jlh | Chronicle of a Cancellation Foretold

Watching these last six episodes of Studio 60 is going to be like watching the last five episodes of Veronica Mars, except that while those episodes of VM were haunted by the ghost of the show VM had been, these eps of Studio 60 are haunted by the show it never became.

Now, let's dismiss last week's Alison Janney episode, because it would have originally aired before the hiatus—remember, the show went off a week early, and possibly because they knew that this episode wouldn't have done anyone any favors. It pretty much sucked, seemed to only be there for acres of West Wing and general Sorkin/Schlamme meta, and had no Jordin, Danny or Matt. I love me some Tom and Lucy, but I don't love me some Cal.

But this week's episode was the beginning of the sequence that they were filming knowing that they weren't doing that well, and omg the meta. The show-within-a-show isn't doing well in the ratings. The network folks are grouchy. Meanwhile, Sorkin is drifting back to something else by putting Tom's brother into enemy hands in Afghanistan and on Al Jazeera to boot. Never mind that Jordin can't feel her baby kicking. Oh, and Mary-the-lawyer has become entirely irritating. Are you fucking kidding me with this shit? Sorkin reminds me of everyone who ever learned the wrong lesson from a bad experience.

I know that I'm not watching Heroes, and I know I said this in my VM post, but for reals, drama is letting my shit down this year. TV is making me sad, peoples.