NBC To Cancel Studio 60 - NBC Denies Rumors

By Kelly West: 2006-10-30 00:00:00

Comment on “NBC To Cancel Studio 60 - NBC Denies Rumors”

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1. John Says:
   October 30th, 2006 at 22:18

   I can't say that "Studio 60" is the best show on TV, because it's really the only one I watch with any sort of devotion.
   
   Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme have been criticized for trying to bring the behind-the-scenes gravitas of the White House (really?) to Tinseltown. They've also been accused of self-righteousness. A number of scenes are full-array broadsides against a studio system that leaves little room for the Sorkin-Schlamme brand of television: smart, affecting, dialogue-rich, more likely to be influenced by Aristotle's Poetics than Canham's Reality TV Show Pitch e-book.
   
   If indeed "Studio 60" gets the axe, NBC will not bear all the blame. In public at least, the network has stuck by the show. But if viewers don't fill out the only petition that matters -- watching at 10/9 p.m. on television and not on the web, then ordering a land-line and waiting for Nielsen to call -- "Studio 60" will have the same fate as "Arrested Development" and "Sports Night", critically-acclaimed television shows cut down too early. And to fill the time slot we'll be given more of what we least need but most deserve: "Trading Mommies" and "Survivor: Segregation."

1. debbie Says:
   October 30th, 2006 at 23:08

   I was completely hooked. Very disappointing.

1. Larry Olson Says:
   October 30th, 2006 at 23:13

   I really enjoyed "Studio 60" and watched every episode. We need more Aaron Sorkin on TV. I don't profess to be any kind of genius, but can say this much: I never saw "White Chicks". That the same nation who makes game shows and reality TV the biggest hits on the air is in charge of electing the world's most powerful leader is frightening. Matt and Danny we miss you! Come back to us!!!

1. J.P. Says:
   October 30th, 2006 at 23:34

   Self-righteous, yes, but no less so than the morons whose buttons I gleefully imagine Sorkin to be pushing. At least his is an educated and somewhat self-aware form of self-righteousness. Yes, I suppose a public that can't enjoy Sorkin is fully deserving of Survivor. But why me too? I'll miss S60.

1. Holly Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 00:10

   I am absolutely, completely disappointed in my fellow man. Why does it seem that all of a sudden, all the rednecks in my county finally got cable and hence the ratings go nuts for shows like Survivor and Deal or no Deal. I agree with an earlier poster who said that only crappy TV show watchers get ratings boxes! Studio 60, Sports Night, Arrested Development... all these fun, touching, hilarious, SMART shows... getting axed so that America can be made more stupid by the minute, as we watch people eat goat testicles with tartar sauce or put a happily engaged couple in a mansion with a porn star and "see what happens." If this actually happens, I'm so done with television.

1. Jamese Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 00:10

   I love this show. It has been the only new show that I have consistently watched. In fact, it is the only show I watch on Monday nights. I had no idea the network was even thinking of pulling it.
   
   CSI: Miami with its inane dialogue and wooden acting will not get me to watch even if Studio 60 is not in the competition.

1. BenJoe Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 00:11

   In the end, i think it was too smart of comedy for people. Like the West Wing, but for a more average viewer. The stats that Hero's gets 14 Million viewers and then half drop off to watch Studio 60 was amazing. Really I loved it, but mostly for Mat Perry, he really impressed me that he knew how to do something other than friends. Sorkin, however, never even changed fonts for his titles from the West Wing. I think Sorkin may have missed the boat on a few things.
   
   Well, I have all the episodes on DVR and I can at least enjoy the Pilot, which was the best.
   
   

1. Martin Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 00:11

   Yeah, I'm gonna miss that show. It never got a chance to mature. I do feel like it was a flawed outing, but it's strengths made it well worth overlooking it's weaknesses. There's nowhere else on TV to find really crisp dialogue. Lovers of wit, lament.

1. tejal Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 00:11

   i friggin' love this show! how could it be cancelled already??

