Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: Season 1
  • Network: NBC
  • Series Premiere Date: Sep 18, 2006
  • Season #: 1
Metascore
75 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 33
  3. Negative: 1 out of 33
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  1. Arizona Republic
    Reviewed by: Bill Goodykoontz
    80
    It's easily one of the best new shows of the season.
  2. Baltimore Sun
    Reviewed by: David Zurawik
    70
    The banter between Perry and Whitfield... is dazzling enough to make one forget the pilot's storytelling sins.
  3. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    80
    "Studio 60" is one of the best new dramas of the season, assuming you aren't Sorkin-phobic, and with some tweaking it could be the very best.
  4. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Doug Elfman
    88
    Fans of Sorkin's years on "The West Wing" will likely enjoy "Studio 60." And there should be enough mature viewers who crave bright writing to make the show a sudden mainstay.
  5. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Maureen Ryan
    100
    "Studio 60" is not just good, it has the potential to be a small-screen classic.
  6. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: Gloria Goodale
    100
    Sorkin brings the same intensity and political sensibilities to the story.
  7. Detroit Free Press
    Reviewed by: Mike Duffy
    100
    "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" is another Sorkin mother lode of stylish wit, uncompromising quality and timely, topical substance. It's TV with a brain for viewers in search of something other than the same old, same old.
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Gillian Flynn
    83
    Every so often, when the tension feels DefCon 1 high, there's a temptation to remind Sorkin that the fate of the free world isn't at stake. Then again, with such mesmerizing speed-bag dialogue, Studio 60 is a great case for taking TV seriously.
  9. Kansas City Star
    Reviewed by: Aaron Barnhart
    60
    If [Sorkin] intends to preach off-key sermons every week, “Studio 60” is going to get old fast.
  10. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Robert Abele
    30
    Really, I just wish it were funny. Not walking-banter funny, or look-what-I-know funny, but funny funny. Even a little bit.
  11. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Paul Brownfield
    50
    Here it feels as if Sorkin has chosen an outdated media milieu for his secular humanist dramaturgy. His first TV series, "Sports Night," was ahead of the times, but "Studio 60" is behind them.
  12. Miami Herald
    Reviewed by: Glenn Garvin
    90
    Fearlessly funny and scathingly introspective.
  13. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    75
    As good a cast as you'll find anywhere on TV.... But in the end, the decisive question may be whether inner TV provides as much material as the inner White House.
  14. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    75
    Don't believe the hype. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" is not the best new show of the fall season. It's a pretty darned good one, but not the best one.
  15. Newark Star-Ledger
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    60
    Last fall, "Studio 60" would have easily been the best new drama; this fall, it's lucky to squeeze into the top five, and a lot of that is based on potential more than what's on screen.
  16. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    50
    There's a wonderful cast here... There's even an intriguing core idea... But the show also feels phony from beginning to end.
  17. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    50
    The show feels weighed down by its own clout. [25 Sep 2006, p.43]
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  18. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    70
    As long as "Studio 60" stays backstage, though - while finding something a little more interesting for the genuinely funny D.L. Hughley to do - I'm likely to keep tuning in.
  19. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Storm
    80
    [It] is sure to occupy a special place in Emmy voters' hearts.
  20. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
    Reviewed by: Rob Owen
    70
    Like his previous series, "Studio 60" features intelligent, quickly spoken dialogue, smart arguments and terrific performances (Perry and Whitford have instant chemistry as longtime co-workers), and it's not a bad show by any means, but it doesn't soar to the heights "West Wing" did, even in its earliest episodes.
  21. Salon
    Reviewed by: Heather Havrilesky
    70
    Sorkin may be self-important, but he's certainly not mediocre.
  22. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    100
    "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" lives up to the advance hype, easily qualifying as one of the best new broadcast series of the fall.
  23. San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
    Reviewed by: Charlie McCollum
    88
    The characters are intelligent, complex people you quickly care about, even if -- this being a show about television -- they can be egotistical and self-centered.
  24. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Melanie McFarland
    90
    The agile humor and light, sharp intelligence permeating the script make "Studio 60" far and away one of the season's best new dramas, if not the top entry.
  25. Slant Magazine
    Reviewed by: Len Sousa
    75
    While the actual comedy being prepared for the variety show isn't often a success... the drama behind the scenes is clearly what's worth watching.
  26. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Barry Garron
    90
    There are more than a few well-made dramas this season, but "Studio 60" -- with its intelligent dialogue, ironic humor, brilliant acting and Schlamme's inspired direction -- lays claim to being the most exciting new show of the season.
  27. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Alessandra Stanley
    80
    There is nothing else quite like it on television, and that is actually saying a lot.
  28. The New Yorker
    Reviewed by: Tad Friend
    70
    Unfailingly enjoyable.
  29. Time
    Reviewed by: James Poniewozik
    50
    From the mood lighting and stirring music to the hot-button story lines to the characters' arias on the august legacy of their show, Sorkin makes running a comedy program seem like negotiating an arms treaty.
  30. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    100
    Teeming with rich characters and terrific actors, brimming with wit, drama and unexpected urgency, Studio 60 brings its workplace to full, immensely entertaining life.
  31. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    80
    His exploration of an aging latenight franchise is so bracingly smart it's sure to hook discriminating viewers.
  32. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Nancy DeWolf Smith
    60
    Here's hoping that the strong whiff of sanctimony in the pilot of "Studio 60" is blown away by fresh air in future episodes.
  33. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Tom Shales
    60
    Sorkin aspires to "importance," which can sometimes curdle into pretentiousness.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 321 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 174 out of 220
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 220
  3. Negative: 33 out of 220
  1. RenataP
    10
    I can`t believe this show was canceled!
  2. MaryB
    10
    Intelligent, balanced, personal.
  3. BenB
    10
    -Some of Sorkin's best work, S60 is clever, witty, dramtic and funny, often at the same time. It's also an ensemble of fantastic actors who have been given interesting characters to explore. I can't wait to see how things unravel... I hope this show is given a chance to find an audience!… Full Review »
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