Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip/The Christmas Show

The Christmas Show
Season 1, Episode 11
Airdate	December 4, 2006
Teleplay by	Aaron Sorkin
Story by	Christina Kiang Booth, Cinque Henderson
Directed by	Dan Attias
← 1x10 B-12	1x12 → Monday
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip — Season One

The Christmas Show is the eleventh episode of the first season of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and the eleventh episode overall. Danny and Matt struggle with creating Studio 60's first Christmas episode in their twenty years of being on the air.

Special Guest Star: Ed Asner (Wilson White)

Guest Stars: Mark McKinney (Andy Mackinaw), Merritt Wever (Suzanne), Lucy Davis (Lucy Kenwright), Columbus Short (Darius Hawthorne), Nate Torrence (Dylan Killington), John Mahon (George), Josh Stamberg (Luke Scott), Ben Bodé (), Scott Lawrence (Mike), Juan Garcia ()

Uncredited: Kevin Eubanks (Himself)

Plot Overview

Following the bombshell of Jordan's pregnancy announcement to Danny, he accompanies her to her doctor's appointment because the actual father wouldn't join her. He manages to find out that the actual father is Jordan's ex-boyfriend, the one who ratted out his drug test results to her which caused him to get on board with Studio 60 in the first place. The doctor runs an ultrasound on her and confirms that Jordan is, in fact, having a baby.

Back at the studio, Matt coordinates with his three person writing staff on Studio 60's first Christmas show, an event which Wes Mendell routinely ignored because California doesn't feel like Christmas. Andy, however, would rather forget Christmas all together and rather go for a "year in review" theme. Because Matt is the executive producer, his idea is nixed and they go forward with the Christmas idea. He meets up with Cal in the hallway, who alerts him to the fact that their set design warehouses were in a major earthquake and won't be able to get them the mass quantities of snow that Matt seems to want. In Danny's office, Cal and Matt decide that they can use shaved coconuts to create snow but before they get too deep in the logistics of fake snow, Danny tells them about Jordan's baby. Matt questions Danny about why he was at the OBGYN with her and he doesn't volunteer a good answer.

While Danny is explaining the situation to his crew, Jordan does the same with Jack. Or at least tries to do the same, but Jack is in an angry mood because the FCC is fining NBS for an "indecent" explicative used by an army private during a live interview when a RPG flew over his head. They intend to fine the network $360,000 per affiliate that aired the broadcast, which has naturally sent Jack on the warpath. Jordan uses this opportunity to tell him that she's having a baby, which has an oddly calming effect on him. She also suggests that he fight it, but Jack says that it'll break the network if they lose because the government will pull their transponder.

Meanwhile, Matt calls Simon and Tom into his office to pitch Christmas ideas, but wind up only getting "mean" ones about how Jesus was born in Africa and how there was no star of Bethlehem. He sends the two down to the writers room to help them out. Matt asks Suzanne to send up Harriet, but she tell him that she's out to lunch with Luke. Luke is a director who is offering Harriet a major role in his film about the Rolling Stones which wouldn't interfere with her shooting schedule for Studio 60 and would guarantee her an Oscar nomination.

In the writers room, Tom and Simon have a petty fight over Lucy's affections while Lucy and Darius desperately attempt to pitch them sketches about Christmas. Cal comes in with a coconut and tells the writers that they're going to make some prototype snow, but doesn't know how to crack open a coconut. Darius tells him that it's hard to crack one open properly, but Cal ignores him and breaks the writers' table in half by hurling it downward as hard as he can at the table. And yet the coconut is not hurt. Upstairs in Danny's office, Harriet tells Matt about her movie opportunity and he's surprisingly supportive about the deal until he says that Luke only wants to cast her so he can sleep with her again. She punches him a couple times (despite his abs of granite) and goes in to see Danny, who's banging his head against the desk due to his realization that he actually cares deeply about his network president.

