Pilot (Studio 60)

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“Pilot”
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 01
Written by	Aaron Sorkin
Directed by	Thomas Schlamme
Original airdate	September 18, 2006
Episode chronology
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–	"The Cold Open"

Pilot is the first episode of the television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Trivia 3 Quotes 4 External Links 5 References

[edit] Plot summary

During the 20th anniversary of the sketch comedy show, Wes Mendell, the executive producer, is told by a representative of the network's broadcast standards and practice department to remove a sketch that could potentially offend millions of religious people. Unhappily, he accepts the demand and replaces the sketch with another entitled "Peripheral Vision Man".

Wes then goes to view the show (where Felicity Huffman is the guest actress for the night). The sketch being enacted in front of a live studio audience is a satire of the White House. Before it can be finished, however, Wes interrupts it and bluntly tells the audience (who at first think it to be part of the performance) and the viewers that the show for that night is not going to be very good.

Wes then undergoes an on-screen meltdown in which he severely criticises the weekly programme stating that the show has been diluted from the cutting social edge commentary (that it was previously known for) to a form of crude comedy accessible to the average viewer so as to increase viewership, ratings and profits. He blames the heads of the network for giving in to the FCC and other institutions thus damaging the reputation of the show.

The representative from the company demands Cal Shanley, the director, to take Wes off the air which he does after some more savage accusations by Wes.

Jordan McDeere, the newly appointed head of networking, is having a celebratory dinner with the financial owners of the media franchise when she receives an urgent message from the studio. News about Wes's breakdown spreads fast and so Jack Rudolph, the President of the network, goes to Studio 60 to contain the situation.

At the studio, he fires Wes and then holds an emergency meeting that tries to predict the consequences of Wes's actions. Jordan, however, does not see the predicament and instead believes that the scenario could be played to their advantage. She points out that in the subsequent weeks the show is guaranteed to receive unprecedented and widespread interest with many viewers tuning in to see how the show recuperates from the ordeal.

According to Jordan, their main problem instead would entail disproving the criticisms thrown at the company by Wes. In order to demonstrate that the network is not authoritarian, she suggests, in a bold move, to rehire Matt Albie, as head writer, and Danny Tripp, as executive producer - two employees who previously left the network on bad terms. The two are exceptionally qualified and although Jack doubts she can convince them, she promises to get them on board by the end of the night (the failure of which, according to Jack, would embarrass the network and risk her job).

Matt and Danny are at the Writer's Guild of America awards where Matt reveals that he recently broke up with Harriet Hayes because of a joke that offended her. A dazed Matt goes up to accept the award for Best Original Screenplay while Danny leaves the ceremony to attend to an urgent phone call.

The Big Three (the main actors of the show) - Tom Jeter, Harriet Hayes and Simon Stiles - meet at a nightclub after Harriet talks to Cal (who is waiting to hear news regarding his future at the studio as he did not follow protocol during the fiasco). She denies, when questioned, that her breakup with Matt was due to a joke and severely admonishes Dylan when he questions her faith. Simon tells them that the controversial sketch because of which all the problems started that night was not written by Wes. They are then told that they are wanted back at the studio.

An unwitting Matt arrives at the studio where he waits for Danny. Danny is in a hotel room watching Wes's outburst when Jordan enters the room and offers Danny the chance to run the show alongside Matt. Danny declines the offer stating that he is busy making a movie with Matt but then, Jordan reveals that she knows of his recent failed drug test that would prohibit him from directing or from working for another year and a half. Feeling blackmailed, however, Danny does not change his stance and proceeds to go meet Matt and come clean with this information.

Danny arrives at the studio and meets Matt and tells him about testing positive for cocaine and the job offer. Matt refuses to work with someone else and becomes enraged when he begins to realise that the network is taking advantage of Danny's situation. He runs up to Wes's office and demands the packed room to confess to blackmailing however he composes himself when he finds that only Jordan knew of the information. They are then then asked about their opinion on Wes's speech and other matters but under further questioning, Matt becomes angry and states that they should be dictating the terms of the agreement. Jack retorts by pointing out that they are equally helpless due to Danny's situation and because of this, Danny chooses to leave the room. Matt (who is unhappy with Jack for having forced them out a couple of years ago but Jack states that the decision was ultimately Wes's) agrees to take up the job and promises to convince Danny.

