In 2008, two comedies inspired by the backstage machinations of Saturday Night Live were poised to air on NBC. One appeared to have a great advantage: Aaron Sorkin, the writer behind Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip who had just finished a successful stint bringing the White House to life on The West Wing. (And I only now just realized Sorkin's obsession with naming his series after locations. Huh.) The dark horse, that seemed unlikely to get past the starting block, was 30 Rock, a quirky comedy series starring and penned by Tina Fey, the former SNL head writer who had never before written a pilot script.
Studio 60, however, missed one key trait: actual humor. So while Sorkin scored all of the pre-season headlines, the drama was canned after one season, and 30 Rock went on to live for eight seasons, its quotes living in infamy. And, in our latest episode of TV. Watch. Repeat., my co-host Allison Piwowarski and I explore the history behind the NBC series, how it almost looked completely different, and why it won.
So grab your night cheese and enjoy our latest episode of TV. Watch. Repeat. on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And be sure to check out our daily pop culture podcast, Pop Chaser, for all your entertainment headline needs!
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