On Wednesday, Matt inspects the various Christmas decorations and sketches but for every positive thing (snow and Suzanne's Santa hat), he also finds several negative things (Nazi salute Santa and a room full of downer writers). While he attempts to induce Christmas spirit into the writers, Danny meets Kevin Eubanks in the audience, scoping out the trumpet player sitting in for the usual guy. Danny tells the new player about Eubanks, but he dismisses it, saying that he's only doing the gig as a favor and he's from New Orleans. Danny goes to Matt and tells him that the musicians who called in sick aren't really sick, they're giving a few homeless musicians who were wiped out by Hurricane Katrina a gig and some money so that they can give some Christmas spirit to their families. Danny asks Matt to cut four minutes out of sketches but doesn't give a reason for it.

The day of the show comes by and Luke admits to Harriet that he does want to date her again, but insists that isn't the reason why he cast her. She shoos him upstairs and the show begins with a parody of Dateline: To Catch a Predator with Santa Claus. While in break before News 60, Matt kisses Harriet and knocks her off her game briefly. In the private box in the Studio, Wilson White, his wife, grandchildren and Jordan are watching the show when Jack comes in to tell him that he's going to have to resign so as to not hurt the network or the Macao deal. White, however, tells him that he doesn't have to do anything, because this is the fight he's been waiting for his entire life.

The four-minute section in the show that Danny had cut out closes the show with the New Orleans brass musicians playing in front of a screen showing clips of New Orleans before the hurricane happened and after, depicting images of people trying to celebrate Christmas in what they've rebuilt since then. While "the City of New Orleans" play, Danny admits to Jordan that he's falling in love with her.

Notes

Music

• "Hot Fun in the Summertime" by Sly & The Family Stone: The song that plays in Matt's office while Suzanne is shaking out her beach towel is a hit single by Sly & The Family Stone called "Hot Fun in the Summertime." Depending on who is asked, the song could either be about fun in summer or a commentary on race riots in the 1960s. Despite its popularity, the song was never released on a proper album, but was later released on a greatest hits album.

Arc Advancement

Happenings

• The Macao Deal: Jack expresses a desire to fight the FCC over their proposed fines, but the legal department advises him that the government could easily quash TMG's China prospect. Wilson White assures him that he's both prepared and willing to fight with the FCC over their fine.

Characters

• Jordan: After going to the OBGYN, Jordan has officially announced that she's pregnant. The baby is due sometime in mid-May, which is a sweeps period.

Trivia

The Show

• iTunes Download: NBC had informed the performers of the song at the end of the episode, as well as a charity dedicated to helping New Orleans based musicians, that they would be putting the song on iTunes for a limited free download. Presumably, after a certain amount of time or downloads, this song would then become pay for play and the proceeds would go to the charity. Because of unspecified issues, the song was made available only on NBC's website.

Allusions and References

• A Charlie Brown Christmas: Andy makes a reference to the Peanuts Christmas special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. In the special, Charlie Brown brings back a pathetic looking Christmas tree for the pageant and only Linus embraces it by saying "it isn't such a bad little tree." The kids then transform the dilapidated tree into something beautiful.

Andy: What're you, Linus?

• Anita Pallenberg: Anita Pallenberg was romantically linked to three members of The Rolling Stones in the 1960s and 1970s. Pallenberg was an Italian model and actress who became romantically entangled with Brian Jones before becoming the common law wife of Keith Richards until 1977. She was also briefly involved with Mick Jagger in 1968 while she was filming Performance.

Luke: I want you to play Anita Pallenberg.

Quotes

• Jordan: Why are you here?

Danny: Morale.

Jordan: I really don't need any help.

Danny: Not now, but you will soon because this says you're gonna have to make a journey of 1200 miles to bury your eggs in the warm mud.

Jordan: Danny.

Danny: Wait, that can't be you.

• Jordan: (to Jack's secretary) How's his mood?

Jack" (in his office) Son of a holy bitch!