On the Sunset Strip

I recently finished a TV show. No, I didn't finish making a TV show, I finished watching one. The title of this blog is only obscure enough to hide the identity of the show from those who have never heard of it, so here's the big reveal:

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

It was probably the smartest show I've ever watched. A friend recommended it to me--let me stop there and elaborate.

I take recommendations only occasionally. I, like everyone, have a busy life. I work and play and work and sometimes sleep. I don't like to waste my time reading bad books or watching mediocre (or bad) TV shows, or seeing tasteless films. People recommend stuff to me all the time. Often, I take those recommendations with a sincere grain of salt. I care that people love the things they see, but... Anyway. You get the point.

But I have a friend who consistently recommends good things. Movies and TV, specifically. She speaks, I listen. And so it was that in a totally unrelated conversation, she mentioned this show that was too smart and too inside to stay on the air. She was right. It was so smart it made my head spin. And so inside that I couldn't believe it stayed on the air for as long as it did (by "inside," I mean there were constant entertainment-industry references.)

AND (here's the real surprise) it was meaningful, and resonant, and heart-warming, and incredibly, unbelievably compassionate to both its characters and the audience. It took me about a week to burn through the only 22 episodes of this show there will ever be.

The show is liberal. It has to be--almost every shred of entertainment media these days is. But it was also superbly thoughtful. It represented the issues it tackled fairly, honestly, and thoroughly. There were NO straw men, which is, as I think about it, probably the most remarkable thing I've seen in anything remotely political for...well, I can't remember.

Oh hey, wanna know what the show's about? Short answer: It's 30 Rock, but an hour long, smarter, and more of a drama than a comedy. Don't know what 30 Rock is? Long(er) answer: A show about a show like SNL, but fictional. It's about the writers, producers, and actors in that show, with very little shown from the (fictional) show itself.

So there you go. I can't give a higher recommendation to a TV show. If you watch it, and it ends up being too esoteric, that's fine. You not liking it will in no way diminish my esteem for this incredible televised accomplishment.