A couple of weeks ago I was ready to dump Studio 60. It was The Wrap Party that did me in, because for me it was nothing more than a writers’ wank, an excuse to force a history lesson down our throats. To be frank, it pissed me off that Sorkin had the nerve.

But Nevada Day redeems the show. Sorkin was credited with the teleplay, but Mark McKinney got the story credit. The fact that some of the funny stuff in the episode was actually funny should not be considered a coincidence, as it was reportedly why Sorkin hired McKinney.

At the Geminis last week, McKinney mentioned that he had just spent the previous week shooting an episode, in front of the camera, playing a writer. That means: 1) the show is still in production and has not been cancelled, 2) the show is bound to get funnier, and with the addition of McKinney, even better.

Nevada Day does what Sorkin did so perfectly on Sports Night: illuminate the characters by putting them into weird circumstances together. It changes the dynamics between them and helps us to identify – or empathize – with them. It’s effective storytelling.

Now let’s get back to the behind-the-scenes stuff, if you please. I want to get inside that writers’ room again.