Sorkin' In It: The Films & Television of Aaron Sorkin

It’s season one, episode one. We’re watching Sports Night for this season of Sorkin’ In It. We meet a slew of characters. We deal with that grating laugh track. And we wonder if Casey’s gonna quit the show halfway into the Sports Night pilot. (Spoiler alert: He doesn’t.) Will Brian or Lex quit the podcast in this first episode of our new season? Only one way to find out. Lex Friedman and Brian War...

We’re kicking off a brand new season of Sorkin’ In It. And this time, we’re watching Sorkin’s first series: Sports Night. So stick around. Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

Wipe away those tears, the series finale of Studio 60 is upon us. We’re in K&R part 17 by our count: Tom’s brother remains in peril. As does Jordan. And, sigh, somehow Matt & Harriett’s relationship. But, hey, it’s a finale, and fan service abounds. We promise. Stick with it. We take as long to discuss the final episode as it takes to watch it. And, in true Sorkin fashion, we talk about What’s Nex...

It’s here: The penultimate episode of Studio 60. Jordan’s still in the hospital. Jack’s mad at Sim. And we spend a lot of time in flashbacks learning why Matt and Danny left in the first place… even though we still don’t get all the answers. Maybe the REAL answers are the friends we made along the way — while we were Sorkin’ In It. Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

It’s the second in another multi-part set of episodes, continuing with K&R Part 2. Part one exceeded our expectations. Will part two? Spoiler alert: no. Tom’s brother remains captured. Simon chats with the press and it goes poorly. We flashback a lot. Jordan’s still in trouble. Yikes. It’s not all bad, and at least we’ve got each other. Never Sorkin alone. Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

It’s the first in another multi-part set of episodes, kicking off with K&R Part 1. Lex and Brian usually don’t think too highly of these, but turns out this one was pretty good? There’s a lot happening in here with Tom’s brother in peril, Jordan in the hospital, and flashbacks. No need to get fatootsed, your intrepid hosts, Lex and Brian, are here to Sorkin’ In It with you. Lex Friedman and Brian...

Breaking News: that’s the name of this episode of Studio 60. A fact which is not breaking news, because it aired many many years ago. But this is an episode filled with crises: Jordan’s baby is in peril. So is Tom’s brother. And so is Matt. Big ep. Luckily, Brian and Lex are ready. Let’s Sorkin’ in It. Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

There’s a strike on set and Matt & Danny are nowhere to be found. But who is here? Allison Janney, kinda playing herself… even though nobody acknowledges that she worked with several of these people on the West Wing. It may melt your brain a bit, but this turns out to be one of the more fun episodes of the series. No need for cue cards, or the three leads. Watch out for that coffee cup, Lex and Br...

Matt battles writer’s block, and he needs a miracle. (Spoiler: It’s Harriet.) Speaking of Harriet, she and Luke aren’t getting along. (Spoiler: He dumps her. It’s a miracle.) Meanwhile, Danny and Jordan work together to take care of a robot baby, and Cal’s got a guillotine. Can you stick your neck out and guess what happens next? We can. That’s why we’re Sorkin’ In It. Lex Friedman and Brian Warre...

“The Friday Night Slaughter” refers to the moment when all the sketches for the night’s show are on the chopping block. Matt has flashbacks to when he first met Harriet. And he remembers a writer who used to work at Studio 60 who no one else remembers. It reminds us of our old cohost, Wrian Barren, a troubled young fella with great hair that he always kept covered with a backwards baseball cap. We...

It’s the Harriet Dinner Part II! The sequel nobody asked for. With good reason. Danny and Jordan escape the roof. Tom’s stuck at dinner with Kim, who’s too drunk to function. And the Harriet/Matt romance is quickly becoming more of a no-mance. Luckily, Lex and Brian are here, and we’re Sorkin’ it all up. Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

The Harriet Dinner is the thirteenth episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It’s an episode. It’s not a great one. Danny and Jordan are locked on a roof. Cal is locked in a battle with animals. Harriet and Matt are locking horns. And it’s an absolute lock that this episode isn’t going to be our favorite. (Even though we love Cal. He’s great.) Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

When the going gets tough, the tough name their episodes after days of the week. In “Monday”, Jordan’s dealing with multiple difficult humans — among them Danny and a newly-hired mean girl who heads up reality programming. Jack goes to a concert to enlist the help of our pal Zhang. Darius and Sim start a fight. And Tom pursues Lucy, because this show sometimes has more drama than the reality shows...

