The Newsroom - Season 1 thread [edited title]

[Chefguy]

Anybody plan to watch this? Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterson, Emily Mortimer, Olivia Munn and others.

[Lamar Mundane]

I'll be watching it for sure. It looks great to me. It seems to be in fashion to bash Aaron Sorkin of late. There was an endless amount of backlash to "Studio 60" for vague reasons. Lots of people complained that the comedy bits weren't very funny - well, that's because it wasn't a comedy, it was a drama about the making of a comedy show! He then follows that up by winning an Academy Award for The Social Network, a drama about Facebook. Facebook!

I've already read a couple of reviews that have that same vague criticisms - nothing specific, just that it's too Sorkin-y. In my book, that's a good thing. I suspect that I'll really like it, and most other people will bash it.

[hajario]

Any new HBO series, especially a drama will get a chance from me. I will be watching.

[Khadaji]

I would try it, if I had HBO, I think.

[Sir T-Cups]

I'm mad I'm gonna miss it.

It's getting pretty bad reviews, but I agree with the 2nd place OP in that it's just chic to bash Sorkin for being Sorkin.

Yeah it'll be wordy and preachy...but everything he does is. I don't have HBO so I'm mad I'll miss it because Sorkin is my friggin hero

[Simplicio]

How many successful TV workplace dramas are there that aren't set in 1) law enforcement or 2) hospitals? The only one I can think of is Mad Men, but that has the advantage of being a historical drama, so they can go send the characters to Woodstock or whatever if the ad agency stuff gets boring.

I'm kinda skeptical a straight up workplace drama in a place that doesn't have regular "life and death" type stuff as part of the job description has enough possibilities to keep it going for very long.

(I guess there's the West Wing, but the Whitehouse isn't really a "workplace" IMHO).

[AuntiePam]

It'd be nice to have something to watch on Sunday nights again, but I hated Studio 60. Liked Sports Night. Never watched West Wing.

Is there anything to say about the state of cable news shows that hasn't been said?

[Oakminster]

The Druidess wants to see it, so I've set the DVR to record it.

[Tangent]

Ooh, thanks for the reminder--I definitely want to check this out. The casting looks great.

[Marley23]

I've been looking forward to it primarily for the Sam Waterston factor and I did think the writing in The Social Network was great, but based on the look of it and some of the reviews I'm worried it'll be pompous and boring. It's one thing to criticize the state of journalism (haven't we all?), but that doesn't mean a series about same is going to have something informed and useful to say. I hope this one does.

[silenus]

It's already on the Tivo "To Do" list.

[TonySinclair]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

Anybody plan to watch this? Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterson, Emily Mortimer, Olivia Munn and others.

You had me at Olivia Munn.

[Tangent]

Yeah, I'm very curious to see how well Munn does in this. I liked her a lot on Attack of the Show, but I thought she was awful on The Daily Show. I actually liked the short-lived (pronounced with a short 'i' ) sitcom she was on last year, Perfect Couples, where she played a kinda bitchy character.

[Chefguy]

Originally Posted by Tangent

Yeah, I'm very curious to see how well Munn does in this. I liked her a lot on Attack of the Show, but I thought she was awful on The Daily Show. I actually liked the short-lived (pronounced with a short 'i' ) sitcom she was on last year, Perfect Couples, where she played a kinda bitchy character.

Hated her bits on TDS. Anything would be a step up, I'm thinking. Especially if she sheds her kit.

[Zeldar]

I'll watch it. I keep hoping HBO can climb back to where it was in the late 90's. We still subscribe, and to Showtime, but months go by when we rarely watch either and then it may be the On Demand slate.

It could be a fun poll to see how Dopers feel/felt about the premium networks' original series. I'd be blown away if The Sopranos or The Wire were not in the top 5.

[Justin_Bailey]

Originally Posted by Lamar Mundane

I'll be watching it for sure. It looks great to me. It seems to be in fashion to bash Aaron Sorkin of late. There was an endless amount of backlash to "Studio 60" for vague reasons.

Those vague reasons were "It sucked!" and "Oh my god did it suck!" Studio 60 was a terrible show that followed along from an actually pretty amazing pilot, which is just hard to believe.

That said, I loved The Social Network (even though it pushed "based on a true story" to the breaking point) and Sports Night is one of my favorite shows ever. So I'm definitely going to give this a shot. Especially with Jeff Daniels and Sam Waterston involved.

[Chefguy]

Bit of a rocky start, and fairly verbose. Still, the characters have some legs and I'll tune in next week to see if it smooths out.

[Gangster Octopus]

I'll keep watching, but they have to cut down on the preachiness, pretty please.

[Typo Negative]

Although it is the same old ground for Sorkin, I still liked it. I love his rapid-fire dialogue.

I will keep watching.

[Krokodil]

The West Wing didn't really flower until a few episodes in, so I hope people give this show a chance. I was hoping to see some of Sorkin's stock players get involved, like Brad Whitford or Allison Janney.

[wonderlust]

I thought it was great, and it emphasizes what I consider the most dangerous problem in America today: a poorly- or under-informed electorate.

