As much as I love books, I also really love television. And eating. And buying things. So the blog is branching out a bit. I'm not one to occasionally catch an episode of a series here and there. I either watch a show or I don't. I especially love watching shows in quick succession after they've been off the air for several years or catching up on the first (few) seasons of shows I didn't watch when they first aired (Gilmore Girls, Mad Men, Glee).
In the spring to fall of 2006, I read the same story, many times: there is no way two shows about comedy sketch shows (with numbers in the name) can be successful on the air at the same time. And it was true; 30 Rock is still rocking. As much as I love Liz Lemon (I really do), I also really loved the casualty of that needless battle, Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. After recently watching the 22-episode series again (thanks, Amazon Prime), I'm sad all over again that TV audiences couldn't sustain both.
Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Nathan Corddry, Steven Webber, this list of great performances goes on ... If you missed this one the first time, or petered out in the middle, give it another shot. The last few episodes are some of the strongest. I wish we had more than just one season.
To fill the void of Aaron Sorkin (and fast talkers walking down hallways) in my life, I started watching The West Wing (thanks, Roku). How have I never watched this show? I know, I know, I didn't read Harry Potter until 2009 - life is busy! I've only watched the first few episodes and my nerdy observations so far are: the couches in the Oval Office are spot on to the Clinton couches, but the POTUS's chair in the Cabinet Room is not taller than the rest. I'm sure anyone who has actually worked in the White House is distracted by countless inaccuracies. Those are the only two (replica) rooms I've worked with. If, like me, you missed out on this show but have always thought you should check it out, go do it. There's a reason it is so well loved.
I share every sentiment -- and, shockingly, every action -- in this post. I loved Studio 60, and E gave me the series on DVD last year because I kept saying how great it was. This summer, since I'd never seen it, we started watching The West Wing. We're now halfway through season 4. I'm loving almost every minute of it, and I'm already sad for when it ends.
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