<p>Well, I’m hooked but it’s difficult not to hate the way they are able to perfectly deliver the news with benefit of 20/20 hindsight.
I also think they are a little heavy-handed with all the nobility of the male characters and a fair amount of ditziness for all the female characters…although I reserve judgement on Jane Fonda’s character.
PS can you imagine how insufferable Sorkin must be IRL??</p>
<p>I like the show, but…</p>
<ol>
<li>The romance needs to go. It takes up 60% of the show and it’s garbage.</li>
<li>The actual news part needs to take up the whole show, not the usual last five minutes.</li>
<li>The Don guy needs to go out in the field and die. He left the show like 5 episodes ago and he still hangs around and bosses people around like he matters anymore. Jesus I hate him.</li>
</ol>
<p>I love Jeff Daniels. I always enjoy Aaron Sorkin. The story lines aren’t quite as polished as West Wing and which I adored, so sometimes it feels like West Wing-lite but I’m enjoying it on Sunday nights.</p>
<p>Chenowith is not really a fundamentalist Christian seeing that she is a big gay rights/marriage supporter or so I read.</p>
<p>I also have a very big crush on her (my wife knows).</p>
<p>The Newsroom is very good.</p>
<p>I absolutely LOVE this show. I also loved the West Wing, so I’m not really surprised, but it just feels nice to actually feel intelligent while watching TV again. It’s so hard to find something on TV that’s not reality/sports/sitcom/romcom, and this is just great. The monologues have been great, and I find myself watching news and going “CUT OUT THE HUMAN INTEREST STORIES”</p>
<p>On a side note, if you have Twitter, follow @WillMcavoyACN and @drunkcharlieskinner. You will not be disappointed, especially with the latter. Jim Harper, Maggie, and pretty much all of the characters are on Twitter, and usually interact with both fans and the show itself.</p>
<p>I dropped out after the third episode–couldn’t bear the self righteousness and the portrayal of the two female leads as incompetents controlled by their emotions. Maybe I’ll drop back in after the timeline catches up to reality (maybe next season?) and everyone stops being so self-congratulatory about how fabulously the news show handles its reporting. Right now it’s nothing but Monday morning quarterbacking, and I find it awfully tiresome. Luckily, Breaking Bad’s new season is giving me an hour of high quality TV to enjoy on Sundays.</p>
<p>Funny, the self-righteous vibe did hit me more in the last episode. With Daniels character paying ransom out of pocket to secure the release of a reporter. Then that final scene where every single person in the room writes him a check for as much as they could afford. All while literally self-congratulating as they all applaud each other. It was a bit much. </p>
<p>Agree the show has a lot of promise, but its starting to lose me. Breaking Bad will always trump this show for us. We catch Newsroom later in the week on demand. </p>
<p>One other silly point. Whats with all the PDA in the office?! Are there any offices anymore where this happens?</p>
<p>Love the show, but we laughed during the final scene when everyone was putting a check on Daniels’ desk…who carries their checkbook with them anymore?</p>
<p>Inasmuch as the West Wing was a glorified and unapologetic liberal Hollywoodesque fantasy, it had its moments. especially because of a strong cast of characters who played the lesser roles. As soon as one could “turn off” the main actors such as Sheen, the show was captivating. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, this one has no redeeming moments. It is Sorkin’s preaching at its worst. This is bad TV. Just as bad as what passes for media on TV.</p>
<p>Watching this show is similar to watching a train wreck or a really ugly puppy. You know it is awful, but you keep watching hoping it will get better … or more awful. Until you realize that it had a horrible pilot, and went downhill from there.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>When is John Mc Enroe when we need him? You cannot be serious!</p>
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<p>Yup. It’s sort of as if the folks making this show dimly grasp how completely idiotic our media has become and have set out to call them on it but they are so thoroughly entrenched in the same narrow perspective that pervades most of our media that the show just sort of refracts the dysfunction.</p>
<p>We watched one episode and found it to be hilarious but not in ways Sorkin, et al intended.</p>
<p>I enjoy this show. There is so much terrible television I guess my standards are different. I’m happy if it is well written, does not have a laugh track, does not have a bunch of double entendre. I generally love HBO. Boardwalk Empire and Treme coming back in September. I can’t wait.</p>