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Watching “The Newsroom” in 2019

Blue Skies

Blue Skies

Banned
Mar 27, 2019
9,224
I like it so far, but I'm also pretty progressive and I like Sorkin dialogue.
I'm just wondering, if I weren't either of those, would I enjoy this?

A lot of it is really cheesy, like WestWing cheesy. Also the music is overdone and there's a bit much melodrama.

Halfway through the first season, does it get better, or is this it? Cause so far it's like a 7/10


Would be real interesting to see it comeback with current storylines.
 
NinjaScooter

NinjaScooter

Member
Oct 25, 2017
54,057
I thought it had good moments, but other times felt like a parody of Sorkin, like Sorkin dialed to 11. Ended up dropping it because of that.
 
blueredandgold

blueredandgold

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,588
Probably my only real Sorkin experience, I ignored it at the time, appreciate some find it very on the nose, but like it overall.

It does inform my current understanding of the US for better or worse.

I like that it can be wistful and nostalgic about news anchors and be cynical about literally everything else.
 
tecl0n

tecl0n

Member
Oct 25, 2017
487
It is a soap opera.
It has a new love tetrahedron basically every episode.
It is cheesingly amazing.
 
War Eagle

War Eagle

Member
Oct 27, 2017
739
USA
Season 1 was amazing.
Season 2 was pretty good but not as good as the first.
Season 3 was AWFUL and it abruptly ends.

Enjoy season 1 because it's the peak.
 
Brian McDoogle

Brian McDoogle

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,927
I loved watching the show not because it was good, but because it could be so bafflingly bad and stupid at times. The white savior plot line in season 2 is trash, as well as turning one of their characters into basically Edward Snowden. It's just so stupid. There's some good moments and episodes, and I like that Season 2 tried to correct some of the complaints about the first season, but it's just all over the place in a surprising fashion from established show runners and writers.

And the jam session that closes out the show is peak... something. I dunno. I would never recommend the show to someone, but I'm sure happy I witnessed it myself.
 
OP
OP
Blue Skies

Blue Skies

Banned
Mar 27, 2019
9,224
The blog guy just punched his computer screen showing a video of Rush Limbaugh being horrible.
 
MilkBeard

MilkBeard

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,778
Never watched it. But I am weary of doing so. There was a time when boomers were sharing that infamous scene where Jeff Daniels tells everyone that America is not as great as it used to be. Shit is corny and has me rolling my eyes every time a new person shares it like it's some profound thing.

Of course, context is important so I can't comment on that, as there could be something more about it. And of course Jeff Daniels is stellar. But...nah.
 
Brian McDoogle

Brian McDoogle

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,927
Also, Olivia Munn was great in this show, and I'm glad people got over their irrational hatred of her at the start to realize she's a decent actress in it.
 
OP
OP
Blue Skies

Blue Skies

Banned
Mar 27, 2019
9,224
MilkBeard said:
Never watched it. But I am weary of doing so. There was a time when boomers were sharing that infamous scene where Jeff Daniels tells everyone that America is not as great as it used to be. Shit is corny and has me rolling my eyes every time a new person shares it like it's some profound thing.

Of course, context is important so I can't comment on that, as there could be something more about it. And of course Jeff Daniels is stellar. But...nah.
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It's the first scene in the first episode haha
I think the pilot is def worth watching.
 
OP
OP
Blue Skies

Blue Skies

Banned
Mar 27, 2019
9,224
Now everyone is dramatically walking into Jeff Daniels office with checks in hand to chip in for the hostage money he paid to free a freelance journalist.
 
Kurdel

Kurdel

Member
Nov 7, 2017
12,157
It's a dumb show, don't watch it.

It's like cringe neoliberal fan fic, just like the West Wing.
 
Grug

Grug

Member
Oct 26, 2017
4,644
The first two seasons are cheesy fun if you can just embrace it and aren't one of those people who has to be in AV Club reviewer mode every time you consume a piece of media.

The show disappears entirely up its own arse eventually, but so do a lot of internet critics.
 
Equippedwithtowel

Equippedwithtowel

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,899
Ontario
Sorkin's material has aged horribly. Any time he actually has to delve into politics he exposes himself as hopelessly out of his depth. That plus the boring soap shit killed the show for me
 
danm999

danm999

Member
Oct 29, 2017
17,074
Sydney
There's something fundamentally hilarious to me about Sorkin making a show whose premise is that good journalism can educate the public, improve the national discourse, and change the world, but then have American politics and culture play out almost exactly as it does in our world.

At least with the West Wing, where Bartlett was an idealised President, Sorkin didn't really follow our reality and could depict Bartlett actually achieving things that weren't achieved in reality!
 
Keldroc

Keldroc

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,968
Deepwater said:
I think it's one thing to think this (and the entire bin laden episode) is on-it's-face outrageous but do people really think the event as it happened in real life wasn't melodramatic?
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Yeah, I get that the writing in that scene is pretty turgid but I was on a plane when the Bin Laden news came through and the flight crew was over the moon. The pilots made the announcement and told people to turn on the news at their seats, the flight attendants cried and hugged, it was a real thing. Air crews felt it really personally.
 
Transistor

Transistor

The Walnut King
Administrator
Oct 25, 2017
37,106
Washington, D.C.
I don't give a shit what people say, Jeff Daniel's speech in the first episode about how America isn't the greatest country on Earth is fucking fantastic
 
Auros01

Auros01

Avenger
Nov 17, 2017
5,499
Only made it through a few episodes before giving up. It wasn't bad... it just didn't hold my attention.
 
ToddBonzalez

ToddBonzalez

The Pyramids? That's nothing compared to RDR2
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
15,530
Its a fun hatewatch for sure. Near parody level, self righteous bullshit through and through.
 
OP
OP
Blue Skies

Blue Skies

Banned
Mar 27, 2019
9,224
Like, I sorta remember finding out about bin laden, and yea it's an exciting event, but motherfuckers were selling it differently on this episode
 
Sokrates

Sokrates

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
560
Does anyone have a compilation of the worst Sorkin-written scenes in all of his shows? God, it's like watching a train wreck, but with a self-righteous conductor. Especially that airplane scene. The way he writes women is something else.
 
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