1. JT Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 00:11

   Now why should NBC keep something of quality on T.V.??? I am very disappointed by the decision and concur that we need to keep Aaron Sorkin alive. He is the only "network" guy with vision, depth and direction.
   HBO....take Studio 60! It belongs on cable as it has content! Maybe too much content for the simple network surfers that require dubbed in laughing audiences.
   8(

1. Ozzyols Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 00:21

   It amuses me to notice that the two places --- and the ONLY two places --- that have mentioned this are FOX News and Marketwatch - which happens to be owned by CBS....
   
   Gee Whiz... why do you think those two networks would say something like that?
   
   They say that the 3 extra scripts called for is simply "Contractual"... well if the original reports were correct the deal was that Shoe Money had at least 13 eps guarenteed in their contract with WB and NBC. Well if they are asking now for a further 3 that would indicate they have their 13. Surely NBC would have more sense to cut bait and run after 13 and not call for anymore if the cancellation was as imminent as Fox would have us believe?
   
   NO ONE else has confirmed any of this... not even a celebrity rumbling... I think this is one big pot stir on the part of Fox to see if they can't start something - which is low and underhanded by any standard.
   
   

1. Spencer Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 00:21

   I watched every episode, and would have continued to watch every episode despite the fact that the show wasn't particularly good. Consider the idiotic, one-dimensional portrayal of Tom Jeter's parents as Midwestern bumpkins who'd never heard of "Who's On First" . . . yeah that seems plausible - oh - and while we're at it let's use dad to remind us all that there's a war going on in Afghanistan that causes fathers to confuse their sons' names. From what I can tell, soooo many people got it all wrong on S60 - the writing wasn't over the head of its audience, it was contemptuous of it. And oh boy was it unsubtle. NOW COMES the blacklisted 50's writer. NOW COMES the Christian right. NOW COMES the black comic besmirching his own race in his routine.
   
   S60 made me realize something - unless it's sci-fi or reality programming, I am basically a junkie that can get hooked on anything so long as my Tivo is set to record it. So many of the answers to the criticisms of S60 were along the lines that it was better than reality programming or whatever mindless drivel was going to take it's place. Even assuming for the sake of argument that whatever appears Mondays at 10 on NBC is worse than S60, that's hardly a compelling reason why the show was any good or should have stayed. There are other options than the television set, and if you can't find anything that suits your fancy on TV you can always just turn the thing off and find something else to do. I mean, I don't do that, but you could.
   
   Sidelight: It was proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Amanda Peet cannot act, that D.L. Hughley can, and that Matthew Perry is an immensely gifted actor. I liked him in Friends, but obviously that show never gave him a chance to showcase his talent. Hopefully television will find a vehicle to make better use of Perry.

1. Josh Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 00:23

   Ozzy, that's not true. Kelly cited several other sources in her piece above. The story has now been pretty well confirmed. Fraid there's no conspiracy here, though it's cancellation is a shame.
   
   Good show that could have gotten even better. It'll never get a chance.

1. Daniel Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 02:39

   American audience?! Friggin stupid!!! Go figure. A country that seem to contradict its own f*@ckin views every single day on every friggin time. You don't deserve this show, give it to somebody else like UK maybe they'll understand everything about the show and would definitely watch it. You dont deserve S60 at all.

1. anthony Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 02:39

   Not since Alias have I found a show that I consistently look forward to "EVERY" week. Studio 60 is a smart show, with a very talented cast, and offers something that television across the board is lacking - intelligence. It's sad that shows with poor acting and over-used premises like CSI, Survivor, etc. continue to pull in viewers. It is definately a testement to the dumbing down of America.
   
   However, I think NBC made a big mistake of putting this show on Sunday at 10:00pm. Those of us with careers aren't likely to wait until 10:00 to watch a show, and it's lead-in show had the wrong demographic (read: no wonder you're losing half the viewers - they're kids and this is an adult show). Move the show to a better slot and give it a complimentary lead-in and you'll likely see its ratings rise.
   
   Message to NBC: Don't cancel this show! You're changing the consuming habits of viewers by giving them something of quality in the form of Studio 60 and this takes time to develop. Otherwise, you're pandering to the consumers of swill that's being vomited at consumers every day.

1. Jeannie Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 02:39

   I'm extremely sorry to see this show go. I thought it was witty, intelligent, very well written and tremendously well acted. Matthew Perry impressed me to no end with his abilities. I really believe if given a full season and a network to fully stand behind that season, Studio 60 could have gained the audience it deserves.

