i’m a grudging fan of studio 60 - whenever my writing partner geoffrey and i have a conversation that spawns an idea for a sketch i go, “wow, that’s comedy that came out of our everyday lives, organically! just like when they get an idea on studio 60!” or if i’m in an argument with a friend over some dumb comedy thing i’ll be like, “wow, we’re a regular danny tripp and matt albie! J/K J/K LOL!!! ;););;;;;))))!!!!!!”

so, needless to say, i now hate myself. but i just remembered the original “studio 60,” the series studio 60 ripped off. i’m talking, of course, about you can’t do that on television, a show that i watched on nickelodeon whenever it was on regardless of how much barth’s burgers grossed me out, or how often i cringed when alistar got executed (”ready…AIIIIMMM!!!”).

remember that odd, plexiglass home base area where they’d discuss how the show was going, or get yelled at by their director wearing that gigantic plastic headset? that’s just like when the studio 60 cast talks about a sketch from their dressing rooms, or cal the director yells at the crew! also: remember all the shitty allusions you can’t do that on television made to the war in iraq? that’s probably where sorkin got the idea to overload his sketch comedy show with a lot of off-putting, one dimensional political bullshit!

finally, you know how on studio 60, whenever someone says “water” or “i don’t know”, they have to make a meaningless heavy handed comment about the war in iraq? yeah, you can’t do that on television did that first, but with things being dropped on people.

so, studio 60: one, you can’t do that on television: a million. also, you can’t do that on television gets studio 60’s one point.