Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
NBC | Release Date: September 18, 2006
CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
8
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Christian Science MonitorGloria Goodale
Season 1 Review: Sorkin brings the same intensity and political sensibilities to the story. Read full review
100
Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan
Season 1 Review: "Studio 60" is not just good, it has the potential to be a small-screen classic. Read full review
100
Detroit Free PressMike Duffy
Season 1 Review: "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" is another Sorkin mother lode of stylish wit, uncompromising quality and timely, topical substance. It's TV with a brain for viewers in search of something other than the same old, same old. Read full review
100
USA TodayRobert Bianco
Season 1 Review: Teeming with rich characters and terrific actors, brimming with wit, drama and unexpected urgency, Studio 60 brings its workplace to full, immensely entertaining life. Read full review
100
San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman
Season 1 Review: "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" lives up to the advance hype, easily qualifying as one of the best new broadcast series of the fall. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron
Season 1 Review: There are more than a few well-made dramas this season, but "Studio 60" -- with its intelligent dialogue, ironic humor, brilliant acting and Schlamme's inspired direction -- lays claim to being the most exciting new show of the season. Read full review
90
Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin
Season 1 Review: Fearlessly funny and scathingly introspective. Read full review
90
Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland
Season 1 Review: The agile humor and light, sharp intelligence permeating the script make "Studio 60" far and away one of the season's best new dramas, if not the top entry. Read full review
88
San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa TimesCharlie McCollum
Season 1 Review: The characters are intelligent, complex people you quickly care about, even if -- this being a show about television -- they can be egotistical and self-centered. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman
Season 1 Review: Fans of Sorkin's years on "The West Wing" will likely enjoy "Studio 60." And there should be enough mature viewers who crave bright writing to make the show a sudden mainstay. Read full review
83
Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn
Season 1 Review: Every so often, when the tension feels DefCon 1 high, there's a temptation to remind Sorkin that the fate of the free world isn't at stake. Then again, with such mesmerizing speed-bag dialogue, Studio 60 is a great case for taking TV seriously. Read full review
80
VarietyBrian Lowry
Season 1 Review: His exploration of an aging latenight franchise is so bracingly smart it's sure to hook discriminating viewers. Read full review
80
Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm
Season 1 Review: [It] is sure to occupy a special place in Emmy voters' hearts. Read full review
80
The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley
Season 1 Review: There is nothing else quite like it on television, and that is actually saying a lot. Read full review
80
Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert
Season 1 Review: "Studio 60" is one of the best new dramas of the season, assuming you aren't Sorkin-phobic, and with some tweaking it could be the very best. Read full review
80
Arizona RepublicBill Goodykoontz
Season 1 Review: It's easily one of the best new shows of the season. Read full review
75
New York PostLinda Stasi
Season 1 Review: Don't believe the hype. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" is not the best new show of the fall season. It's a pretty darned good one, but not the best one. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley
Season 1 Review: As good a cast as you'll find anywhere on TV.... But in the end, the decisive question may be whether inner TV provides as much material as the inner White House. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineLen Sousa
Season 1 Review: While the actual comedy being prepared for the variety show isn't often a success... the drama behind the scenes is clearly what's worth watching. Read full review
70
Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray
Season 1 Review: As long as "Studio 60" stays backstage, though - while finding something a little more interesting for the genuinely funny D.L. Hughley to do - I'm likely to keep tuning in. Read full review
70
Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen
Season 1 Review: Like his previous series, "Studio 60" features intelligent, quickly spoken dialogue, smart arguments and terrific performances (Perry and Whitford have instant chemistry as longtime co-workers), and it's not a bad show by any means, but it doesn't soar to the heights "West Wing" did, even in its earliest episodes. Read full review
70
Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik
Season 1 Review: The banter between Perry and Whitfield... is dazzling enough to make one forget the pilot's storytelling sins. Read full review
70
The New YorkerTad Friend
Season 1 Review: Unfailingly enjoyable. Read full review
70
SalonHeather Havrilesky
Season 1 Review: Sorkin may be self-important, but he's certainly not mediocre. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalNancy DeWolf Smith
Season 1 Review: Here's hoping that the strong whiff of sanctimony in the pilot of "Studio 60" is blown away by fresh air in future episodes. Read full review
60
Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart
Season 1 Review: If [Sorkin] intends to preach off-key sermons every week, “Studio 60” is going to get old fast. Read full review
60
Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall
Season 1 Review: Last fall, "Studio 60" would have easily been the best new drama; this fall, it's lucky to squeeze into the top five, and a lot of that is based on potential more than what's on screen. Read full review
60
Washington PostTom Shales
Season 1 Review: Sorkin aspires to "importance," which can sometimes curdle into pretentiousness. Read full review
50
Los Angeles TimesPaul Brownfield
Season 1 Review: Here it feels as if Sorkin has chosen an outdated media milieu for his secular humanist dramaturgy. His first TV series, "Sports Night," was ahead of the times, but "Studio 60" is behind them. Read full review
50
TimeJames Poniewozik
Season 1 Review: From the mood lighting and stirring music to the hot-button story lines to the characters' arias on the august legacy of their show, Sorkin makes running a comedy program seem like negotiating an arms treaty. Read full review
50
NewsdayVerne Gay
Season 1 Review: There's a wonderful cast here... There's even an intriguing core idea... But the show also feels phony from beginning to end. Read full review
50
People WeeklyTom Gliatto
Season 1 Review: The show feels weighed down by its own clout. [25 Sep 2006, p.43]
30
L.A. WeeklyRobert Abele
Season 1 Review: Really, I just wish it were funny. Not walking-banter funny, or look-what-I-know funny, but funny funny. Even a little bit. Read full review
Current TV Shows
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 92 The Pitt: Season 2
2 90 The Celebrity Traitors UK: Season 1
3 87 Hacks: Season 5
4 87 Industry: Season 4
5 87 Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal:...
6 85 The Beatles Anthology
7 85 The Traitors [UK]: Season 4
8 85 Bait: Season 1
9 84 Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!
10 83 Lord of the Flies
11 83 Riot Women: Season 1
12 83 For All Mankind: Season 5
13 81 The Muppet Show (2026)
14 80 Outlander (2014): Season 8
15 80 The Other Bennet Sister: Season 1
16 80 The Mighty Nein: Season 1
17 80 The Comeback: Season 3
18 80 The American Revolution
19 80 One Piece (2023): Season 2
20 80 Dark Winds: Season 4
SEE ALL