Robert Bianco in USA Today had an angle that resonated with me: You could write volumes trying to explain why a show with as many virtues as Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom, which ends its first season Sunday (HBO, 9 ET/PT), is such a maddening, and ultimately unsatisfying, viewing experience, even for those of us who like it.
But if you're seeking a central problem (beyond the overly screwballish way Sorkin is handling the personal stories), try that he's making the same mistake he made with Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip: He's forcing us to accept the characters' view that everything they do is of earth-shattering importance. That unrelenting high-stakes approach worked in The West Wing, because almost every action taken there did literally impact millions. But it doesn't work here, despite whatever collective power journalists may have, because the characters in Newsroom don't run "The Media." They work on one hour-long show on one cable network, and their ability to move mountains is minimal. It's fine for them to think the weight of the world in on their shoulders; at one time or another, almost of all of us do. But the show has to stop asking us to agree with them. On Sat, Aug 25, 2012 at 10:03 PM, Steve Timko <[email protected]> wrote: > I saw the clip where Jeff Daniels says the United States isn't the greatest > country and it seemed such a cliche and so contrived I think it has turned > me off from ever wanting to watch the show. > > -- > TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "TV or Not TV" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
