YMMV / Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

• Arc Fatigue: Perhaps not the longest arc in history but they did get 4 1/2 episodes out of the events featured in K & R
• He Really Can Act: Matthew Perry, despite being saddled with playing an insufferable prick, performs admirably and shows some unexpected depth
• Ho Yay: Matt and Danny's relationship tends to have a bit of a romantic, codependent slant. "Focus Group", for example, sees Matt lying on the beach, with Danny straddling him, shouting about what Matt means to him. Hmm.
  • And then there's their final exchange of the show:
    Danny: Matthew, don't take this the wrong way, but I love you.
    Matt: Okay.
    (beat)
    Danny: Did you take it the wrong way?
    Matt: I took it to mean that you're gay and you want me.
    Danny: Okay.
    (beat)
    Matt: I love you too, though.
    Danny: Good.
  • Parodied with Matt and Jack:
    Jack: I need you.
    Matt: Jack, all my life I've been waiting to hear you say those words. Say it again, say it like you-
    Jack: Shut up.
• Humor Dissonance: A major criticism of the show was how the characters act as if the in-series sketches are comedy brilliance when what is shown would be considered weak for the last half-hour of a bad Saturday Night Live episode. One of the reasons why critics preferred 30 Rock was because its Show Within a Show was intentionally depicted as being unfunny and stupid.
• Moment of Awesome: Jack gets one in Nevada Day Part 2, where he loses it on a mega-wealthy Chinese investor who he thinks has insulted Jordan and NBS. He gives a minute-and-a-half long rant about the virtues of everyone he works with, revealing his true feelings for Jordan especially.
• Narm: "That's swell Tom, but YOUR LITTLE BROTHER IS STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF AFGHANISTAN!"
• Rooting for the Empire: A number of viewers noted that they found Amoral Television Executive (and Deadpan Snarker) Jack Rudolph to be much more sympathetic than many of the self-important main characters. Part of this is down to the deliberate fleshing out of his character as the series progressed... which then backfired as he began to get just as self-important as everyone else.
• Strawman Has a Point:
  • Harriet complains that they make too many jokes about religious people and is portrayed as a Single-Issue Wonk. The first two episodes focus on two sketches: "Crazy Christians," which we don't see, and a painfully unfunny mock-gameshow where several religious stereotypes defend their beliefs about scientific topics.
  • Jack's rant about the reception a drama about the U.N. is going to get from the American public is spot on. It comes across as a snipe at dumb audiences... which doesn't change that Jack is right not to want it on the NBS schedule.

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