Fall TV Preview: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Which Backstage Show About SNL is This Again?

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is one of several new shows on NBC. Airing on Monday nights at 10 Eastern, Studio 60 is a drama about the backstage life of a Saturday Night Live-like late-night comedy show.

NBC is betting a lot on Studio 60, which is absolutely loaded with talent. Writer Aaron Sorkin drew the fans into The West Wing with his densely worded, intelligent style. He will have to do the same to get fans invested in the show. 

CHARACTERS
Three of the main characters do not play actors on the fictional show. Amanda Peet is Jordan, a new network executive who is trying to turn about the struggling comedy. To do this, she relies on the creative team of Matt (Matthew Perry) and Danny (Bradley Whitford).

The stars of the fictional comedy show are Tom (Nathan Corddry), Harriet (Sarah Paulson) and Simon (D.L. Hughley). Other behind-the-scenes characters are director Cal (Timothy Busfield) and network chief Jack (Steven Weber).

STARS
The biggest star power on the show comes from Perry after his 10-year run on Friends. Although that comedy powerhouse has been off the air for a while, it may be tough for audiences to look at Perry and not think "Chandler Bing."

Perry and Peet have appeared together on film in The Whole Nine Yards and its sequel, The Whole Ten Yards. Whitford was on The West Wing for several years, and Weber starred on another long-running NBC show, Wings.

Hughley had his own comedy show, The Hughleys, for several years on ABC. Like Perry, he will be making the transition to TV drama. Busfield to no stranger to the genre; he is an alumnus of ABC's thirtysomething.

COMPETITION
With Monday Night Football moving to ESPN, ABC will throw drama What About Brian against Studio 60 in the 10 p.m. slot. The show stars Barry Watson (7th Heaven) as a single guy surrounded by married friends. Brian didn't set the world on fire in its brief spring run, so it shouldn't pose too big a threat for Studio 60.