Question: I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but a while ago there was a lot of talk about whether or not Friday Night Lights should be considered a "family" show. After the recent stories on racial tension and the Julie-Matt sex story line, is there still any question that this is a show aimed directly at families? FNL is like the best Afterschool Special ever — and I say that in the most respectful way. It's such a wonderful show, and I sincerely hope it comes back next season. On the topic of next season: Since The Black Donnellys seems doomed, is there any chance we may see Studio 60 come back next season, maybe in a different time slot? Or is that pretty much dead in the water as well?
Answer: The way I like to put it is that Friday Night Lights is the epitome of the thinking family's drama. It's not always going to be comfortable for parents and kids to watch together, because it doesn't pander. There are no saints here. But there are very strong values (and I say that in the
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Question: I am having a hard time understanding how the networks are scheduling programs. To me, it just doesn't seem like the audience for Heroes is going to stick around to watch Studio 60 or The Black Donnellys. I don't think these shows mesh at all together. On ABC, they decided that the order of the Wednesday comedy block should be George Lopez, The Knights of Prosperity, According to Jim and In Case of Emergency. Again, I don't see how the audiences of each of those will stick around to watch the other shows. George and Jim are more family-oriented, and Knights and Emergency lean to adults. Unfortunately, shows like Studio 60 and Knights, both of which I like, are not getting fair chances by getting better scheduling. I'm curious about your thoughts on this.
Answer: I don't really agree where Studio 60 is concerned. While it's true that Heroes cult fanatics aren't the perfect target audience for Studio 60, it was still a powerful lead-in, and NBC kept Studio 60 in the same time
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Question: Is this the unceremonious end for Studio 60? Suddenly preempted by Donnellys whatever? Studio 60 is intelligent, fast, terrifically funny; the stars are great, etc.. My friends and I eagerly anticipated every show. Is there any chance for it? How frustrating, how maddening, how sad if it's been removed forever. Replaced by yet another show with violence as one of its main characters. Nuts.
Answer: Unceremonious, to be sure. Studio 60 was probably always going to take a spring breather to give some mid-season show a tryout, but when NBC rushed The Black Donnellys on the air a week early, it was clearly time to start preparing the eulogy. (Never mind that Donnellys is such a botch it makes Studio 60, whatever its faults, look like a winner.) I won't give you false hope on Studio 60's chances, but you never know if NBC will take a gamble on a star producer like Aaron Sorkin, not to mention that cast, and give it more rope, hoping it will redeem and not hang itself. Still, ...
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Law & Order
The networks have started working on new fall series, which means pink slips are coming for some of your old favorites. Here's what could be on the chopping block.
NBC Did you ever imagine the day when Law & Order would be canceled? We're not saying it's going to happen — it probably won't. But costs on the show have risen while its ratings have dropped, which means its renewal is no longer automatic every year. NBC's other middling crime dramas — Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Crossing Jordan and Medium — are more vulnerable. The network has also yet to decide on another season for The Apprentice
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Question: I know I am in the minority when I say that I like Studio 60. I know it doesn't hit the mark 100 percent of the time, but no show does, and I still find it to be entertaining. I really hope the most recent episode wasn't its last. It is hard for me to believe that a show with so many amazing people working on it, both in front of and behind the camera, can't become a great show if given enough time. My question is: Do you think this show is being judged more harshly by both critics and viewers because it comes from someone responsible for two beloved shows, The West Wing and Sports Night? If Aaron Sorkin had done this show before those, would it still be considered such a huge failure without the comparison? If this show were to return, do you think there is anything that could be done to save it?
Answer: As I noted in Friday's column, I don't see how this show could be salvaged at this point. People didn't cotton to it as a backstage show, and they seemed less inclined to
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Question: Before the current TV season began, two of the most talked-about shows were Studio 60 and Brothers & Sisters, both shows with all-star casts and great teams of producers and writers. Studio 60 was expected to do well and was a preseason favorite, while Brothers & Sisters was getting bashed before it began because of on-set problems and reshoots. Now it seems like the tables have turned, with Brothers & Sisters getting all the praise while Studio 60 has yet to live up to its potential. Why do you think two shows with so many great people working on them have taken such divergent paths? What has Brothers & Sisters done right that Studio 60 hasn't?
Answer: What great timing for this fascinating question, given that Studio 60 just slinked away into early hiatus while Brothers & Sisters currently graces the cover of TV Guide (on stands now, everybody). Just goes to show you how unpredictable the TV business is. I do not apologize for gushing over Studio 60's dazzling pilot while
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Amanda Peet had planned to attend a Hollywood luncheon on Wednesday, but instead decided to order one baby girl, to go, the New York Post's Page Six reports. It's the first child for Peet and screenwriter hubby David Benioff. In related news, The Black Donnellys is now pregnant.... Father of the Bride's daughter is a mother. Kimberly Williams-Paisley (According to Jim) welcomed her and husband Brad Paisley's first child, a son, on Thursday, says People.... Nick Cannon wedded on a whim Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks last weekend in Las Vegas, says Us.
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Question: We both agree that Slings & Arrows is a brilliant show and deserves to receive accolades and awards from peers and the TV industry. I just read in TV Guide that the third season (which hasn't aired in the U.S. yet) is its last. Is this true? If so, why? Is it being canceled, or have the producers and creators decided to call it quits? I need to know whom I need to write to! I want them to know that they shouldn't end it now! This show means so much to me, more than any other show ever has. I am an actor and a director, I work in community theater and this show speaks to me as an artist! I can't face the possibility of it ending. What can I do?
Answer: Enjoy it while you can. (The third season of this Canadian gem is currently airing on Sundance Channel on Sundays; do yourself a favor and check it out.) When you get to the end of the current season, you'll see that Slings & Arrows bows out gracefully, tying up a number of threads with satisfying closure. I hated seeing it end
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Question: The flashbacks in the Feb. 12 episode of Studio 60 really showed me that we were watching the wrong show. In going back to Matt Albie as a young and unproven writer, and Harriet Hayes as a comedic ingenue (and even Luke as Matt's more experienced foil), there was an energy to the show that I'd not seen in any previous episode. It didn't hurt, of course, that it looked like the writing staff was more like 25 strong than the skeleton crew of five they have now, but still. What worked so well was that there was hunger and freshness. We were discovering this place along with these characters, and it was great fun. The way Studio 60 is now, everyone's a star, everyone's established, and everyone walks around like they're bored most of the time. As much as I love Aaron Sorkin's past work, this is the first time I've felt that Studio 60 was fundamentally flawed and really can't be fixed. It's too bad, because late-night comedy is a rich subject to draw from, even if this show never ...
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Question: What's going on with Studio 60 being replaced a week early by The Black Donnellys?
Answer: First nail in the coffin, my friend. First nail in the coffin.
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