Jeannie Whatley

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Jeannie Whatley
First appearance	The Cold Open
Statistics
Gender	Female
Age	20s
Occupation	Actor/Comedian
Portrayed by	Ayda Field
Created by	Aaron Sorkin

Jeannie Whatley is a fictional character on the American television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, played by Ayda Field.

[edit] Personal history

Jeannie is a member of the cast of the show-within-a-show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Despite seemingly being one of the younger castmembers, she's been on the show the longest, joining the show in 1997, the same year as Matt Albie. She is not, however a member of the so-called "Big Three," but she seeems to be somewhat more important to the show than the rest of the cast, such as Alex and Dylan. She is often referenced as the sex appeal of the show by the other cast members, and Harry reveals that Jeannie is a prolific lingerie model when she herself is considering the job, stating that she "can't walk past a bus stop without seeing Jeannie in her underwear." She is also a notorious gossip, so much so that Matt at one point mockingly questions the existence of the Internet, asking if instead it could be Jeannie simply spreading information.

Jeannie has an on-again-off-again sexual relationship with Matt, one which causes a fair amount of tension with Matt's other on-again-off-again girlfriend, Harriet Hayes. The most recent manifestation of this relationship occured between the Pilot and the second episode of the series, when Danny sends Jeannie home with Matt to look after him during his post-surgery pain-killer-induced stupor. They end up having sex, and when this is revealed to Harry it continues her hostile attitude towards Matt.

Early in the series, Jeannie pushed a potentially funny but widely misunderstood sketch based on the 17th century improvisational theater style commedia dell'arte. It does not do well during a focus group analysis, and this sends Jeannnie into a tailspin of panic and self-doubt. The other cast members assure her that the sketch is funny, but it is not until Matt makes a bet with her that one more person will enjoy the sketch during the on-air focus group or else he will give her $10,000 that she begins to calm down. When not just one but three people enjoy the sketch, Jeannie is obliged to hold up her end of the bet and wear a t-shirt at the wrap party which says "Matt is my hero and Danny thinks that Moliere was Italian."

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
EPISODES   |   AIRDATES   |   CHARACTERS   |   CATEGORY
Primary Characters	Matt Albie | Danny Tripp | Jordan McDeere | Harriet Hayes Tom Jeter | Simon Stiles | Jack Rudolph | Cal Shanley
Secondary Characters	Ricky Tahoe | Ron Oswald | Wes Mendell | Martha O'Dell Jeannie Whatley | Samantha Li | Alex Dwyer | Dylan Killington Darius Hawthorne | Lucy Kenwright | Andy Mackinaw | Wilson White
Organizations	National Broadcasting System | Tunney Media Group
Fictional Studio 60	The Studio | The Show | News 60
Key Creators	Aaron Sorkin | Thomas Schlamme | W. G. Walden
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