The Newsroom

[Alf]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC8ovJYAU3U

Looks cracking.

I love HBO and I love Sorkin. If this is half as good as the west wing then It'll be brilliant.

[TimeSplitter]

It looks like "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" meets cable news. I'm in.

[Big]

Fellow television snobs, we have an amazing show on HBO.

Did anyone watch this gem tonight? Emmy's should be in this show' future if it remains consistent throughout the season.

It comes from Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing, The Social Network, Moneyball) and is about the behind-the-scenes events at a fictional news channel that features Jeff Daniels as a news anchor and Sam Waterson as the President of the network. I'm really pumped up for this show, Daniels and Waterson were fantastic.

[Mik]

It's funny I've heard the critics ripping this to shreds. Wonder whether audiences will think differently.

[Judas Iscariot]

When it was good it was fantastic. When it wasn't I found myself going, "For fuck's sake, how much longer is this?"

All in all I'll check it out next week. Lots of pretentious, unnatural bullshit with the dialogue, so the critics were right with that.

Of course you can't draw any sort of conclusion with the first episode of an HBO show since they're all slow builds , so we'll see.

The opening thing with the college students was fucking fantastic.

Neat swerve at the end, if contrived.

[TimeSplitter]

I thought it was damn good. A mixture of West Wing and Sports Night/Studio 60.

I will agree that parts of it were long, but that might just need to be sorted out after a few episodes. Also, the longer a Sorkin script is, the more literary references are made. Be prepared.

[McBain]

I've had expectations lowered slightly by the pounding it's been getting, but still very much looking forward to checking this out. The West Wing is one of my all-time favourite shows (re-watching it currently as it happens) and was gutted Studio 60 got canned.

[Mik]

I think a lot of critics have the knives out already for Sorkin. He does write the same way every time though.

[Miotch]

I enjoyed it thoroughly. Studio 60 was basically Sorkin sucking his own asshole, and while I wanted to love it I just didn't. This, on the other hand, at least seems to have a point about it, and I thought Daniels was great. I think that as long as it doesn't become the exact same show every week and there's a good overall story progression it could end up being up there with The West Wing when it's all said and done.

[Rancid_Planet]

I watched and I loved it. I cannot wait to see next week's episode. The gradual dumbing down of America and the tripe that passes for news these days is of great interest to me so the show had me just based on it's premise. Jeff Daniels was also so amazing in just this one episode that he already deserves an Emmy. He's got more layers than an onion in this program. We saw him be cute and clever, outraged, hurt, defensive, defiant, oblivious, uncaring, full of regret, act like a bully then apologetic all within a 60 minute timeframe.

Just outstanding!

[Mik]

He deserves an Emmy for the first episode of a series? Over all the other actors in television shows out there? Off that one episode?

[Big]

Off one episode? No. However if we see this show to be consistently good, I don't see why he couldn't nab a nomination. Friday Night Lights & House are gone so there are some spots open I believe.
On the contrary, if the show goes in a different direction and becomes overly silly I don't think we'll see it get awards because of a really good pilot.

[Delta Devil]

Wasn't my cup of tea. The dialogue was horrendous and had me loopy every time the camera switched to a different shot once a character began their first syllable. Thought the acting was bad ... BAD. But Mr. Daniels was indeed gold during the beginning.

[McBain]

Yeah I wasn't blown away by it, the second half caught my attention though so I'll stick with it for now.

Daniels was brilliant, as was the Scottish bird pretending to be American but raised in England (!).

Didn't feel anything for the other characters though, except maybe the nerd who is going to bang that ginger idiot. I felt the dialogue was a bit too shouty and quick, and the whole thing came off as rushed and a bit ham-fisted in all honesty. They did redeem for the "coming of age" newscast, but they can't do that every week so will be interesting to see if it settles down a tad.

[Seanny One Ball]

This has been my introduction to Sorkin and I've loved every minute of it.

Sam Waterston is a consistent highlight in every episode, I love that guy.

[Seanny One Ball]

They're all a bunch of pussified pussies!

What an ending to the season, I'm starting to get a huge crush on Emily Mortimer.

Looked like the gossip columnist was gonna turn out to be the death-threat troll at the end there but then she deleted the stolen message. Class.

I can't wait for next season, I hope they keep Terry Crews in it. I love that guy.

[McBain]

I used to have a huge crush on her but this show pretty much extinguished that. All she just is scream and her neutoricism seems so forced.

I still watch it but it's pulled down by the huge amount of cringe-worthy moments. Thank god for Daniels.