1. Nick Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 07:04

   Studio 60, as of this moment, has not been cancelled. Just to be clear.
   
   This article is wrong. And not just a little bit wrong -- 100% incorrect, at the moment. Unless this is the biggest break Cinema Blend has ever had, this story is currently fabricated. Notice how no sources are cited? It's because no other sites are reporting it. FOXNEWS.com's Roger Friedman speculated that it would be cancelled, which was then picked up by the New York Post. No one is saying "Studio 60 is cancelled" except this site.
   
   It might be true tomorrow (in fact, I would not be terribly surprised, especially if FNL does well in 60's spot), but as of right now, it is still on the schedule.
   
   I'd also like to call this website's credibility into question, since the extreme proliferation of advertisements on this page suggests to me that this website has a monetary interest in posting articles that will generate traffic, such as "guesstimating" when Studio 60 will be cancelled and then posting it as fact, which is essentially what this article is trying to do.
   
   Ask yourself this question: if Studio 60 was indeed being cancelled, would NBC still be running it for Nov. sweeps, which they currently are doing? The obvious answer is 'no' -- they would put something different on since they no longer have to worry about building an audience, and they would care only about ratings (a Law & Order SVU re-run would likely do well Monday at 10, for example). However, Studio is still scheduled for November, and likely will run.
   
   It's not cancelled. The article is wrong. For future reference in stories like these, you should look for words like, "...NBC President Kevin Reilly said..." and "...replacing it on the schedule will be..."
   
   The story is wrong. And the fact that at some point in the future this story might be correct doesn't excuse it. Posting false information without sources is an abuse of journalism.
   
   But please click on some ads.

1. Kelly West Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 08:57

   Nick, I appreciate what you're saying, however two sources were cited (Fox News and TV.com) and it was also stated that at the time the article was written, NBC had not denied or confirmed the rumors and that the cancellation was assumed.
   
   As of this morning it was reported on another site that an NBC rep said the show isnt cancelled. This information was added to the original story.
   
   It was never my intention to post false news. I repeated what was stated by other sources and mentioned both websites by name. I've since added the links to both stories so there can be no mistake as to where the information came from.

1. InvaderZim Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 12:43

   Nick, try actually reading the article before you open your mouth. What an idiot you are. She cited legitimate sources, several of them.

1. baeggen Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 17:22

   I finally find a show worth watching only to have it canceled. What a show you might actually need to use your mind to get the inside puns and story line. Here is another example of simple minds. I am sick of reality TV can't we find a way to keep shows like this on the air? Studio 60 you will be missed and my TV will be dark.

1. Guy Who Knows Better Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 23:57

   Studio 60 has NOT been cancelled.

1. Mary Says:
   October 31st, 2006 at 23:57

   This was my FAVORITE new show... will be VERY disappointed if it is cancelled. Not only did I watch it on Sunday evening, but would watch it again on Monday evening!! I think Matthew Perry is an incredibly talented actor and love his acting in this show.

1. jay Says:
   November 3rd, 2006 at 02:01

   point of fact, things don't look great for Studio 60. this sweeps thing could just be one last chance to pull some numbers. or it could be in the contract that they have to air the eps. who knows.
   
   NBC is in bad shape right now. it's also a full billion dollars down from ad losses over the last couple of years. this is why shows like 60 and Kidnapped (which many feel was a fine show that got and is still getting shafted) are lost. NBC just can't afford to run shows that aren't at least covering their budgets. they don't have the money.
   
   Unless something major happens, 60 will disappear just like Kidnapped has.

1. Jeff Says:
   April 28th, 2007 at 03:05

   I'm waiting for "All You Need Is Love" to go out on NBC air. I'm sure I'll well up when they find that real life kid who was paralyzed by a bullet but became a cardiologist in spite of it to forgive his attacker. Why is it that we're more likely to see Sorkin's caricature of bad tv on the air than a second season of S60?
   
   I know nobody is going to see this, but "I'm mad as hell..." has passed, today I shout "I'm pissed off, and I vote with my wallet!"

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