Monday, June 25, 2012

The Newsroom


I don’t review television shows on this blog, mostly because I really don’t watch (much) TV. I have a few stock shows that I’m dedicated to, but all of them air on HBO. So because I don’t watch TV, I don’t think it’s necessarily fair for me to review specific shows. There is very little context I can offer. The only show I’ve reviewed on this blog is Girls, because at the time, it needed as many advocates as it could get. And it’s for the same reason that I feel compelled to share my thoughts on the pilot episode of Aaron Sorkin’s could-be-brilliant The Newsroom.


On Friday evening, reviews started flooding in on Twitter about how bad The Newsroom was. It’s too idealistic, too safe, too Sorkin. Star Jeff Daniels was inappropriately cast, the banter was too sharp, the scene scenarios were unrealistic – basically, much like Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Newsroom was a serious miss. Problem is, I actually dug Studio 60. Sure, like Sorkin’s first series, Sports Night, once Studio 60 realized they were getting canceled, everyone involved completely phoned in their respective tasks, but at its heart, Studio 60 was an entertaining network dramedy. 

The point, in short, is that I felt The Newsroom deserved a shot. And after watching its first episode last night, it appears I was right.

The show tells the story of Will McAvoy, a popular television journalist who is an affable news presence on the bright side of the camera, and a complete asshole when he’s not on air. After shaking up a college Q&A with a heartfelt rant about the current state of America (which, you know, isn’t all that great, or so he argues), Will takes some time off, before coming back and finding his newsroom dismantled.
While he was away, Will’s boss, Charlie (Sam Waterson) hired Will’s ex, Mackenzie (Emily Mortimer) to be Will’s second in command. The two had a tumultuous falling out, and bringing Mackenzie back into the mix infuriates Will to no end. Despite this, when the story of an oil rig exploding off the coast of Louisiana breaks (the pilot takes place in August 2010), Will and his small, capable, fictional newsroom are the first and only ones to stick their balls out there by starting the blame game.

Now, because this is an Aaron Sorkin show, we expect a certain level of stylization to come with it. Sorkin’s characters talk fast. And furious. Their words (especially when spoken with HBO’s profanity-encouraged banter) fly off the screen. They are poignant, deliberate, repetitive and, if things are working as planned, oddly heartfelt. Unless, of course, they aren’t.

Look, Sorkin’s style is so deliberate, that it’s bound to be polarizing. It’s the same reason people whose movie opinions I respect think Quentin Tarantino is a hack, or Terrence Malick is a bore. I get why people don’t value Sorkin speak, but to say I dig it is to speak modestly. However, just because I like the way something is written doesn’t necessarily mean I like what is written.

And that’s where my few flaws with The Newsroom come into play. The hour and a half premiere was laced with mostly stellar sequences of verbal ratatat. Everything that came out of Alison Pill and Dev Patel’s mouths was reliable gold. The two play newsroom lackeys low on the totem pole, and they play them well. Likewise Emily Mortimer, who proves here that she’s as comfortable spitting Sorkin’s lines as she was David Mamet’s.
The flaw, it must be said, is in Daniels himself, who, occasionally, pushed a little too far. His delivery came off as forced, loud, and obnoxious in all the wrong ways. This was sparse, mind you, because for the most part, Daniels and Co. killed it. Case in point: there was a thrilling sequence in which Mortimer (in the control booth), told Will (who was interviewing someone on live television) which direction to take the questioning. It rivaled and simultaneously paid homage to James L. Brooks’ Broadcast News, which is a rather fine compliment.

Was The Newsroom perfect? No, it was not. But I challenge you to find a pilot episode that is (FX’s The Shield comes close). Pilots are typically shot months (or even a year) before the second episode is. If The Newsroom hits its stride (which, for the record, I think is going to happen), then it will hit it a few episodes from now. The Newsroom is arguably the most upfront Sorkinesque thing the man has written. For me, that’s enough of a selling point, for detractors, they’d be best to stay away. B+

Note: You can watch the first episode of The Newsroom on HBO for free here.