[Lamar Mundane]

I'll take good writing anytime I can get it. I think a large reason for the "mean girls" negative press is because he is attacking their turf - news organizations. A lot of the criticism is really petty - "did you see the guy editing the story with a dub machine? Everyone knows you do that with a plynth meter! What an idiot!"

Was it said that McAvoy spent two weeks in St. Croix with Erin Andrews? That part really threw me. I don't think the early-to-mid 30's Erin Andrews is really that interested in late 50's news anchors. She dates movie and sports stars. Did I hear that part right?

[thwartme]

Good, with about fifteen minutes of awesome.

The Will/Mackenzie 'Omigod, you can't hire her, what about our vaguely disastrous past' bit - anyone else reminded of Josh and Mandy on 'West Wing'?

Thanks,
thwartme

[standingwave]

Rule #1 for peddling addictive substances: The first bag's free: http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/tv/tvgui...ee-3661281.php

I enjoyed it and find it amusing that the blogosphere and the media are generally panning it. In the interest of full disclosure, I'm an unapologetic fan of Sorkin's writing: A Few Good Men, American President, Sports Night, West Wing, Social Network, etc. Critics like to complain that people don't talk like that in real life. Well, isn't that the point? If I wanted to watch real life I'd go stand on a street corner. I like that his works feel like they're produced for the stage.

[randwill]

I loved it despite a few cringe-inducing moments like, "Seriously? I have a blog?!" which seemed a little too theatrical.

I thought all of Sam Waterston's scenes made it more than worth the price of admission, but he was especially hilarious in the restaurant with Daniels. Although that scene, too, ended with a bit of a clunk.

[Bryan Ekers]

I can only hope the Jeff Daniels character can eventually come to terms with how great he is.

[J Cubed]

Originally Posted by Chefguy

Still, the characters have some legs...

Well, yeah, they have to be able to walk while they talk!

[Omniscient]

I thought it was top-to-bottom awesome. I was riveted. I admit to being a Sorkin junkie and rate West Wing as one of the most enjoyable shows ever, but I think this show brought more to the table than just his dialogue and pacing. Plus it didn't hurt that the overall conceit of the show is one that I emphatically agree with. My biggest complaint was with the all-to cliched love stories they beat us over the head with out of the gate. It felt like a big concession to the focus groups and is out of character for Sorkin, especially a show that's got this much real meat to chew on without taking those obvious paths. The star crossed lovers/office romance angles could have been allowed to evolve slowly over time, in this it instead was set up on a predictable tee.

Still, I'll be in next week and probably through the rest of the season. I don't fully understand where all the criticism (I haven't read it personally) comes from, it's a really well made show and was well acted, but I suppose a inside baseball type show is naturally going to catch heat from people who know it all. Like a sports movie gets picked apart by athletes I suppose. Plus the subject matter was really familiar in that it was clearly snatched, quite literally, from the headlines so perhaps it could seem to lack originality.

[MaxTheVool]

I enjoyed it thoroughly, although it was maybe 5% too preachy. Will definitely be watching.

One question: does anyone know if the various pieces of information they gathered together about the deepwater horizon on the very day it exploded could possibly have all actually been known that quickly, even assuming a perfect storm of journalistic luck? Were people at BP having meetings that very same day to discuss how to plug the leak?

[jsc1953]

Originally Posted by MaxTheVool

Were people at BP having meetings that very same day to discuss how to plug the leak?

I damn well hope they were; what was the alternative: "Let's see if it heals itself"? Even if they were devious and corrupt and incompetent, you have to think that a massive explosion and oil leak is going to cause immediate alarm bells and all-hands-on-deck status at HQ.

ETA: I'm a Sorkin junkie (except for Studio 60), and I loved the show. He's baaack.

[DMark]

I thought it was great.
My cousins, visiting from Illinois, watched it with me - now they are going home to subscribe to HBO to continue to watch this series - so at least at our house, the show was a hit.

[MaxTheVool]

Originally Posted by jsc1953

I damn well hope they were; what was the alternative: "Let's see if it heals itself"? Even if they were devious and corrupt and incompetent, you have to think that a massive explosion and oil leak is going to cause immediate alarm bells and all-hands-on-deck status at HQ.

But my question is whether in fact people at BP (and remember, there were lots of different corporations involved... the well itself, as I recall, was run by another smaller company contracted by BP, etc.) already knew for certain something like 3 hours after the explosion that there WAS a leak, etc. etc. I felt like things were being compressed for purposes of artistic license...

[jsc1953]

Originally Posted by MaxTheVool

But my question is whether in fact people at BP (and remember, there were lots of different corporations involved... the well itself, as I recall, was run by another smaller company contracted by BP, etc.) already knew for certain something like 3 hours after the explosion that there WAS a leak, etc. etc. I felt like things were being compressed for purposes of artistic license...

That's certainly true. It felt like Jim's sources were texting him the meeting minutes while the meetings were in progress.

