I just finished watching the ...

• Jul 6, 2007 04:00 AM ET
• by Matt Roush

Question: I just finished watching the final episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. What a shame that this show is not coming back! I can't believe that the network kept 30 Rock and canceled this show. Do you think it would have survived on a network other than NBC? Is it possible that Studio 60 came too close on the heels of The West Wing? Or was it just one show too many behind the scenes of SNL? If you had told me last summer that 60 would die and 30 would live, I never would have believed you!
Answer: Based on the pilot, I wouldn't have believed it, either. But by February, when the show went on its fateful hiatus not to return until the postseason burn-off (which I have recorded but not watched), I believed it all too well. Like the masses, I found the show had become tiresome and the characters exasperating whether on their self-important soapboxes or suddenly acting like they were in some silly romantic comedy. And while I hear the final episodes improved, it was clearly a matter of too little too late. This wasn't a case of it being on the wrong network. Given Aaron Sorkin's history with The West Wing, NBC was probably the most suitable environment for this show to air, regardless of the network's current woes. If it had been on a more successful network, it probably wouldn't have lasted this long. Despite the splendid cast and the creative pedigree, it just didn't work in the long run. Comparing it to 30 Rock, a show of an entirely different genre, makes no sense to me. 30 Rock is absurdist, very cult, with touches of mad genius. Studio 60 certainly had its own moments of brilliance, but with that cast and budget was intended to be much more of a mainstream hit. Truth is, if it had been a little more SNL and a little less West Wing (taking on the religious right and acting at times like they were going to save the world through their comedy), it might have been more successful. And given the amount of NBC hate mail I've been getting since Studio 60 started its summer run, I'm beginning to wonder if the network made a mistake by not burying the remaining episodes either online or waiting for the eventual DVD release. Instead of gratitude for being able to see these final episodes, all I'm reading is petulant anger. Which brings me to this week's final question.