The Newsroom: Ep. 1

It's been reviewed within an inch of its life, but I'm still curious what you guys think.

Emily Nussbaum says it was full of "piety and syrup" (newyorker.com), which rang the most true of anything I've read. I've had conversations with all of you about "the future of news," and I'm pretty sure that — taken together — we haven't used the phrase "the fourth estate" or the word "integrity" as many times as did the Newsroom in its first episode alone.

Clearly all of this was a stylistic choice (*bows down to the Sorkin altar*), but I can't get over that it feels like it's both set in the present and caught in the past, and that can't be on purpose...

Cody Brown

I have not seen it yet. Pre-Loading it for a plane tonight. I'm guessing that I will really hate it but Sorkin tends to surprise. HBO just put the entire first episode on youtube for free: youtube.com

Jeremy Singer-Vine

Finally saw the first episode. (Thanks for that YouTube tip, Cody.) I didn't love it, but I also didn't dislike it as much as I expected to; then again, Nussbaum suggests it gets progressively worse.

When I was watching, I kept wondering: Is the Newsroom any less preachy, pious, or exaggerated than the West Wing was? Or are journalists/reviewers just more sensitive about their home turf? (It's been a few years since I've seen an episode of the West Wing, though, so perhaps I'm mistaking an apple for an orange.)

Libby Brittain

Someone in my Twitter feed raised this question last night, actually. I hadn't thought about it quite like this but... although I hate to say it, it feels accurate. I haven't yet had a chance to go back and Google initial reactions to the West Wing from Politico, WaPo, etc. but perhaps they're very similar and we all just have collective amnesia, ha...

Justin Singer @jericsinger 2 Jul

Do journos who disdain Newsroom for being unrealistic actually think West Wing was an accurate portrayal of the White House?

Cody Brown

I lasted 10 minutes. It hurt my brain in many different ways.

This is somewhat of a non-sequitur but I watched another pilot for a TV show about newsroom life recently and I think it's actually much more watchable than this. The difference is that it was written and directed by a 21 year old in college with hardly any budget or professional crew/cast.

abovethefoldshow.com

The director (chris sopher) is my friend and is a huge fan of Sorkin but I think he can learn from Chris.

CAN NOT BELIVE HBO RENEWED.