Mmmm, TV: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Prison Break, Lost

Thoughts on some of the TV shows I've been watching this fall.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Last night was a mixture of American comedy history, "soap opera", and race relations. The last subject was handled pretty well, I thought, for what is a contentious topic. And another sub-plot gave a nod to burlesque comedy, in which early American network comedy was rooted. References included Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows, Gypsy Rose Lee, and Abbott and Costello, which of course I liked.

I don't think we should see the SNL-type sketches, if anything they should just be suggested visually. The main thing is the show behind the show.

The biggest surprise element for me is Mathew Perry's performance as Matt Albie. He's managed to shed "Chandler" and has emerged as a more significant actor. Just when you think you have someone pegged. Amanda Peet (Jordan McDeere) is also very good in a role that requires a tricky balancing act, and Timothy Busfield (Cal Shanley) is always welcome on the screen.

Is it me or is Christine Lahti's character distinctly C.J.?

Prison Break

I dislike shows set in prison. The harsh social systems, the claustrophobia, the cruelty, the dehumanising environment. I can only think of one prison story I really liked, and that's Shawshank Redemption.

So this one took me by surprise. The signature cliffhangers at the end of each show are hard to resist the charm of; you know they're coming, you know you're being manipulated, but you're enjoying it anyway. Like most good TV.

And there are just some great lines for the actors. They must be jumping up and down when they read the script. There was a very funny, very crude one in Series 1: when a prisoner is refusing to jump into a hole in the ground, another one says, "You mean there's one hole in this place you're not trying to get into?"

Besides Wentworth Miller, who plays the lead character of Michael Scofield, there are a number of actors turning in compelling performances. Lane Garrison, who David Apolskis, is particularly believable as the naive young snitch. He does good dense.

In this video clip from TV.com (short ad you have to sit through first), Robert Knepper talks about his character, "T-Bag". At the end he says "I play a lot of the humour" and that he tries to "stay away from the creepy" and just play it charming—really? Because he's definitely got the creepy vibe going (as well as the humour).

Excellent show, turned into "The Fugitive" in Series 2.

Lost

It's getting more surreal and convoluted. But they say that after every episode of Lost.

There aren't many TV shows that demand you pay attention and recall small details from the previous season, and that's admirable. However, there are so many loose threads at this point, I wonder when the payoff is going to happen for the audience and we'll start getting some answers.

I think, out of frustration, I've adopted a zen-like approach to Lost now: just accept whatever happens. You won't get answers.

I really like it when they inject humour into the show, as in last week's episode when Sawyer shouted to a guard that he could use an ottoman. It keeps the characters, and the show, from being completely pulled down by their dire situation.

One of the more interesting characters enjoyed some consensual sex and was promptly killed off; a common finger-wagging device used in TV shows. Tiresome.

Related links:

Wikipedia entry for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Fox Network's Prisonbreak site
ABC Network's Lost site