Casting my vote against Hollywood

Filed under Soapbox on November 14, 2006
Keywords: christianity, Studio 60, television

I watched my last episode of Studio 60 last night. I was a big fan of West Wing, but that premise contained elements of interest that balanced–or at least drew attention away from–Mr. Sorkin’s penchant for painting political and social liberalism in the best light possible at every available opportunity. The inner workings of a television show hardly carry the impact of the mechanics of the American presidency, so without compelling characters and relationships the viewing public can invest in, the show is merely an ego-stroking vehicle.

Last night continued to pile on the evidence of Sorkin’s prejudice. In what could have been an original and fresh move, the cast of the fictitious sketch comedy Studio 60 includes a Christian. Unfortunately, the character’s faith is shallow and merely a device to show the superiority of the liberal social agenda. In the previous episode, the Christian comedienne was quoted in an article about gay marriage. Her response was a cop out, admitting the Bible does teach that homosexuality is a sin, but then quoting Matthew 7:1–one of Hollywood’s favorite passages to quote out of context–and saying she didn’t really know and would leave the decision up to “wiser” people.

I suppose I’ve seen this enough times that it doesn’t disappoint me as much anymore. What really turned me off, however, was that the character was confronted about it by Matthew Perry’s character (the liberal executive producer/writer that represents Sorkin), and could do nothing but apologize. No quick, snappy retort to match the liberal dialogue, just a deer-in-the-headlights look and pleading apologetics–if she was given the chance. Often as not, Perry’s character would walk off or the scene would end before she could respond.

I’m waiting for the day when Hollywood will give equal representation and airtime to conservatives and liberals. Sorkin’s a smart writer. I keep hoping he’ll be intellectually honest enough to present both sides of the argument and force the viewers to think on their own. I know I may be waiting in vain.

On the bright side, Studio 60 has failed to meet ratings expectations so far this season. NBC went ahead and green-lighted additional episodes through the Spring, but I’m going to cast my vote and stop watching. Perhaps it will continue to under-perform and not be back next fall.

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