Backlash

I'm not sure if I just wasn't paying attention or what, but I have to say that I was surprised by the backlash against Studio 60. I realize that I shouldn't have been but there it is.

Being an Aaron Sorkin fan who owns the DVDs for Sports Night and West Wing, I have been anticipating this season's Sorkin/Schlamme effort. I watched the premiere early on AOL and rewatched it on TV last week. Perhaps because I don't disagree with Sorkin's criticisms of fundamentalist Christians (anymore than I disagree with criticisms of fundamentalist Mormons or Muslims, etc.), I was caught unawares by the whining of some participants when perusing the transcript of the live blog Sorkin and Schlamme participated in on premiere night.

It was as if they were intentionally underscoring Wes' (Judd Hirsch) point for those viewers who might have missed it the first few times. What did he say? Something to the effect of getting positively horny at the thought of a boycott? That's exactly what one of the live blog participants threatened, even before the season premier had concluded. How prophetic is that? I guess it's not really all that much of a feat, given that the reaction is fairly predictable.

I do appreciate Sarah Paulson's character, Harriet Hays. She reminds me of a friend in college whom we called the Preacher, one of the most spiritual people I have ever known but quite unassuming about it. We all really respected his beliefs. Quite the opposite of another friend who became born again during that time and was positively overbearing.

I'm not quite prepared to wholeheartedly endorse Studio 60. It's early and the hype was so intense. I can say that I really enjoyed the "cold open" at the end of the second show, to such an extent that I recounted it to my husband on the phone the next day.