Here is a review of Studio 60 courtesy of Bill Johnson, President of American Decency Association

 “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” is a new show on NBC’s fall line up.  The show’s creator, Aaron Sorkin of “West Wing” fame, has a history of portraying Christians and the “right wing” as radical ‘whackos’.  This new show, “Studio 60”, is aggressively following the same pattern.  The show, made up of a cast of Hollywood heavy-hitters, is a 60 minute drama of the behind the scenes workings of a “Saturday Night Live” type of show (also called “Studio 60”) and the wranglings with the network that take place. 

The premier episode began when the host of this fictional show was forced to delete a comedy sketch called “Crazy Christians” from the show.  The network representative dropped the segment for fear of angering Christians and advertisers.  The host of the show went on a rant on air complaining about his network and stating, in part, “And the two things that make them scared gutless are the FCC and every psycho religious cult that gets positively horny at the mere mention of a boycott.”

With great cunning, Aaron Sorkin and NBC send the message repeatedly throughout this hour-long show that Christians are extremists and the enemy of “free speech”.  The first and second episodes of “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” center upon the theme of Christians as ‘nut-jobs’ who terrorize networks and advertisers with threats of boycotts.  In other words, people like you and me, who voice our concern over the decline of decency, are part of a “psycho religious cult”.

The show hammers home this message over and over.  After replaying the line referenced above, the fictional network president repeats “there’s going to be some horny, psycho religious cults tonight.”  This network president, a young woman named Jordan, defends the character who wanted to run the segment “Crazy Christians” and allows it to air the following week.  She states about the “Crazy Christians” segment “I just read it and I thought it was inspired.”

Later, at a press conference, she is disgusted that among the members of the press, is a reporter from a fictional Christian magazine called “Rapture” magazine.  Jordan, the network president, says: “How many whack jobs read Rapture magazine?”  She is shocked to learn that it actually has a very large readership.  Those who believe in Christ for salvation and His Second Coming are mocked when one network official condescendingly says:  “The Rapture’s what I think it is, right?  The world comes to an end, believers go up in a space ship.”  Jordan replies: “It’s not a space ship.  It’s Jesus Christ.”
Another asks: “What happens to the non-believers?”
Jordan states:  “You get thrown down into a fiery pit.”
All of this airs in a derogatory manner, with a air of condescension – making it seem as those who believe this are gullible fruit-cakes.

Numerous other derisive portrayals of Christianity are given, including ministries like American Decency Association and those of you who stand with us.  When concern in raised on this fictional show that affiliates won’t carry the show if the “Crazy Christian” sketch isn’t dropped, and that television stations are being inundated with phone calls, the network president blames “Rapture” magazine stating:  “How does the editor and chief of total nut farm magazine get mobilized this fast?”  She is told that a Christian group posted it on their web site. “That’s like flashing the bat signal for her members.”

One of the characters is supposedly a born-again Christian – a Christian who swears regularly and writes comedy for this fictional show that mocks Christianity.  She also prays before each show and is shown praying with the cast stating:  “We say this prayer in the name of your son Jesus Christ, who had to have been funny to get so many people to listen to him.”

This character supposedly appeared on the 700 Club.  Her boyfriend was outraged, called Pat Robertson a “bigot” and compared his audience and other Christians to the Ku Klux Klan, stating: “Throw in the Halloween costumes and you got yourself a clan rally.”

NBC and the producers of “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” seem to think its open season on Christians.  One would never see such an incredibly negative, stereotypical portrayal of any racial group or other religion.  But Christianity is fair game.  And those of us who use our free speech to speak out when we are defamed or our values are trashed are labeled as “whack jobs” and a threat to “free speech”.