which was just as well, because back in the heady late '90s we were not in the "golden age of television" we appear to be in now (according to John Cassar, anyway), and therefore could not appreciate the sharp writing and cinematic look that have come to define a Sorkin-Schlamme collaboration.

But the recap! "Studio 60" is the show-within-a-show, a live sketch comedy whose executive producer Wes, angry that a funny though possibly offensive sketch got cut by Standards & Practices, stops the opening sketch for what amounts to a 53-second long tirade against the government, the lack of quality television, and pretty much anything he can think of before the director Cal cuts him off with the show logo. It isn't long before Jordan McDeere, newly appointed president of NBS, is called away from her dinner with studio execs (one of whom is played by Lou Grant -- nice!) to handle the problem.

Three Six Mafia are the night's musical guests, performing as Jordan arrives on set with NBS chairman Jack Rudolph. While Jack and S&P guy (whose name I don't bother remembering yet) try to watch the tape in a pot smoke-filled green room (thanks, Three Six Mafia!), Jordan makes her way to Wes's office. Finding Wes sitting alone, she asks him what the cut sketch was about. But before he can tell her, Jack finds them and fires Wes.

Back at the network offices, Jack barks at executives from various departments, trying to figure out if the content of Wes' remarks could get them into any real trouble. Jordan laughs, not because they're overreacting but because they're not reacting enough. What could be bigger than this story than replacing Wes with the two men whom Jack let go four years before? Matt Albie and Danny Tripp were let go from "Studio 60", and went on to enjoy immense success. But what makes Jordan think she can get them? Jack does not find her charming, and would not hesitate to fire her if her plan goes awry. But it's the only plan they've got.

Matt and Danny are at the WGA's, where Matt (high on pain-killers after back surgery) is clumsily trying to explain why he and his girlfriend, Studio 60 star Harriet Hayes, broke up. Danny's wife is especially interested, though not pleased at Matt's story about him missing Harriet singing the national anthem at a Dodgers game: "Harriet, it was the national anthem. They were singing already." Eek. While Matt accepts his award, Danny is called away by Blair, who tells him what happened at the show. They rush away to watch the tape.

The aforementioned Harriet rushes into the wrap party, darting past the press who lob questions about the sketch they heard was cut, and whether or not she as a Christian was offended. She grimaces, then consoles Cal, who is waiting to hear whether or not she still has a job. Harriet finds Tom and Simon, the other two of "the big three" stars of the show, and she again wonders why everyone cares what she thinks. I guess being the only publicly identified Christian of the show (not exactly subtle, but then again, most American television isn't -- that's what we have BBC America for, Footballers' Wives excepted) will do that for a girl. On the way out to the alley to talk to Simon and Tom in private, Harriet is approached by a drunk Rook, a minor cast-member who jokes that Harriet's pre-show prayer must not have worked that night. She coolly shoots him down, saying that until he accepts Jesus Christ as his person savior or starts being funny, he should be talking to somebody else. Holy snap!

Harriet, Tom, and Simon try to figure out who wrote the cut sketch. Harriet, who wishes she had been in it, thinks it might have been Wes, but even he's not that good. It can't be Ron and Ricky, the authors of the reviled "Peripheral Vision Man" sketch that took the place of the cut sketch. Before they can continue, show staffer Daphne tells them they're being called back to the set.

Jordan finds Blair and Danny at the hotel, joking that she was there to invite him to Cabo to escape the scandal, then shows her hand: Jordan knows that Danny and Matt will be available to take the job at "Studio 60" because they won't make their next film. They can't make this film because Danny won't be insured. Danny won't be insured because he failed his drug test, and has to be 18 months sober before he can be bonded.

How did Jordan know this? I was going to say her cute little purse was whispering the answers in her ear but no -- an ex-boyfriend at the insurance company tipped her off. Danny doesn't trust her to keep her mouth shut, and goes off to tell Matt before he makes his next decision. When he does tell Matt, who is at the studio, Matt gets angry because he believes that the network knows (only Jordan does) and is trying to blackmail Danny. Before Danny can disabuse him of this notion, Matt runs off and finds Jordan, Jack, S&P guy, and other network lackeys, accusing them of black mail as they are all sitting down to discuss the deal to take over the show. Of course, Jack delights in this, as he did not know. Only Jordan knew. Oops. Jack doesn't resist using this revelation to mock Danny in their talks. Danny walks out, and Matt follows him, saying that they'll take the job, he'll talk to Danny, and they will be ready for a press conference to announce and take questions on Monday.

On the way to find Danny, Matt runs into Harriet, where they get into the fight that broke them up. Matt was supportive of Harriet's career as a Christian singer. Right until she sang on Pat Robertson's 700 Club. While she is moved by the faith of the 700 Club audience, he calls Pat Robertson a bigot and likes the whole show to a Klan rally. She slaps him, which was definitely called for, but they come to a peace. She had stood by the sketch, "Crazy Christians", all through the week and even after it was cut. Matt finds this interesting, and says that as long as she can deliver every week, he will be happy to work with her.

Matt continues in his search, finding Danny in a fake taxi cab -- the kind where you only have the back seat, partial trunk, working back doors. I always wanted one of those. Anyway, Danny and Matt very tenderly talk about Danny's relapse, then confess that they need each other. If only because Matt's medication made him forget what he just said, and he needed Danny to remind him.

They emerge from the cab to find Jordan, who asks Matt and Danny to trust her. She hands over the "Crazy Christians" sketch, which she knew was written by Matt four years ago when he was on the show, but was never produced then. She instructs him to open next week's show with it, and leaves them to their new show. End scene.

A few notes:

1. During the bit at HQ, Jack and the execs watch the story of Wes's unscripted rant get compared to Peter Finch's turn as the embittered Howard Beale in Paddy Chayefsky's classic Network. While Jack did not revel in the comparison, Jordan allowed as it was good that these shows knew who Paddy Chayefsky was. And now, so do you.

2. In the scene where Matt accidentally revealed that Danny tested positive for drugs (though nobody but Matt and Danny seemed to know it was cocaine), Matt rambled "Ironically, I'm the one who's high as a paper kite right now.But legitimately. I had back surgery on Tuesday. L-5/S-1, if that means anything to you. Stop talking now? You bet." Which a. cracked me up, because people on painkillers are hilarious; and b. confused me. What were those coordinates? Was it like Faith going on about things being < href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_by_five">"five by five" on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Actually, no.

3. Studio60theshow.com -- the site for the show within the show.

4. Read Tommy Schlamme and Aaron Sorkin's blog posts here. They answered questions posted by fans right after the series premiere.