If you tell someone that a utopia exists, you’re usually met with disbelief. We’ve been trained to believe that the utopia of literature cannot exist. But maybe the written word isn’t the best place to create utopias. Maybe it’s television. Maybe Aaron Sorkin knows that.
I had the good fortune of being introduced to Sports Night by my brother when I was about 13. I didn’t get it at the time. But I did know that it was good and a few years later, I rediscovered the show. I watched all 3 seasons in a couple of days. There’s something mystical about the show. It jumps off a cliff, spreads its wings, and flies. Other comedy shows crack jokes about how stupid it would be to jump off the cliff.
Sorkin’s next show The West Wing took what Sorkin had been doing with Sports Night and accelerated it. He left around Season 5 or 6 and the show floundered for about 5 or 6 episodes before finding new footing. The West Wing had the same power as Sports Night but also had a seriousness and gravitas derived from its subject matter. It did more than fly; it redrew the sky and altered the boundaries of what’s considered good television.
Sorkin’s new show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip has the same strengths of his other shows. Another phenomenal cast. The first two episodes have set a pace that Sorkin will match until the studio gets antsy and decides to hack it to bits. It’s probably not as good as West Wing, but certainly is better than any other show on television right now. There’s no high school drama (Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs) or reality show-sensibility (Lost) or gore (CSI). It transcends the simpler genres with a knowledge of human nature.
Anyway, I want to talk about what Sorkin does. His TV shows are powerful because he understands a very important concept: that people certain of their purpose are infinitely more appealing than those cast adrift. All of the characters in Studio 60 are driven by a purpose that they know and comprehend. Matt (Matthew Perry) is asked by Harriet (Sarah Paulson) why her joke about asking for butter worked at the table read, but not at dress rehearsal. Without pausing for thought, he tells her that at the table she asked for butter and at dress she asked for laughs. A place where people are all working towards a goal they believe in is a utopia. Sports Night, The West Wing, and Studio 60 all fit the utopic ideal. That is why they are all so critically successful.
They are not as successful in pulling viewers, and I think the reason is that they tacitly ask for a lot from viewers. You need to pay attention to avoid missing details. 24 and Lost inform you immediately that you need to watch every show because they’re all about secrets and revelations. Studio 60 never tells you to watch all the time just because it’s going to be shocking or surprising or anything superficial like that. It never tells you to keep watching. But it does reward you if you do. Hopefully, it will rapidly develop a strong, consistent fan base who will demand continuation.
Here’s a clip that showcases the strength of the writing:
Studio 60 airs on Monday nights on NBC.
-Steven Petersen
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