In 2006, after 3 years of absence, Aaron Sorkin came back to NBC with his new show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a show about behind-secene stories of a fictional late-night sketch comedy show that airs on a fictional televion network, NBS(National Broadcasting System). Simply put, basically it is a duplicate of the SNL in another parallel universe. Designed to be "cutting-edge", the show rests itself upon long and quick conversations on ideological conflicts, religious beliefs, gay rights, and other big issues alike. Clearly enough, Aaron Sorkin was hoping to make a Hollywood version of The West Wing.
In one of the early episode, a journalist of Vanity Fair gets a full access to the show so as to write a special column about it. When Matt Albie, the head writer and executive producer, played by Matthew Perry, asks her during one of the many conversations why a journalist as prominent and political as she is, who had covered presidential campaigns, would want to write stories of a televison show, she responds, "I'm writing about it because what's happening here is important. I'm writing about it because I think popular culture in general and this show in particular are important." To be sure, this is not her talking. This is Aaron Sokin himself talking.
One season later, in sharp contrast with the huge anticipation before and the intense bid between networks for the pilot, the show was cut because of poor performance in ratings. The viewer numbers dropped their way down until the end, and the critics, largely comdians, were nothing but disdainful, accusing it of being unrealisitic and exaggerating television shows and its people's intellegence and infuence on American viewers.
Meanwhile, another show, also based on stories behind a fictional sketch comedy show, won more than one man can hold with both arms at the Emmy, except it is a comedy instead of drama. It is, of course, 30 Rock. It is not smug, nor condescending, nor trying to convey big, remote, complicated ideas to ordinary American people who sit in their couch after a long day merely looking for something funny to watch. It is simply made to be funny. It is the opposite of Studio 60. And It worked.
It must have been a big slap for Aaron Sorkin.
Then, two years later, came the 2008 presidential campaign. We all know the result as we can draw thousands of conclusions. But, notably, one of the most significant one of which is inarguably the former Alaska's governor, Sarah Palin. To be fair, however, the female role model governor's debut did not appear as devastating for Mccain's presidency as it later turned out to be, if anything, it surely has much to do with Tina Fey's merciless impersonation of her on the SNL, a late-night sketch comedy show that is real.
- Could somebody add some extra drama and irony, please?
- Tina Fey being the creator and leading actress of 30 Rock.
Yeah, that'll do it.
