After weeks of build up and anticipation, the time has finally come for the major networks to unleash their new fall lineups. Of course, there’s the return of old favorites like “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost” and “America’s Top Model.” However, similar to many TV aficionados, I’m most excited for the brand new shows. Even before they hit the airwaves, the networks have spent millions of dollars promoting their newest creations, pushing them as “fresh,” “hip” and “groundbreaking.” Like any good TV critic (which is a relative term), I hear these buzz words and the first thing I think is, “prove it.”
I turned on my TV Monday night, with a skeptical eyebrow already raised, prepared to see what the major networks had to offer for me. Luckily, NBC was debuting one of its biggest and most talked about shows that night, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.”
NBC has pulled out all the stops for this one, with stars Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet, not to mention the fact that the creator just happens to be Aaron Sorkin of “The West Wing” fame.
I have to admit, the show’s concept is fresh but also hits surprisingly close to home for the network. The plot follows a retinue of characters: pushy network execs, a hotshot writer, a director with a cocaine habit and the entire cast and crew of a late night sketch comedy show all with one goal in common; trying to pull the show out of its unfunny rut and make it the hit it once was. Sound familiar? If it doesn’t, ask your friends, they’ll explain it to you.
Within the first few minutes of the show, NBC may have already bitten off more than it can chew for this season. The episode starts with the fictional show’s producer having a meltdown on live, national television. Upset over censorship from a network exec, he parades onto the set and tells everyone in America watching to change the channel, because the show is not going to be funny. He ends up accusing television of being lobotomized by “candy ass network executives.” The tirade continues as the producer accuses all networks of pandering to stupid 12-year-old boys, insults both “Fear Factor” and “The Apprentice” and caps it all off by blaming it on the FCC and the “psycho religious cult that gets positively horny at the mention of a boycott.”
It’s almost as if NBC, with the start of the new season, decided to issue an ultimatum to the rest of network TV to put quality programming back on the airwaves. This is big talk coming from a show that hasn’t even gotten its ratings back, but I like it. I think it’s about time America started questioning its standards. Granted, NBC isn’t exactly spitting out pure gold this season – one of its biggest hits is “Deal or No Deal” hosted by Howie Mandell, a man whose major contribution to television thus far has been “Bobby’s World.”
Maybe this is the kick in the ass television needs. Maybe, just maybe, “Wifeswap” will no longer be a staple on network TV. As for the show, I can’t really form an opinion, considering I’ve only seen one episode, but let’s hope that it lives up to the standard it seems to be trying to set. If not, I’m sure to be the first one to point it out.