from tv.yahoo.com
After last week's swirling rumors about the demise and general over-earnestness of "Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip,"NBC has stepped up in support of the critically-acclaimed-and- awesomely-casted-but-flailing-in-the-ratings drama and greenlit it for a full-season pickup, hoping that the show will find its audience, or maybe just hoping for another chance to dress little Nate Corddry up as Jesus.
According to Broadcasting & Cable, the highly-touted drama by "West Wing" wunderkinds Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme "is averaging only a 4.0 rating/9 share in the adult 18-49 demo, though NBC says it continues to skew extremely upscale in its Monday night at 10 timeslot" (aka the viewers who are watching have lots of money to spend on advertisers when they're not TiVo-ing through the commercials). Despite the surprise success of "Heroes" before it, "Studio 60" just hasn't managed to keep its lead-in audience; NBC is hoping that with time and buzz and maybe — just maybe — comedy writers who aren't looking to Change The World With Every Sketch, they can up those numbers. Everyone has different ideas of how to fix the show; Sorkin & Co. seem to be moving in the right direction with this week's semi-slapstick plot-twist heavy show that relied less on relationships and more on keeping the audience on its toes (though the clunky Jesus-broadcast-standards sketch was painful, as was the overwrought Harriet-wronged/angry gay men storyling). Smart choice in bringing in perennial SNL host John Goodman as the crochety judge and giving him some peppery dialogue to chew on (casting is not "Studio 60"'s problem). Interesting, though, how things start getting good when they take it outside the sausage-making at the show...perhaps we'll see more of "Studio 60" live from Pahrump, Nevada. Either way, here's what we do know: Steven Weber will eventually take a swing at someone.