Matt meets Suzanne, a personal assistant, and asks her to notify the cast and the crew to meet them at the stage. He then bumps into Harriet and they then begin the process of ending their fight. Harriet cites his lack of support as the prime reason for their break-up, a claim that Matt disagrees with and instead states that her decision to perform for the 700 Club was the reason why he was disappointed with her. Despite a heated discussion (Harriet slaps Matt at one point) they both agree that they are unable come to any resolution with the argument.

Danny is sitting alone contemplating when Matt visits him and tells him of his decision to work for the studio. Danny requests Matt to take someone else as his partner but Matt stubbornly refuses and forgives Danny for his relapse and for not informing him. He asks Danny to help him run the show which Danny eventually agrees.

They then meet Jordan who tells them that she depends on them a great deal as there generally is a low expectation with her tenure. They then discuss the rest of the working staff and particularly two writers, Ricky and Ron, who Matt is frustrated to find as being still under contract. Jordan then asks Matt to read the sketch that is at the center of all the night's problems but Matt tells her that he knows it already as he wrote it himself four years ago before he was fired. Jordan states that she knew of this too and asks him to open the show the subsequent week with the same sketch thus coming good with her promise that she will be 'a dream come true' for them. She then leaves the two who are clearly impressed with her handling of the events of the night.

They then meet Cal and reprimand him for deliberately failing to stop the live broadcast when it was required. Cal believes them to be disappointed with him but he gets a surprise when they ask him to stay and find them to be actually proud with Cal's misdemeanour.

The duo then go and face the entire cast and crew of the studio announcing their decision to take charge.

[edit] Trivia

• The guest host on the fictional show is Felicity Huffman while the guest performers are Three 6 Mafia.
• The movie Network is heavily referenced and it's influence is also prominent. The movie also dealt with an on-screen breakdown due to stress.
• The fictional Studio 60 is based on the weekly sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live.

[edit] Quotes

• "Ironically, I'm the one who's high as a paper kite right now, but legitimately. I had back surgery Tuesday. L-5/S-1, if that means anything to you. Stop talking now? Yeah, you bet." - Matt, after finding that he inadvertently told a room full of people about Danny's failed drug test.

• "Because he couldn't stop himself from speaking." - Danny, explaining why Harriet broke up with Matt.

• "It's going to be our show now, and only one of use can screw up at a time. And I think we both know that most of the time it's going to be me." - Matt, asking Danny to join him in running the show.

• "This show used to be cutting-edge political and social satire, but it's gotten lobotomized by a candy-assed broadcast network hell-bent on doing nothing that might challenge their audience... It's just thrown in the towel on any endeavor to do anything that doesn't include the courting of twelve-year-old boys. Not even the smart twelve-year-olds - the stupid ones! The idiots - of which there are plenty, thanks in no small measure to this network!... We're eating worms for money. Who wants to screw my sister? Guys are getting killed in a war that's got theme music and a logo? That remote in your hands is a crack pipe... America's broadcasters have turned into pornographers. It's not even good pornography! It's just this side of snuff films. And friends, that's what's next... And the two things that make them scared gutless are the FCC and every psycho religious cult that gets positively horny at the mention of a boycott. These are the people they're afraid of... feckless, off-the-chocks greed-filled whorehouse...this thoroughly unpatriotic motherf..." - Wes's on-screen breakdown (sic).

• "I wouldn't think it'd be hard for anybody, cause if you pointed a camera at two people masturbating it'd be among the least embarrassing things on the National Broadcasting System." - Matt, when asked if he could deal with the press.

[edit] External Links

• Original script for the pilot

[edit] References

• Schlamme, T. & Sorkin, A. (Executive Producers). (September 18, 2006). Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip [Television program]. Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Television.

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
EPISODES   |   CHARACTERS   |   CATEGORY   |   AWARDS
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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