|
Studio 60 Dead. Or Not.
Talk about seeing a glass half empty: TV-related blogs are buzzing today over a Fox News report that, despite ordering three new scripts of West Wing mastermind Aaron Sorkin's Saturday Night Live spoof Studio 60, castmembers are telling people cancellation is imminent.
This buzz emerges on the same day as the network pre-empts the show for an episode of its equally good and equally low-rated football drama Friday Night Lights.
My bet: somebody at Fox is playing the odds. If Friday Night Lights juices the timeslot, there's no way triggerhappy TV execs will return Studio 60 to the space, effectively canceling it. And Studio 60 has been losing half the audience of NBC's surprise Monday night hit, Heroes.
But I haven't seen any other news outlet echo Fox's reporting -- probably because everyone starring on the show knows its fate is so precarious that any extra negative buzz will just push it closer to the abyss.
Hey, it's a 50-50 chance of being correct. And if you believe Studio 60 is as
awful as some critics seem to think, maybe the odds are better than that.
Personally, I've enjoyed the show -- which is basically Sorkin's eggheaded take on the TV biz. But my sneaking suspicion is that Studio 60 is suffering from a few problems:
-- Viewers have never been that interested in Hollywood satirizing itself, even when it does a really good job of it.
-- Masses of viewers don't dig TV characters that make them feel dumb; they'd much prefer watching characters who seem more dysfunctional than they are.
-- I liked it, which means it's doomed to failure.
Wow. Guess who is Mr. Glass Half Empty now?
UPDATE: I was right. Fox is full of it.
Most Recent Blog Posts
About the bloggers
The best TV shows, the worst shows, TV news, media issues and debates ... it's all here at the Feed, a blog on TV, media and modern life by Tampa Bay Times TV/media critic Eric Deggans. Possibly the most critical guy at the Times, he has served as music, media and TV critic at various times over 10 years.
E-mail Eric Deggans:
deggans@tampabay.com
Get updates from The Feed via Twitter
Twitter Badges
Advertisement
Most Popular Categories
Follow us on Facebook
Comment Policy
| Please be sure your comments are appropriate before submitting them. Inappropriate comments include content that: |
| Is libelous |
| Is abusive, harassing, or threatening |
| Is obscene, vulgar, or profane |
| Is racially, ethnically or religiously offensive |
| Is illegal or encourages criminal acts |
| Is known to be inaccurate or contains a false attribution |
| Infringes copyrights, trademarks, publicity or any other rights of others |
| Impersonates anyone (actual or fictitious) |
| Solicits funds, goods or services, or advertises |
| The Tampa Bay Times does not edit posts but reserves the right to delete comments that violate our policy. |
Registration FAQ
| Read our Frequently Asked Questions on how to register to comment on the site. |
