Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Monday night's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip marked the first episode that this undervalued show lived up to the potential of its pilot. The episode, entitled "The Wrap Party", showed what Aaron Sorkin can accomplish when dialed in. The episode had a number of subplots; all intense, all emotional, all natural. Now that we know Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is capable of fully realizing the quality it's been merely hinting at over the last month, will the doubters silence themselves? And, more importantly, will America actually start to watch?
I feel like I'll constantly be looking back on this post a month from now and use it as a source of anger once Studio 60 gets canceled. It's achingly depressing that Studio 60, a show with remarkable long-term potential, is doubtful to make it to the end of the season. I almost wish that Monday's episode was terrible, so I wouldn't have to herald its achievement. But, unfortunately, I am currently unable to withhold my enthusiasm for the show. I have never feared a cancellation of a television program until Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip came along. "The Wrap Party" takes place, fittingly, during the wrap party for the live show-within-the-show. The four main story lines are as follows:

• Concerned about the lack of any black writers on the staff, Simon Stiles convinces Matt Albie to come with him to the Improv to scout some talent.
• Tom Jeter's clueless, Midwestern parents show up to see the show for the first time and Tom gives them a backstage tour.
• Cal Shanley finds an old man wandering around backstage; turns out he used to be a writer for the old Studio 60 show before he got black-listed.

The episode featured issues galore: racism, Afghanistan, red-state bashing, the Hollywood black-list, etc. Aaron Sorkin, who has still written every episode, continues to be unrelenting in his bashing of Middle America and its getting harder and harder to understand his motives. Is he using Tom Jeter to speak his own thoughts about Middle America to the world? Or is he using Tom Jeter as an example of a close-minded Hollywood liberal? Matthew Perry and D.L. Hughley get to spend most of the episode together and their chemistry is a joy to watch. Perry especially is reveling in a, despite what his critics say, very non-Chandler role. Matt Albie is odd, soulful, honest, and a walking time bomb of neurosis. That kind of character is fun to watch play off anybody. I won't ruin the episode anymore because I want people to watch the show. If you haven't yet seen Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, download it now or go to NBC.com to watch Monday's episode. You will not regret it. -Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer