I feel like lightning will strike when I say this out loud
I liked The Newsroom.
I am not one of those people who love to be counterculture, I’m not trying to be different. I just liked it. I thought it was a good hour of TV.
*The problems I had with the show were not with the writing. I think it was a classic Aaron Sorkin script, inspiring us all to be our better selves using characters who are smarter than we could ever be.
*My main complaint was the director, Greg Mottola. Thomas Schlamme has directed most Aaron Sorkin TV shows and has a perhaps learned, perhaps innate understanding of how to make that dialogue work in a scene. Mottola created a lot of awkward pauses and moments that interrupted the flow.
*I thought Jeff Daniels was outstanding, born to play this part. It will not redeem my lifelong hatred of him (based on his character in Terms of Endearment,) but this character isn’t supposed to be likeable. He’s like Jed Bartlett on his worst day.
*Sam Waterston was slurring his words in a way that just distracted and confused me. Is he sick or supposed to be slightly drunk all the time? (Robert Guillaume had a stroke while filming Sorkin’s Sports Night and thereafter had some trouble with his speech. As far as I know this is a character choice, not a problem with the actor’s health.)
*My favorite moment was during the news broadcast when the oil spokesperson said, “our thoughts and prayers are with the victims” and Will McAvoy quickly countered, “No one’s thoughts and prayers are with the fire.”
If this show is going to blow up ridiculous cliches, call the national media to do a better job, and ask you and me to be better informed, and do all of it in such an entertaining, well-acted way…I’m all in. I can use a little speechifying in my life. It will make me do better and be better. And that’s pretty impressive for an hour of HBO.
- Jen
June 28th, 2012 at 9:16 am
OK good. I enjoyed it too. I was riveted the whole hour, enjoyed the power play between various characters, both hated and loved Jeff Daniels (he was great), and thought it was interesting to see a news show behind the scenes. A LOT of work! I even got teary-eyed. So I’ll tune in again.
June 28th, 2012 at 3:53 pm
I really liked the show and enjoyed the opening speech quite a bit. I also have a long standing hatred of Jeff Daniels that stems from Terms of Endearment so I get where you are coming from. I have to say, he grew on me over the hour I was watching.
I think this will be a good addition to my Sunday night lineup.
June 28th, 2012 at 5:36 pm
Lightning hasn’t struck. Whew! Amen to that! I really liked it too and wondered what a real-life producer would say about the show. Can this show really devolve into crap? No way! Jeff Daniels will be great.
June 28th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
I also enjoyed the show & was surprised Luke didn’t. I tuned in because of Jeff Daniels, wanted to see him from the jerk husband in Terms Of Endearment, as you mentioned to Dumb & Dumber. I thought he looked great & liked him in this new role. Jen, have you seen the show Boss on Starz? I don’t know anyone that has, I love it! Have a good weekend!
June 29th, 2012 at 10:01 am
I ran into a scene from The Newsroom being filmed one night while visiting NYC. It was very exciting for my small town grandma and my Korean stepdad who somehow ended up eating churros with the crew at craft services. That is why I watched the first episode. I added it to my Sunday lineup because it’s smart, funny, well written TV. I have always loved the ‘behind the scenes’ shows, watching what we aren’t supposed to see. Can we all agree that the program directors at HBO are pure genius?
June 29th, 2012 at 2:52 pm
i liked it too. but i also really liked the 1st episode of Studio 60 and it didn’t take long for that show to devolve into a barely watchable mess.
June 29th, 2012 at 11:40 pm
I loved it too. But I have no ties to journalism. I do have ties to food service and everyone thinks I should love IronmanChef X or any of those food competitions shows with screaming Chefs. I live that every day and have no interest in being “entertained” by some fictional/reality-scripted account of it. I think anyone whose job it is to write about this show is being honest about hating it… because it’s like being required to watch your “work”. TV is about entertainment… not about reliving your day job… no matter how much you love it. If I was in the biz, big thumbs down. Lucky for me, I am not… BIG THUMBS UP!
June 30th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
I also enjoyed the Jesse Eisenberg cameo.