Pilot (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip)

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"Pilot"
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1
Directed byThomas Schlamme
Written byAaron Sorkin
Original air dateSeptember 18, 2006 (2006-09-18)
Guest appearances
Judd Hirsch (Wes Mendell)
Felicity Huffman (Herself)
Three 6 Mafia (Themselves)
Episode chronology
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List of episodes

"Pilot" is the first episode of the television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The episode was first aired in the United States on the NBC network on September 18, 2006. Written by series creator Aaron Sorkin, and directed by executive producer Thomas Schlamme, the episode introduces the chaotic behind-the-scenes depiction of a fictional Saturday Night Live type show also called Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Plot

The executive producer of a late night sketch comedy show sparks a media frenzy when he has an on-air meltdown during a live broadcast. The newly appointed network president,

Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson
) come to terms with having to work on the show together very soon after their breakup.

Reception

Ratings

The episode scored a

Deal or No Deal, the show retained 81% of its audience with an average 13.4 million viewers tuned in at 10pm. The show lost around 2.5 million of these viewers as the show progressed, with rival broadcasts CSI: Miami and Supernanny
both picking up viewers over the hour.

Critical reception

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip's premiere was well received by the majority of critics. Tad Friend of The New Yorker granted it a four-page review, in which he praised the dialogue, saying that "[the characters] get into pickles because they mouth off—and it’s great television because television prizes banter above all forms of conversation."[1] Brian Lowry of Variety compliments the way the series "weds Aaron Sorkin's crackling dialogue and willingness to tackle big ideas",[2] and praises the rapport between Perry and Whitford. The Washington Post's Tom Shales was less impressed with the episode, remaining uninterested in the "complications and relationships", and accusing Sorkin of pretentiousness.[3]

Accolades

In 2007, the episode won the

Writers Guild of America Award for Episodic Drama.[4] For the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards, Thomas Schlamme was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
, despite the fact that the series had been cancelled.

References

  1. ^ Friend, Tad (September 25, 2006). "Backstage Angst". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  2. ^ Lowry, Brian (September 15, 2006). "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip". Variety. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  3. ^ Shales, Tom (September 18, 2006). "Not Live! Not From New York! It's 'Studio 60'..." The Washington Post. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip – Awards". IMDb. Retrieved December 10, 2009.

External links

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