Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip

Most times, the reasons for the cancellation of a show are painfully obvious. Case in point: A Beautiful Life. 1 episode. Yes. You read correct. Not one season, but one episode.

 

Image credit: Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip cast photographs by Gavin Bond

But then, every once in a while, there comes along a great show, stays on for a season or two, and then gets inexplicably booted off. It seems almost cruel to the people involved with the show, especially the audience. When we like a show, we get invested in it. We form a kinship with the characters and the storyline. All this gets even more bizarre when shows that ought to be destroyed get played on (Cougar Town??).

I am talking about Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. Try watching the pilot on Hulu and tell me you don't like the show. This show comes close to being the definition of a perfect TV show: it has drama, romance, and a lot of good-looking people (Amanda Peet??). And Matthew Perry. What more could you ask for? It's like The West Wing, but without the dull clothes and dampness of DC. I do not say this lightly. I consider myself as a connnossier of fine TV. I may not have a good music ear, or recommend the right restaurants, but I do know about TV. So when I say that this show is brilliantly scripted and produced, I mean it. The entire first season (or we could call it series). We all know of a lot of shows that show promise but take a dive downward in subsequent episodes (and seasons). Studio 60 held up its side of the bargain till the last aired episode. The networks obviously did not. The show was canceled after just one season due to poor ratings.

Now, I totally get that the networks need to turn over a profit for every show that they put on air, but sometimes, you just need to trust your instincts (I am assuming it was someone's instinct that greenlit the show in the first place) and stick with them a while longer even though external indicators are telling you not to.