Studio 60: Cash Trumps Quality in Entertainment Business

Let's face it; the entertainment industry (more specifically the American entertainment industry) is primarily concerned with turning a buck. Quality television has become second fiddle to the "more important" issue of cashing that big check at the end of the day. The quibble is not over whether or not major television networks can stay afloat, but the issue of how many extra millions "x" show could possibly make that "y" show doesn't. This is the reason dozens and dozens of garbage reality television series are churned out on a yearly basis, yet other quality shows are swept under the ruge because they cannot find the "proper" audience.

American audiences crave edge of your seat tension-filled thrillers such as "Lost" and "Grey's Anatomy," which are certainly deserving of accolades, yet are seemingly replaced every three to four years with newer and better edge-of-your-seat dramas. Shows like this are a dime a dozen and while they certainly have their place (monstrously large audiences), they often lack a certain original quality as far as genres go. American audiences have proved that their television hours should be somewhat of a detox from reality, a period which allows them to escape from actually having to think about much of anything. This is why it should be of little surprise to me that "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" struggles to keep airtime.

According to wikipedia.org, in October of 2005 an intense bidding war ensued between big dog networks NBC and CBS for the rights to the show. A year before an episode was ever slated to run, "Studio 60" garnered massive media attention. Anticipation broiled (as evidenced by the 13 million viewers) for the show as it finally debuted on Septemeber 18th, 2006. In the ensuing weeks the show took a disastrous decline. NBC flirted with cancellation, but decided instead to take a short hiatus throughout the Christmas holiday and much of January. The show then reappeared for several episodes, before now taking another hiatus after Monday, February 19th's episode. The show returned on Thursday, May 24th, but only to run its final few episodes before permanent termination.