No one has more Christmas spirit than Matt and - and he’s Jewish. Danny is joining Jordan at the obstetrician, and it only gets weirder. Harriet gets a movie… And also maybe love interest? Oh, and Simon and Tom are there, but not for any good reason. From that description you make think we didn’t like this episode, but you’d be surprised! Find out in this brand new episode of Sorkin’ In It. Lex Fr...

Too many butts. Not enough funny jokes. Still pretty good? Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

Ricky and Ron are closing a deal with Fox for “Peripheral Vision Man”; and ironically, Matt gives them some side-eye about it. Meanwhile, Harriet’s contemplating posing for pictures in her underwear, which we suppose beats posing for pictures in someone ELSE’s underwear. Jordan needs Danny to make some cuts, Danny warns Jordan her job is in danger, and boy, we’re hungry for a Snickers. No reason....

Nevada Day Part 1 defied our expectations… which meant we got our hopes up for Nevada Day Part 2. Will the light mix of casual homophobia, causal racism, and heavy belief beggaring win us over this time around? Or will we find more joy in discussing the correct pronunciation of Nevada? At least Lex has Brian, and Brian has Lex. And you’ve got both of us. Join us: We’re Sorkin’ In It together. Lex...

Uh oh. It’s the Nevada episode. This is the one Lex was worried about before he and Brian started rewatching Studio 60. And it’s the first half of a two parter. But… maybe it wasn’t as bad as Lex remembered? It has John Goodman. It has time travel storytelling. How bad could it be? Only way to find out? Start Sorkin’ in it. Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

In this episode, we discuss “The Wrap Party,” a Studio 60 episode that certainly exists in our timeline. Things happen! For example, an old guy wanders into the studio. Matt and Sim go clubbing, sort of. Jordan tries to make friends. Listen, we’re still absolutely enjoying Studio 60, and we’re having plenty of fun chatting about it, but this episode doesn’t make our top 10 list so far. That’s ok!...

Lauren Graham hosts Studio 60 (but we barely see her). Christine Lahti plays a reporter and we see more of her (a Lahti of her? Is that a thing?). We get a lot of Matt/Harriet star-crossed romance (yawn). But we do get a lotta lute (which is fun to say, try it!). Meanwhile Jordan passes on a surefire hit, and we’re still shipping her and Danny (the kids still call it shipping, right?). Anyway, it’...

Oh no! Studio 60 stole a joke, and now they have to break in LIVE to the west coast’s rebroadcast to cut that joke. Because that makes sense. Okay, okay, it doesn’t make sense. Meanwhile, Harriet gives Matt a gift that drives him batty, and we meat a new character — a reporter played by Christine Lahti, who knows how to push Matt and Danny’s buttons. (It involves buttons.) Lex Friedman and Brian W...

We don’t subject this podcast to a focus group, because we already know we’re doing everything perfectly. This episode of Studio 60 takes us deep backstage for writing and rehearsing an episode of the show within a show. Ricky and Ron are in maximum jerk mode. There’s pressure on Jordan and the show not to lose many viewers from last week. And there’s other Jordan drama that’s totally unnecessary....

If you’ve been thinking that this podcast needs more choir robes and Phil Donahue jokes, then boy oh boy are you in luck! Lex and Brian are back, covering Episode 2 of Studio 60, “The Cold Open”, which feels very much like a part 2 of the Pilot. Matt battles writer’s block until inspiration strikes him. Perhaps it should have struck him harder? Grab your local philharmonic, warm up your singing vo...

We survived The Newsroom. Will Studio 60 be better, worse, or just… different? The only way to find out is to dive into the pilot episode, cleverly titled “Pilot.” Let’s meet new characters! Let’s meet old Sorkin friends — and names! Let’s debate Sorkin tropes! Live from Hollywood, it’s the new season of Sorkin’ In It. Lex Friedman and Brian Warren.

It’s Studio 60 time! Now that our coverage of The Newsroom is done, you may find yourself experiencing new feelings you’ve never had before. Sadness. Grief. Elation. Relief. But we hope you also feel eager anticipation about what’s ahead. And what is that you may ask? For Season 3, Lex and Brian are covering Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. It’s a show about a show. Imagine that! Episode one comes o...