Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip TV show

Studio 60 Network: NBC
Episodes: 22 (hour)
Seasons: One

TV show dates: September 18, 2006 – June 28, 2007
Series status: Cancelled/ended

Performers include: Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Steven Weber, D.L. Hughley, Sarah Paulson, Nathan Corddry, Timothy Busfield, Nate Torrence, Lucy Davis, Camille Chen, Simon Helberg, Ayda Field, Merritt Wever, Columbus Short, Mark McKinney, Joey Thurston III, Diana-Maria Riva, William Stanford Davis, Edward Asner, John Carpenter, Josh Stamberg, Julia Ling, John Mahon, Katie Dolan, and James Lesure

TV show description:
This Aaron Sorkin drama is a behind-the-scenes look at a Saturday Night Live-like, sketch comedy show on fictional network NBS.

The show is headed by longtime friends lead writer Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) and producer/director Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford).

In addition to pressures from network president Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet) and chairman Jack Rudolph (Steven Weber), Matt and Danny must work with the comedy show cast that includes Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson), Tom Jeter (Nate Corddry), and Simon Stiles (D.L. Hughley).

Series Finale

Episode 22 – What Kind Of Day Has It Been
A very long night finally comes to an end. Danny, Jordan and her newborn finally become a true family. Jack agrees that Simon shouldn’t apologize for his remarks and then Simon says he wants to.

Tom’s brother and his comrades are successfully rescued, without Tom’s intervention. Matt and Harriet begin a new chapter of their relationship, realizing that their road together will always be rocky.

The series ends with Danny turning off the studio worklight as he headed back to the hospital. In his office, Matt promises to one day make a friend of the dreaded countdown clock.
First aired: June 28, 2007.

What happened next?

There hasn’t been any news of plans for a revival or reunion.

Behind the Scenes


•	NBC had very high expectations for Studio 60 but the show received mixed reviews at best. Viewership also declined significantly over the run of the show. The show was cancelled due to low ratings but high production costs didn’t help.

•	The title of the final episode is essentially the same as the first season finale of Sorkin’s two previous series, The West Wing and Sports Night.

•	The series featured several celebrity cameos as guest hosts of the fictional show. The cameos included Felicity Huffman, Rob Reiner, Lauren Graham, Howie Mandel, Masi Oka, Allison Janney, Jenna Fischer, and Jason Alexander. Others were mentioned as guest hosts but didn’t appear on camera.

•	In the second episode, Jack Rudolph tells Jordan, “You’ve got spunk. I hate spunk!” This is a reference to one of the most famous lines uttered by Lou Grant (played by Ed Asner) to Mary Richards on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Asner played Jack’s boss Wilson White on Studio 60.