NBC and Warner Bros. TV are back in business with Aaron Sorkin, the mastermind behind The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. The new show, tentatively titled A Season in Hell, chronicles the travails of the cast and crew of a struggling television drama.
Coming on the heels of the the much ballyhooed -- and now cancelled -- Studio 60, the new show follows an ensemble cast of eccentric characters trying to put on a dramatic show about a cast of eccentric characters trying to put on a sketch comedy show.
"We think we really have something special with the show-within-a-show-within-a-show format," said NBC's director of programming, Karen Singer. "It really adds a new dimension to the drama." The show-within-a-show is called Studio 7 on Sunset Boulevard. The show-within-a-show-within-a-show is called Live from Studio 7.
The show will star Jimmy Fallon as Matthew Barry, an actor who plays Matt Allen, the head writer for the sketch comedy show; Peter Krauss as Brad Whitley, an actor who plays Eddie Katt, the producer in charge of the sketch comedy show; and Zooey Deschanel as Alyssa Peel, an actor who play Morgan McTiernan, the network's director of programming. Bradley Whitford will play Eric Sorin, the drama's creator.
"My character is a talented writer who is expected to deliver a surefire hit for a struggling network that has just lost several of its most popular shows," Whitford says. "To make matters worse, the network has also decided to air a much better half hour show that is also a look behind the scenes at a sketch comedy show. Also, I'm a cocaine addict. Well, not me. My character. And my character's character."
The show is intended to be an ironic look at the ups and downs of network television. Sorkin notes, "In the show, everyone expects Live from Studio 7 to fail, and it succeeds, while everyone expects Studio 7 on Sunset Boulevard to be a big hit, and it gets canceled after one season. The irony of this is that LS7 is painfully un-funny, while S7SB is borderline watchable."
The show introduces a concept known as "dollylog," a twist on Sorkin's trademark "walk-and-talk" scenes. In a dollylog, the camera follows the actor playing the cameraman as he follows the characters conversing in rapidfire dialog while walking the corridors of the set.
Other Sorkin trademarks are also evident: Characters in LS7 sketches make knowing references to events occurring on S7SB , and S7SB characters make knowing references to Aaron Sorkin's drug problems and other real life drama. Characters at all three levels of the Sorkinverse also make knowing references to Saturday Night Live, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The West Wing, Sports Night, Lou Grant, Network, The Magnificent 7, MacBeth, Marshal MacLuhan, Thomas Becket, Voltaire, Heidegger, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Manimal.
On the pilot episode, Allison Janney guest stars, playing a White House press secretary who is unhappy with the portrayal of her on a sketch on LS7. In the sketch she is played by cast LS7 member Allison Jansen (also portrayed by Allison Janney). Whitford's character, Eric Sorin, ends up rewriting the scene to have Matt Allen rewrite the scene to include the press secretary (Allison Janney), as well as Allison Jansen (Allison Janney), playing herself and the press secretary, as well as Allison Janney (Allison Janney) playing herself. When the sketch bombs, the Sorkinverse implodes and Aaron Sorkin finds himself dumped on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.
NBC also announced that it will be airing a half-hour comedy based on the hit comedy 30 Rock.
See what's behind the scenes at humor-blogs.com at humor-blogs.com.
Coming on the heels of the the much ballyhooed -- and now cancelled -- Studio 60, the new show follows an ensemble cast of eccentric characters trying to put on a dramatic show about a cast of eccentric characters trying to put on a sketch comedy show.
"We think we really have something special with the show-within-a-show-within-a-show format," said NBC's director of programming, Karen Singer. "It really adds a new dimension to the drama." The show-within-a-show is called Studio 7 on Sunset Boulevard. The show-within-a-show-within-a-show is called Live from Studio 7.
The show will star Jimmy Fallon as Matthew Barry, an actor who plays Matt Allen, the head writer for the sketch comedy show; Peter Krauss as Brad Whitley, an actor who plays Eddie Katt, the producer in charge of the sketch comedy show; and Zooey Deschanel as Alyssa Peel, an actor who play Morgan McTiernan, the network's director of programming. Bradley Whitford will play Eric Sorin, the drama's creator.
