[MoreTears]

I know there are a couple threads on DS about this show already, but this one has the "US Pace" bit in the title, and when the show starts in the UK on July 10 there might be a UK Pace thread.

I just watched the pilot and I enjoyed it immensely. It is great to have all the Aaron Sorkinisms back on TV and I don't care if a lot of people (and a lot of critics) find them annoying.

[scotcub74]

I loved it , made me nostalgic for Studio 60

[crunchie crisp]

I just watched this, it was excellent. Could develop into must watch TV

[wildyounghearts]

Yeah- I enjoyed it too- Jeff Daniels is great

Seems like the critics didn't like it so much but viewers did and I think like West Wing it'll get better as it hits it's stride- pilots invariably have to fit in quite a bit of exposition

It's very Sorkin- ok it's (probably) not a terribly realisitc portrayal of a newsroom in the 21st century- there is a lot of idealism but who cares- West Wing wasn't a terrible realistic portrayal of the US presidency in the naughties- it was idealistic- but I still loved it

I'll be sticking with this

[OnDatKryptonite]

To paraphrase Bill Pullman in Lost Highway, Sorkin writes the world he'd like to live in, not necessarily the one we all actually do.

The idea ANY executive producer would push for quality content over ratings based on idealism rather than commercial appeal and capital that can be made through the right endorsements creating the right opportunities is nuts. HBO has that luxury in their own world as a PPV entity rather than subsidiary of a larger organisation with important relationships to manage like MSNBC, FOX or CNN. As such they can toss out the practical realities of a newsroom since they don't actually have to deal with them so as to ruin the experience for the viewer that perhaps guys like Edward R. Murrow or Mitch Albom might inspire a renaissance of reliable unbiased news as this show attempted to portray.

I need more Alison Pill in a skirt too, while we're at it.

[dsrichard]

But MT, you're supposed to be boycotting this series on title principle alone.

The title music is self-importantly orchestral and almost every character gets to make a self-important speech.

Very early on I felt that it was slow and the pace didn't pick up. Strange for a Sorkin script. I also wasn't keen on all of the actors. The intern, the exec producer seem to be miscast. Dev Patel seemed like a poor actor when he delivered his lines (which he is not).

I'm sounding negative. But I felt it was slow and quite un-Sorkinesque when I thought this should be ideal material for him having loved Sports Night, The West Wing and most of his film scripts.

I'll stick with it. But hope I don't end up feeling like I feel about HBO's other new series Veep.

[MoreTears]

Originally Posted by OnDatKryptonite

To paraphrase Bill Pullman in Lost Highway, Sorkin writes the world he'd like to live in, not necessarily the one we all actually do..

And since this is a drama rather than a documentary, there is nothing wrong with that. HBO employs David Simon to do shows that follow the tenets of naturalism or social realism; Aaron Sorkin's work has always been in the Romanticist vein of art. I am glad HBO provides its audience with such variety.

[MoreTears]

Originally Posted by dsrichard

But MT, you're supposed to be boycotting this series on title principle alone.

I can enjoy the show while hating the title.

[OnDatKryptonite]

It is quite amusing Jeff Daniels seems to be the go to guy for an honest looking TV journalist since he played Murrow in Good Night And Good Luck. Although Clooney and Sorkin sharing sensibilities is not exactly out there in the least.

This had a whiff of Up Close and Personal as well as GNAGL for me, particularly after we found out the producer and newscaster had a previous romantic relationship. Emily is not Michelle Pfeiffer and Jeff Daniels only looks like Redford if he went on Val Kilmer's current diet though.

I'd be interested in an Alan Ball produced Aaron Sorkin written HBO project although I expect it would not be that different from Portlandia, quirky, middle class but bleak.

[JasonWatkins]

Sounds good. I'll be watching it an UK pace I think, but I don't mind reading what people thought of the first one.

I think Sorkin's scripts do take time to build though, that's what makes them so good.

[wildyounghearts]

Originally Posted by MoreTears

And since this is a drama rather than a documentary, there is nothing wrong with that. HBO employs David Simon to do shows that follow the tenets of naturalism or social realism; Aaron Sorkin's work has always been in the Romanticist vein of art. I am glad HBO provides its audience with such variety.

Yeah I agree

[OnDatKryptonite]

Originally Posted by MoreTears

And since this is a drama rather than a documentary, there is nothing wrong with that. HBO employs David Simon to do shows that follow the tenets of naturalism or social realism; Aaron Sorkin's work has always been in the Romanticist vein of art. I am glad HBO provides its audience with such variety.

I'm all for variety, I'm just saying Sorkin's "facts get in the way of fanciful fun" approach might be entertaining, I do think it is itself somewhat limiting since his material generally has the same beats and ideals in their presentation, the under pressure idealist trying to do his best amidst a sea of conflicts and self interested parties. I think this might make an interesting companion piece to The Hour and I think the comparisons between Daniels as Murrow and McAvoy are likely to continue. I'd also be interested if they could spin a crossover with Veep out of this somehow, the idea of Ianucci and Sorkin working together could lead to some dynamite dialogues.

