30 Rock (esteemed winner of the 30 Rock vs. Studio 60 deathmatch)

[ono]

Watch it.  10 PM Monday nights on NBC.  It's probably the best new fall show by a mile.  Perry's great, shaking the shackles of Chandler, and the rest of the cast is stellar as well.  The pilot has to get a lot of exposition out of the way, so it's a little slower than most episodes will be.  That's understandable.  Word is, things pick up even more in the next few episodes.  I've already seen the pilot through Netflix about a month back.  But for those of you who haven't, it's on in an hour, and I think Bravo is airing reruns later on in the week.  Here's a little something I wrote about the show, for a little more perspective on what you can expect (without giving away too much).

[bonanzataz]

did you get hired by some publicity firm or something? you seem really gung ho about getting people to watch a sitcom...

[modage]

it was ok.  i never saw the west wing or sports night but the overwhelming hype made me watch this.  his style is weird, i guess its kidna funny but kind of a drama.  i dunno.  i'll give it a few episodes to impress me.  i do like amanda peet though.

[Bethie]

I already LOVE this show. After watching, I felt that that giddy feeling I get after seeing a great film. I'm excited about next monday.

[MacGuffin]

I think I would have rather watched Network again. 

I dunno. I'm kinda with mod on this. It did kinda pick up once Perry and Whitford took over, so...

i do like amanda peet though.

I lost count of how many times the camera stayed on her with the twinkle in her eye as she smiled to herself everytime something went in her favor.

[matt35mm]

I like it enough to watch it next week if I remember to.

It is very very much an Aaron Sorkin show (Premise: "what if people who didn't suck were in the powerful positions?").  He doesn't really have much range, but he does what he does well.  "Under Pressure" at the end was a bit, y'know, but yes, the show was pretty entertaining for something with that much exposition.  The pilot was obviously all to set things up.  We'll see how good its groove gets.

It's in the "i'm so smart" show's favor to have "we're so stupid" commercials.  It, uh, added to the commentary.

i do like amanda peet though.

I lost count of how many times the camera stayed on her with the twinkle in her eye as she smiled to herself everytime something went in her favor.

Jesus Christ yes!  I was going to say the same thing.  That'd better be a pilot-only thing, or at least a hilarious running gag throughout the series, getting more and more ridiculous each time.

[SiliasRuby]

I LOVED This. Consider me F'n Hooked. I was a casual viewer of the west wing and I watched a couple episodes of sports night which I thought was better than the west wing in many ways. But, ya, I completely fucking love this show already. mmmmmm ya.

[polkablues]

The pilot is the thing we all have to make it through to get to the good stuff, but this will be one of the best shows on TV, possibly as soon as next week.  Brad Whitford will never again get to play a character as perfect as Josh Lyman on West Wing, but I'll watch him in just about anything.

[matt35mm]

Brad Whitford will never again get to play a character as perfect as Josh Lyman on West Wing, but I'll watch him in just about anything.

I thought he was genius in Billy Madison.  I am not kidding.  I could write a whole essay on Billy Madison, all its brilliant elements, and how it is one of the handful of movies of its type to have the balls to be what it is.  I'm amazed every time I see it.  And it's not a childhood afinity that I'm attached to--it deeply inspires me and I'd be glad to have it influence my work.  I'm certain that Bradley Whitford is proud of it.  He has to be.

[pete]

in an age of like entourage and that book live from new york, why do we need this show?  it feels like a polished, greasy version of something that can be better.  also, I guess this goes to show that I haven't watched TV in a long time, but all those substitute cusswords and tame imageries spoken like they're really outrageous kinda bothers me.  it never really goes too wild and I feel like everything is just too obvious--even the slapstick comedy stuff.  even thinking about it makes me feel restrained.  I'll give this another shot I guess.  but reading corrdry's interview in the subway paper yesterday kinda informed me that this is going to be another smug NBC show that thinks itself as groundbreaking simply because it isn't CSI or reality TV.  aaron sorkin is the ron howard of TV.

[ProgWRX]

I really want to see where they go with it now that the pilot is done with.  So far i really like it, but i was a fan of TWW and Sports Night, so its to be expected, kinda.

[Pozer]

i do like amanda peet though.

I lost count of how many times the camera stayed on her with the twinkle in her eye as she smiled to herself everytime something went in her favor.

Jesus Christ yes!  I was going to say the same thing.  That'd better be a pilot-only thing, or at least a hilarious running gag throughout the series, getting more and more ridiculous each time.

this and perry's repeated mention of him being doped up on vicodin really annoyed the crap out of me.  i don't have time for this show.

[A Matter Of Chance]

I think aaron sorkin and all his work is really just smug.

[w/o horse]

aaron sorkin is the ron howard of TV.

That's a terribly unfair comparison.  Sorkin's crack cocaine addiction is enough to distinguish him from Howard, and the first season of West Wing is enough to seperate them entirely.  West Wing was a show, along with The Sopranos, that reminded the audience of the potential for smart programs.  Sorkin may have lost his touch, I didn't catch Studio 60, but he at least once had a touch.

[Gold Trumpet]

Watch a show at 10pm on Monday nights? Fuck that. Monday Night football is on and the baseball playoffs are coming up. After that you get basketball which is always fun to watch. Pubes was right. I have no reason to judge television as art or not. I really do just watch sports and porn. And if its not porn, its something thats only entertaining for how disturbing it is.

So I take a neanderthal approach to television. I don't care. There is good fun in finding yourself identifying with a James Ellroy type of personality. (I've also been an avid reader of his books for years)