"My character is a talented writer who is expected to deliver a surefire hit for a struggling network that has just lost several of its most popular shows," Whitford says. "To make matters worse, the network has also decided to air a much better half hour show that is also a look behind the scenes at a sketch comedy show. Also, I'm a cocaine addict. Well, not me. My character. And my character's character."
The show is intended to be an ironic look at the ups and downs of network television. Sorkin notes, "In the show, everyone expects Live from Studio 7 to fail, and it succeeds, while everyone expects Studio 7 on Sunset Boulevard to be a big hit, and it gets canceled after one season. The irony of this is that LS7 is painfully un-funny, while S7SB is borderline watchable."
The show introduces a concept known as "dollylog," a twist on Sorkin's trademark "walk-and-talk" scenes. In a dollylog, the camera follows the actor playing the cameraman as he follows the characters conversing in rapidfire dialog while walking the corridors of the set.
Other Sorkin trademarks are also evident: Characters in LS7 sketches make knowing references to events occurring on S7SB , and S7SB characters make knowing references to Aaron Sorkin's drug problems and other real life drama. Characters at all three levels of the Sorkinverse also make knowing references to Saturday Night Live, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The West Wing, Sports Night, Lou Grant, Network, The Magnificent 7, MacBeth, Marshal MacLuhan, Thomas Becket, Voltaire, Heidegger, the Epic of Gilgamesh, and Manimal.
On the pilot episode, Allison Janney guest stars, playing a White House press secretary who is unhappy with the portrayal of her on a sketch on LS7. In the sketch she is played by cast LS7 member Allison Jansen (also portrayed by Allison Janney). Whitford's character, Eric Sorin, ends up rewriting the scene to have Matt Allen rewrite the scene to include the press secretary (Allison Janney), as well as Allison Jansen (Allison Janney), playing herself and the press secretary, as well as Allison Janney (Allison Janney) playing herself. When the sketch bombs, the Sorkinverse implodes and Aaron Sorkin finds himself dumped on the side of the New Jersey Turnpike.
NBC also announced that it will be airing a half-hour comedy based on the hit comedy 30 Rock.
See what's behind the scenes at humor-blogs.com at humor-blogs.com.
Labels: Exemplary Police Work, TV
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Did you use a bunch of 3 by 5 cards to keep track of all this. If you didn't, I am now officially in awe of your retentive capabilities. (I wonder if I take too much fiber to be retentive...) I like the concept, though. Sorkin might want to think about developing a comedy around someone who is a lawyer who gets elected to the senate and becomes famous there but who then quits to become an actor who then runs for president. Although that DOES sound a little far-fetched.
Awesome.
I'm not even sure if that was logically consistent from beginning to end, but I'll take your word for it.
Manimal. What more could you want? Every time that guy turned into an animal it was the same footage all over again. ...Ok, maybe they alternated between fur and feathers.
I'm curious about who's gonna play me watching the TV.
I'm confused. Totally.
Yah but the reporter in the show Manimal was hot! She should make a cameo in this one.
I hope you copyright this because you know they are going to still it. They already stole my Celebrity Intervention reality series.
Good grief. I want so badly to be able to follow this but I had way too much fun in the '80s.
Producers don't use dollylogging nearly enough in my opinion.
I am definitely going to have to check my TiVo to make sure that like Studio 60 this one isn't on my season pass either.
Great post
I'm going to start a blog titled "Exemplary Police Work", that is based on a collection of fantastic posts from another blog. My first post will be about a blog that starts a blog of fantastic posts from another blog.
Brilliant stuff.
I love 30 Rock... Oh wait. It's a different show? :)
Luckily this is complicated enough no lawyer will be able to sort out what to sue you for.
