erinwrites | Goodbye, Studio 60

Originally published at erin-go-blog!. Please leave any comments there.

Well, I watched the final episode of Studio 60 last night.

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I love Aaron Sorkin. Love, love, love. I wept and gnashed my teeth when Sports Night was canceled. I adored The West Wing, and even kept watching after Sorkin’s departure, because I couldn’t bear to walk away from the characters and world he had created.

Studio 60 started out brilliantly. The pilot was fantastic, and I could not wait for the season to begin. Bradley Whitford and Matthew Perry were great together as Danny and Matt.

The show, unfortunately, started to meander and lose its way. Was it a Very Serious Drama? Was it a comedy? It was hard to tell, and I don’t think Sorkin’s other shows suffered from this awkward tone problem. Both had a fine balance of humor and seriousness that Studio 60 never seemed to find.

When Studio 60 was good, it was really, really good. When it wasn’t though…well, it really, really wasn’t. I thought The Christmas Show was outstanding. I thought the one where Danny and Jordan got stuck on the roof was dreadful.

I’ve loved these last few episodes, though, and the finale made me cry multiple times. The finale reminded me why I love Mr. Sorkin so. Were things tied up a little too neatly? Well, yeah, but I can forgive that. Leave it to Aaron Sorkin to leave me desperately missing a show I was feeling “meh” about not all that long ago.

So goodbye, Studio 60. You weren’t perfect, but you will be missed.