Danny Tripp

This article contains summaries of characters appearing on the TV series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

List of cast members, left to right (as seen in the image):

Danny Tripp (Bradley Whitford) is a producer who takes over show-running duties with Matt Albie, his long-time friend, and who worked on the show four years prior, before leaving with Matt over disagreements with network executives. In the pilot, it is revealed that he has a history of alcoholism and drug problems, specifically with cocaine, and recently suffered a relapse after 11 years of sobriety. Danny has to complete 18 months of clean drug tests to pass completion bonds as a film director; while this information was confidential, Jordan McDeere discovers this via a personal contact and offers Danny a two-year contract of convenience on Studio 60 - "...this way, it works out for everybody". He is twice-divorced. Danny claims to be the smarter of the Matt and Danny duo, a contention Matt doesn't argue with.

Danny is apparently largely based on Aaron Sorkin's frequent collaborator and Studio 60 executive producer Thomas Schlamme, although Danny's drug relapse corresponds with Sorkin's personal history.

Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) is a former head writer for Studio 60 who in the show's pilot episode, is asked to return when executive producer Wes Mendell is fired. With Danny, Matt has gone from strength to strength, with the pair going onto films and Matt even winning a Writer's Guild Award on the night featured in the pilot. It is because of his loyalty to his friend and his history with Studio 60 that Matt accepts the position back on the show. This also puts him in an awkward position; he has recently ended a relationship with Studio 60 star Harriet Hayes, for whom he still holds strong personal feelings. Despite his Jewish heritage, he is an atheist and has liberal political leanings, which causes tension between him and Harriet. In "The West Coast Delay", it is revealed that he was forced out of the show originally for supporting talk show host Bill Maher in the light of comments that Maher made following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

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