Studio 60: Crazy Christians 'Praying for the End of the World'

Aaron Sorkin upped the stakes this week in "Studio 60"'s jihad against non-casual Christians. And sadly, it's probably very realistic in its portrayal of how Hollywood views large segments of the American public.

In the premiere of this show about a show, the head of "Studio 60", played by Judd Hirsch, had an "I'm mad as hell" moment on the air and was canned, because the network standards guy wouldn't let him run a skit that mocked Christians. Even though television is rife with shows that mock Christians, and has been at least since the Church Lady first appeared on "Saturday Night Live".

This week Christians are represented by a reporter from "Rapture" magazine, that purportedly has "four times the circulation of Vanity Fair", who are all busy praying for the end of the world, when they aren't viciously suppressing the rights of television writers.

The twenty-something "NBS" president, played by Amanda Peete, angrily declares that these nutjobs aren't going to tell her what to put on "my air". Now here's a place where a clue might be in order for any "real" network execs. It's not "your air". It's the public's air, and you have been granted the privilege of using it. If you're airing things that cause large numbers of people to boycott your network...you might not be operating in the public interest.

Fortunately for the heroes of "Studio 60" the crazy Christians' influence is limited to uncool markets like Terre Haute, Indiana and Missoula, Montana. Unfortunately for the researchers of "Studio 60", Missoula is not exactly a conservative town. There were a few other embarrassing lapses in verisimilitude.

Sorkin's idea of making things up with any Christians who might take offense at being characterized as totally insane and terminally uncool was to have some of the show's characters participate in a prayer circle just before the live show airs. Well isn't that special. I'm sure that happens all the time in Hollywood studios.

Here's a proposal for Aaron: grow a pair and feature a skit about those "Mad, Mad Mullahs". Boycotts are one thing. Beheadings are another.