[wildyounghearts]

I think a lot of the reasons critics are going to jump all over this is because it is about journalism and it won't be terribly realistic- but so what


I have to say that most legal TV shows are pretty unrealisitic as to how court cases actually operate

They almost always win their cases;
their clients are usually innocent;
a very junior newly qualifed lawyer will get handed a really high profile, difficult case they wouldn't be let near in a million years often with little to no supervision;
the lawyers often end up re investigating the case and finding something the police missed and 'solving' the case in the courtroom;
cases that would drag on for months and years, with boring preliminary hearings, are wrapped up neatly in 40 mins; witness/ suspects routinely break down under cross examination and confess to being the real killer etc;
lawyers routinely indulge in outrageously grandstanding speeches to judges and juries that would never be tolerated in a real courthouse

But they are TV shows that are designed to entertain- The Good Wife is not that realistic but it is well written- has a strong ensemble cast and it is very entertaining to watch

I am sure that doctors could say the same about lots of medical dramas

So I don't need this to be realistic, but I do need it to be entertaining and well written and the pilot was

[ironjade]

Much better than the smug, self-important Studio 60. Using real news stories is a good idea too.

[LostFool]

Well, it's always dangerous to judge a new show on its pilot - but I loved it!

[Bester]

Very promising start IMO - really enjoyed it.

I think the problem with Studio 60 was that as much as I like both Matt Perry and Bradley Whitford, neither has the gravitas to lead a Sorkin show. Jeff Daniels, like Martin Sheen before him, absolutely does.

[LostFool]

Originally Posted by wildyounghearts

I think a lot of the reasons critics are going to jump all over this is because it is about journalism and it won't be terribly realistic- but so what

Yeah, I've been reading a few reviews and they are mostly from bitter journalists complaining that it isn't realistic. Of course it isn't - it's TV. It's entertainment. And so what if it's an idealistic vision of the world - just like the West Wing was. We are all entitled to a little bit of fantasy.

The Guardian has a selection of reviews:http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisf...?newsfeed=true

[OnDatKryptonite]

If the West Wing was Sorkin does Kevin Kline's Dave, this really does seem like his version of Up Close and Personal with the male/female dynamic reversed.

[Densino]

It's definitely on my to watch list.

I'm surprisingly watching a hell of alot of show's right now, even though its summer

[CD93]

I had to remind myself that I was watching a TV show. Superb viewing. Very entertaining for different reasons.

[LostFool]

Sorkin's "self-plagiarism" in Newsroom pilot:

http://www.vulture.com/2012/06/newsr...lagiarism.html

[dsrichard]

Oh well. I'm in a minority of one on here for not loving it.

The funny thing is that I had a conversation with a friend when Studio 60 was on (which I quite liked) and my point was that the reason its "important" storylines sometimes didn't quite work for me was that it was about a comedy show and not something with gravitas like the White House or *a news show*.

Yes, that's right. I said years ago to my friend that Sorkin should be writing about a news show after he'd done the White House.

I wanted The Newsroom to feel a lot more Sorkinesque than it did. It felt like someone was trying to write Sorkin rather than something he actually wrote.

Same can be said of David E Kelley shows these days that recycle lines and ideas from past glories to worse effect.

Anyway, don't rip me apart for being the only one who didn't love it. I'll stick with it. Just like I've stuck with every wretched episode of crap written latterly by David E Kelley after falling in love with his writing on Picket Fences in the early 1990s.

[OnDatKryptonite]

Originally Posted by dsrichard

Oh well. I'm in a minority of one on here for not loving it.

The funny thing is that I had a conversation with a friend when Studio 60 was on (which I quite liked) and my point was that the reason its "important" storylines sometimes didn't quite work for me was that it was about a comedy show and not something with gravitas like the White House or *a news show*.

Yes, that's right. I said years ago to my friend that Sorkin should be writing about a news show after he'd done the White House.

I wanted The Newsroom to feel a lot more Sorkinesque than it did. It felt like someone was trying to write Sorkin rather than something he actually wrote.

Same can be said of David E Kelley shows these days that recycle lines and ideas from past glories to worse effect.

Anyway, don't rip me apart for being the only one who didn't love it. I'll stick with it. Just like I've stuck with every wretched episode of crap written latterly by David E Kelley after falling in love with his writing on Picket Fences in the early 1990s.

Um... why would you do this? Are you masochistic or something? Why bother watching shows you don't enjoy?

[dsrichard]

Originally Posted by OnDatKryptonite

Um... why would you do this? Are you masochistic or something? Why bother watching shows you don't enjoy?

I love TV. I love good writing. I stick with things that I want to be good. I'm loyal. All good reasons to keep watching.

[OnDatKryptonite]

Originally Posted by dsrichard

I love TV. I love good writing. I stick with things that I want to be good. I'm loyal. All good reasons to keep watching.

...

I still don't get it. If I don't like something or it fails to meet my expectations, I write it off and don't watch. I don't get why you'd keep watching something you don't enjoy other than to find stuff to complain about.