Ooh, Manimal, now that was a quality show.
hehehe. Bossy wants to write a TV pilot about seven out of work actors whose television series about seven actors struggling to keep their show alive was cancelled which is based on a sitcom about the behind-the-scenes comedy show based on SNL.
Phew.
I think I'm the only one who still loves Aaron and wants him to win. I think a show based on the Fred could win points, actually. OK, kill me now. I'm obviously too stupid to live. (Too bad - I've already procreated! Bwahaa haa!)
My head is spinning.
Mind you, I am drunk.
Unhhhhhh. . .
Wow, Diesel. You really are insane.
^_^
I'll watch it.
as one who has "dabbled" in a fair amount of "network television programming" -- and i'm not just talkin' about programming my TiVo and/or filling in the coloring spaces on a "Paint by Numbers" canvas of CSI: Miami (such a pretty-yet-terrible show) -- i have to say, this is as good as any treatment i've submitted and/or read.
come to think of it, this may well be the treatment for John From Cincinnati, except for the fact that this takes place in a television studio within a studio, instead of on the beach, and, um, there are no surfers and/or aliens.
hey, how 'bout a show about an Office within a television studio within a television studio? call it something odd-yet-not-really clever, like, "Live Office from Studio 7" or LOS7?
just a thought. ; )
Okay, I'm tired just from reading the description.
Diesel - You are my new hero.
Jami - I think it went lawyer-actor-senator-actor-president. I think it's good that he takes some time off from Washington to act. It's helpful to get a dose of reality once in a while.
Glacial Spain - I might have lost my place a little during the Allison Janney bit. They haven't cast the guy playing you, but they are auditioning for the guy watching you watching the tv, if you're interested. (Remember infinitely regressive man?)
Beth - What part was confusing?
Chris C - You people have a far better memory for the details of Manimal than I do.
Howard - I'm hoping they do steal it. Then I'm going to make a documentary about how they stole my idea.
Jeff - The dollylog certainly is an underappreciated technique.
QoD - I think we had 5 Studio 60s clogging up our TiVo toward the end. I was so glad when they finally axed it so that I could just delete them.
Myutopia - Thanks!
Joel - Thank you, sir.
Erica - I love 30 Rock. Everybody should watch it. Everybody.
Kat - And then I'll just countersue for whatever they're suing for.
Lonie Polony - That's it, I'm creating a show called Animan.
Bossy - I'm confused.
Camron - I'm still an Aaron Sorkin fan. I loved Sports Night and the West Wing (well, until the last season anyway). I'm hoping his next project has a little more oomph. Or something.
Lord Likely - Which way is it spinning? I'm wondering what hemisphere you're in now.
Candace - Who told you?
Bea - Have you seen Saving Grace? It's got an angel named Earl in it.
CS - Imagine how tired I am from writing it.
Sandi - Thanks! You can be my heroin.
didn't watch or don't watch any of those. lol
but I did start watching Kill Point on spike channel. I really like that one, it was good.
What is wrong wiht you???? You crazy man, you!
Infinitely regressive man? I remember your older brother once saying something about standing in parentheses...
I'm very confused now. Thanks, Diesel!
Diesel - I think you're right about the career timeline. I probably got confused because he was an actor playing a lawyer. I think.
ZOOEY!!!!!!!!
G'day from Australia,
Have been meaning to follow your link (from Carol aka Shrink's site) for weeks.
Finally did it just now and have to say this is a site I'll be back to visit.
Great presentation.
Would you mind if I added you to my blogroll?
I'm a novelist as well, and have been in close contact with Carol for months - as you would have seen on her blog.
Cheers
David
Looks like a good cast but I am getting tired of getting in to good shows only to have them yanked. Studio 60 rocked. Maybe I should just stick with "America's Got Talent."
I'll be back ... after I track down the Tylenol and after I sign up for an Interpretive Serial TV Analysis 101 class. Don't go away.
That reminds me of the time I had a dream within a nightmare within a daydream within a dream. I woke up and just walked around in circles all night long. Then I woke up in math class naked!