[Bryan Ekers]

Originally Posted by MaxTheVool

One question: does anyone know if the various pieces of information they gathered together about the deepwater horizon on the very day it exploded could possibly have all actually been known that quickly, even assuming a perfect storm of journalistic luck?

I'll watch the second episode, to be sure, but I have misgivings about this sort of thing. Through contrivances and hindsight, the characters can jump all over a story that we know was one of the biggest of 2010. That doesn't signal journalistic skill to me - any more than a movie character who can draw a Royal Flush at the critical moment indicates poker skill.

[randwill]

Originally Posted by MaxTheVool

But my question is whether in fact people at BP (and remember, there were lots of different corporations involved... the well itself, as I recall, was run by another smaller company contracted by BP, etc.) already knew for certain something like 3 hours after the explosion that there WAS a leak, etc. etc. I felt like things were being compressed for purposes of artistic license...

Oh for sure. Lots of things in this episode, and in TV and movies in general, were depicted as happening unrealistically quickly. It's a necessary evil.

Did anyone else get the feeling that this episode owed a debt to the movie "Broadcast News"?

[John Mace]

I didn't care for it much. Watching a bunch of stressed out, self-important people is not that much fun. And the inter-office romance angle is sooooo cliche. I'm a guy, and not much of a feminist, but I thought they love-sick way they portrayed the new female EP was kind of pathetic. Most of the characters seemed cartoonish. Even Sam Waterston, who I generally like, grated on my nerves with his Mad Men like drinking and oh-so-wise presence.

[jsc1953]

Originally Posted by John Mace

I didn't care for it much. Watching a bunch of stressed out, self-important people is not that much fun. And the inter-office romance angle is sooooo cliche. I'm a guy, and not much of a feminist, but I thought they love-sick way they portrayed the new female EP was kind of pathetic. Most of the characters seemed cartoonish. Even Sam Waterston, who I generally like, grated on my nerves with his Mad Men like drinking and oh-so-wise presence.

Actually, it now seems like a copy of SportsNight, but with hard news instead of sports. We even have scenes inside the control room -- a SportsNight staple.

Sam Waterston = Robert Guillaume
Will & Mackenzie = Casey & Dana
Jim & Maggie = Natalie & Jeremy

[Gangster Octopus]

Sorkin sure knows that if something works Keep using it.

[wonderlust]

I like that they used a recent-past timeframe. That guarantees that there will be an infinite supply of material if the series continues for years.

[Taomist]

Thank you for sharing that it's available on the web, because now I am hooked. Worth it for Waterston alone!

[thwartme]

Originally Posted by Gangster Octopus

Sorkin sure knows that if something works Keep using it.

That's hilarious.

[Taomist]

Originally Posted by thwartme

That's hilarious.

Yes it was, and I'm not even a Sorkin fan.

I did think the use of the song 'Thank you Falletin me be myself' was a good choice.
Then I wondered why it moved into Mony Mony.
Then I wondered why the hell I had my own music going in the background and hadn't noticed.

[drastic_quench]

Originally Posted by randwill

Oh for sure. Lots of things in this episode, and in TV and movies in general, were depicted as happening unrealistically quickly. It's a necessary evil.

Did anyone else get the feeling that this episode owed a debt to the movie "Broadcast News"?

Yes. One of my favorites.

John Gallagher (plays Jim) reminds me closely of Aidan Gillen (the white mayor on The Wire and Littlefinger on GoT).

[jsc1953]

Originally Posted by Gangster Octopus

Sorkin sure knows that if something works Keep using it.

What's the Alec Baldwin movie?

[thwartme]

Originally Posted by jsc1953

What's the Alec Baldwin movie?

Malice.

[ftg]

We weren't in a hurry to watch it because of the reviews, but we liked it quite a lot.

Yeah, there was that one part with Mortimer and Daniels in his office that went on and on, but things ended up moving quite quickly by the end. Nice change of pace. Will watch again.

No Olivia Munn. Judgment withheld there.

Would an exec like Waterston have known about Twitter in 2010?

Love the blog dig. Who was it, Katie Couric, that had a blog that she wasn't writing herself?

What was with McCain on the screens in the background all the time?

[Meltdown]

I wonder if they did themselves a disservice by setting this show in the "real" world, and in 2010. Part of the tension the characters felt was not knowing if the BP story was going to pan out -- but of course we all knew it would, so we weren't feeling the same tension. With "The West Wing," it was a slightly tweaked version of the real world, so we, along with the characters, never knew how the issue of the week would be resolved, until it was.

I'll reserve judgment -- after all it's only been one episode, and they may not lean on real-life events as major story points that often.

[Tangent]

I liked it. The snappy dialogue sounds a bit forced at times, but I was interested all the way through.

[John Mace]

Originally Posted by Gangster Octopus

Sorkin sure knows that if something works Keep using it.

That was fucking hilarious! Thanks for sharing.

[foolsguinea]

I just saw it on YouTube. I'm glad to see Sorkin in his wheelhouse. I wondered about McAvoy's vision of his ex at the beginning, glad they explained that as they did.