TWoP recap » Studio 60 - episode 2 » The Cold Open:
[Jordan at the press conference says she asks three questions when considering] upcoming shows for the development season: 'Do I like it? Would my parents like it? If I had kids, would I let them watch it?' She says if the answer to any of those questions is 'yes,' she'll put that show on the air, and if the answer to all three questions is 'no,' she won't put it on. You mean she won't air a show that alienates old people, is inappropriate for kids, and she doesn't even believe in herself? Way to handcuff yourself, lady. hehee.
Danny, who I'm starting to suspect is taking well to being the boss of everyone, says that Matt needed to rest, and he'll be making several more judgment calls for Matt down the line. Ah, the alpha-male as cocky know-it-all. Welcome home, Bradley Whitford.
hrm. yeah I didnt like all the bossiness this episode.
Matt says Studio 60 is all over talk radio, which I can believe, because Wes brought up broadcast standards, and those are a big deal on talk radio. He says someone from Toluca Lake called them both "Barbra Streisand-loving, Michael Moore-worshiping jackasses." First of all, what kind of self-respecting liberal-hater opts for "jackass" when "faggot" is right there? Second of all, this is new to Matt? When he already wrote for the show? And made a movie? I realize they may have just gotten vaulted into a spotlight they've never occupied before, but...it's right-wing radio. You were expecting something better? That whole "change the channel" argument does cut both ways.

and jumping to last page of recap:and Studio 60 is supposed to be a comedy show, and we've yet to see anyone do anything funny on the show. This is a problem, and I mean for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The good stuff -- the drama, the characters, the interplay -- is all backstage, and that's certainly where the focus should be. But if the sketch show product is going to be straight-up not funny like this, then it's going to have to be compensated for. As in "fade to black as Don Pardon't starts bellowing." It's a good show. More likeable characters than not. Smart writing when it can step out of its own way. It's paced tighter than a tom-tom drum. But this entire episode was all buildup to a payoff that fell terribly flat, and it colors the whole episode, and if that keeps happening, it's going to hurt the show. I say this only out of pajama-clad love and a desire to see this show do well. Make the sketches funny or shove 'em offscreen. And stop pretending that Gilbert and Sullivan translates to "classy" when all it does is translate to "old."
Anyway, Matt seems to be happy with things from his office perch. Smiling, he turns back to the doomsday clock, which has begun its countdown anew. It is the very model of a handy narrative device.