[Seanny One Ball]

I just know that I watch it religiously every Tuesday night after work on my Sky Plus.

I love it mate but if there's anything that sticks in my craw or annoys me it's Alison Pill's character.
Jim is alright but she's demented and thoroughly unbelievable.

I do not like her in this.

[McBain]

Is that the half inept half "brilliant" 12 year old with the big face?

[Fro]

I just finished up the first season. It's so close to being an amazing show and yet so far.


Lots of pretentious, unnatural bullshit with the dialogue

Pretty much sums it up. I love the set up of the show, how they use real dates in time with real news stories. I love the story of News Night trying to break away from the bullshit of American TV and produce a quality news program and balancing it against ratings and bottom line bosses. I don't even mind the liberal agenda spewed by the main character, because I actually agree with most of it. But it's like Sorkin is just completely off the leash with the dialogue and the result is some of the most cringe-worthy, unrealistic conversations ever. I think this is particularly true with the characters Maggie and Don. Beyond the dialogue, there's also some plot points that fall more towards sitcom than drama. I'm fine with there being humor in the show but Will eating pot cookies and getting high before going on the air or Maggie accidentally sending out personal texts to the whole company just make me shake my head in disbelief. I was so close to giving up on this show around the middle of episode 2 but I decided to stick it out because there is a lot of good stuff in there as well. Overall it's something I can enjoy but parts of it frustrate me to no end.

[Fro]

I don't think I've ever hated a show so much yet kept watching. I'm a few episodes behind but I'm trudging through season 2.

It's really awful but I can't bring myself to jump ship.

[StevieV]

I really enjoyed the first season of this. Looking forward to catching it on sky Atlantic soon.

It is a bit cringey at times but I really enjoy the use of real world news events.

[Morrison]

i think calling it 'really awful' is a bit much.

[Fro]

Granted.

If it was really awful I wouldn't be watching anymore. There's a lot of good in it but I find it hard to sit through a full 50 minute episode in 1 sitting because of all the ridiculous dialogue and stupid characters. Maggie is awful, just ridiculously stupid and annoying. Jim pisses me off too, being all smug and quippy on the Romney tour. They're no Jim and Pam, that's for sure. Olivia Munn is all sorts of sexy but she's written like a character from The Big Bang Theory.

On a positive note, the part where Will pwns that chick from Occupy Wall Street on the air was awesome.

[Miotch]

I actually think this season has been far and away better than the first.

Maggie Jordan is the worst thing about the show, and I don't completely hate her anymore.

[McBain]

I've given up on it. There's always been one or two good things about the show, but 3 episodes into the new season I realised I was bored most of the time.

Sorkin managing to be smug with hindsight is what gets to me the most, especially the "I told you so" stuff about Occupy Wall Street.

[Seanny One Ball]

I don't have Sky in my new house so I'll be fucked for watching this.

Alison Pill needs killing off.

Her and Shelley Duvall are tied for worst and ugliest actresses of all time.

[McBain]

Her face is HUGE isn't it.

[Seanny One Ball]

It's fucking ugly is what it is.

She nearly ruined The Goon for me.

[TimeSplitter]

I loved the first season of this show. Season two has been draining to watch, though.

[son_of_foley]

I like Olivia Munn a lot

[Fro]

Ok ok, I finished season 2 and I have to say, it did bring me back on board. The second half of season 2 was better, and the finale was quality.

[Atty]

I went through this series recently. Hammered through the first season on DVD and then season two all in a row. The end of 2 was great, particularly the finale as Fro mentioned, though I doubt I would have made it through had I been watching as it was on. Early on was very slow in season two and if I didn't have the next episode sitting right there, I'd have moved on.

Really enjoyed season one, but that again was benefited by firing through in quick order. There's a bit too much that feels like Sorkin is stealing from himself and stuff from The West Wing. My main critique, however, would be episode length. A full hour is just too long for such a talking heavy show. Were the episodes clocking in around 40:00 minutes, like Mad Men/Breaking Bad, I think the show would move a better pace.

[TimeSplitter]

Aaron Sorkin's whole career has been using different scenario's/lines of dialogue that he has used in other series.

[Fro]

Damn... Sorkin knocked the ending out of the park. Season 3, especially the last few episodes, was the strongest run of the whole show and tended not to let cringeworthy dialogue overtake the excellent story writing. This show definitely tested my patience and actually had me swearing it off a few times but I'm glad I stuck with it. Bravo.

[Rali]

Yep, show ended well. I'm glad they didn't drag out the season for a whole 10 episodes. Would have been a bit much.