16 comments:

  1. Mostly agree with you here, Alex. Though I'd probably give it an A- because I wasn't too bothered by its minor (for me anyway) flaws. I'm just so thrilled to have Sorkin's words flying at me at rapid pace week after week. I, too, really liked Studio 60 (News Room, so far, is a step up though.) Still, will the show come close to the heights of WW and Sports Night (still his very best TV work, mind you)?

    I can't wait to find out!

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    1. Me either, and I really do think it deserves to be given a fair shot. I too think Sports Night was his best show, but granted, I only made it through one season of WW. Always been curious to watch the whole thing all the way through.

      Maybe...

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    2. The West Wing had some amazing moments scattered throughout its run. The first 3-4 seasons were fantastic. I still replay some scenes in my head. Epic, epic stuff. But it grew tiresome around season 5-6. So much, in fact, I couldn't bear it anymore (Sorkin was no longer involved at this point, and Sheen was barely present). I tuned out, skipped large chunks of episodes. I jumped back in full time midway into season 7 when I heard about John Spencer's death and I actually dug it. What Smits and Alda did there towards the end was pretty special.

      Glad you loved Sports Night, too. God, I miss that show. The banter between Dan and Casey was just pure awesome sauce.

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    3. Yeah, pretty much everything you said about West Wing is exactly what I've heard about it. I do think I'll go back watch all of it someday. There's no way I can keep my back turned on epic Sorkin. Thanks for all the info!

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  2. I'm with you, and hate judging shows based on the pilot episode alone. There's a massive amount of potential here, in my opinion, and even when the banter ran a little stagy and forced I found myself quite fascinated with the immediate progression of the characters. Once they got through the regime change lull and onto the oil spill, the cast seemed to hit their stride. Also: I thought the opening rant was dead on and -while perhaps a little over the top- very well delivered. We'll see.

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    1. That opening rant was bloody epic, and, dare we say, accurate. Daniels completely nailed it - the angst, the sly tone... it was a great way to start a show.

      We'll see indeed...

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  3. I really need to see this one. I'm watching so many shows right now I almost don't have time for movies anymore. I didn't even know Mortimer and Pill are in this one, that makes me even more excited. Great write up!

    Once I'm done with Luther and The Wire I will definetly watch Girls, your praise for it is the recommendation enough for me.

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    1. Ha nice. The Wire and Girls are both grade A+. Very different, but quite flawless.

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  4. Nice to see a positive review for this! I was skeptical about this show, but I'll definitely be checking out the first episode at least. Major props to HBO for streaming it free online.

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    1. Yeah that was really cool (and smart) of HBO to do that. Decent pilot episode... show has a lot of potential.

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  5. I haven't even heard of this but I want to see it now. I like Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer. It'll be a while before this is available to rent though, bummer.

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    1. Yeah it will take a long while before it hits DVD. I bet you could find it online with some digging though. HBO made the first episode available for free. So that's a start!

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  6. I saw it today and I loved it- the script, the fast talk, the breaking of the oil leak and the development of characters, everything worked. I thought the dialogue and the lines were great and I get why you said Daniels pushed it too far, now that i think of it, you may be right!

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    1. Nice, glad you dug it. Apparently people are hating the second episode (the one that aired last night). I haven't seen it yet, but we shall see!

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  7. A large part of Sorkin's attraction is his obvious discomfort at the "Wonderful, flawless America" brigade. As a UK viewer, it comes as blessed relief from the often gung-ho output which is prevalent from other US writers.
    West Wing is probably my favourite series. Smart, witty and educational (at least to a Brit).
    I haven't seen Newsroom yet, but I'm giddy with excitement. The criticism of it seems to be politically or personally motivated quite often. This is encouraging! Can't wait.
    Sports Night is new to me so thanks for making me aware of it.

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    1. Thanks so much for your comment, Steve, I love getting foreign opinions on material that is SO American.

      I've only seen the first season of The West Wing, and what I saw, I loved. Sports Night definitely remains my favorite Sorkin show though.

      I really do hope you like The Newsroom, but man, I'd me remiss if I didn't tell you that I've given up on the show. It really really dropped off in the middle of the season. Just completely tanked. Shame, because I was rooting for it, but, yeah... bummer.

      Either way, thanks again for commenting man.

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