Sork of July – Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 1.5

Trust me, this pic will make sense later.

Can I just take a moment to say that I'm completely disappointed that there isn't a comprehensive list of NBS shows on the internet.  Obviously Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip came and went just before chronicling every aspect of a tv show was the norm, but come on!  

I want to know more about NBS programs like Legend Creek, Attending, Ventura Freeway, Empowered and The Isolationist.  

Anyway, today's episode is "The Long Lead Story."  

Host & Musical Guest: Lauren Graham & Sting

# of references “Crazy Christians”:  Zero

Sketches Referenced: Jenny Doesn’t Have A Baby, Nancy Grace

Sketches Shown: Jenny Doesn’t Have a Baby, Nancy Grace

We’re five episodes in and we finally get an episode that’s devoid of Crazy Christians.  Sure it’s obliquely referenced when Martha and Harriet meet up, but it’s never explicitly said, which is refreshing, because honestly I’m kind of over Crazy Christians. 

(Ok, I know that there’s more coming, but I’m glad that we got this breather here, before things really escalate.) 

The episode gets it’s title from the story that Martha is filing for Vanity Fair.  While it was introduced in the previous episode, this episode really shows Martha digging into the cast and trying to find her hook. 

It’s a fun storyline that naturally revolves around Matt and Harriet’s relationship.  No one wants to talk about it, thus Martha thinks she can used it as a hook for the story.  Matt bets her $100 that she can’t get him to talk about Harriet, which seems really cheap considering her bet someone else $10k a few episodes ago. 

Martha talks to Harriet, who deflects.  But she does get some dirt from Suzanne, who dishes about the autographed boot story.  Tom, being as gallant as he his tries to get the story attributed to him.  Simon and Tom compare notes over a hot mic, which gives Martha more than enough names to ask the right questions. 

Meanwhile in the corporate offices, Jordan and Jack listen to a reality show pitch from the A #1 reality show producer on the market.  Jack loves it and Jordan loathes it, probably because it the premise of digging up dirt on people hits close to home for her.  There’s a showdown between the two of them, Jack orders her to make a bid on the show.  Jordan counters that her contract stipulates that while she needs approval to buy expensive shows, she can reject anything outright and can only be overruled by Wilson White.  Jack tells her he’s setting up a meeting with Wilson tonight. 

Of course this interferes with Jordan’s meeting with an up and coming writer out of NYC.  He’s written a pilot about the U.N. called Nations, which Jordan really wants to get.  Danny knows the guy and thinks that Nations belongs on HBO.  Jordan is frustrated, but not dissuaded. 

The third story appears to be Sting.  He doesn’t have an actual storyline, but he does play two songs on the lute that are prominently featured in the episode.  Seriously, characters literally stop what they’re doing to watch him perform. 

Other things happen too, we get Harriet’s back-story via her interview with Martha, we learn that Matt didn’t blossom on Studio 60 until Harriet joined, Matt and Harriet almost kiss.  But mostly Sting sings and plays the lute. 

Eventually we see that Danny uses his sway with the writer to get the writer to agree to do Nations on NBS.  Does he agree to direct the pilot and shepherd the show through development?  No, he literally tells the guy that he should sign the deal. 

Oh and we also learned that on Studio 60 it’s totally normal for a host to not appear in a sketch, which feels really weird.