Really? No thread about Newsroom starting tonight at 10? There is now.

[OliviaLMumsnet]

[TinyPawz]

Well everyone, i've finally started watching and as usual I am enjoying it. Now that could be because I have not seen any tv for a number of months that is not soaps.

[tribpot]

I'm now up-to-date. Having been horrified at what someone thought an internet chatroom in 2011 actually looked like whilst Dev communicated with someone apparently living in 1995 using ICQ or summat. Nice to see Alan Arkin for a moment. Sad to see Sorkin take his Leo classic "we're going to raise the level of debate in this country and let that be our legacy" and give it to a news outlet.

Sloane's (I'm prepared to stop calling her Econolady now she is my favourite character by virtue of being almost the only one not utterly dull) whole bit about 'are you saying my arse looks big?' made absolutely no sense, nor was it remotely believable that she'd allowed Dev to trash her on t'internet to try and hook a story.

I liked the deliberately anti-climax of the powercut ending and them all going back to work but it would have been so much more interesting to see how they really would put a news show on outside at a moment's notice. Akin to Sorkin's Disaster Show on Studio 60 (which also featured Nancy Grace quite a lot).

Jane Fonda woefully under-used again - she is awesome. I would love to see her completely shred Maggie (or Don for that matter) - just to have her do something.

And bringing in Mac's ex as well - Jesus. It makes Josh and Mandy's relationship seem positively healthy and well-presented.

[limitedperiodonly]

The continued employment of Maggie continues to baffle me.

'Ooh, I knew that girl at school' to which no one says: 'You what? And you kept it to yourself? There's the door, don't come back.'

I hate Mac's histrionics but I do like the shirts she wore in the powercut episodes 1 and 2.

I don't think the fact that the lead actress's wardrobe is the best thing about a production is the sign of a good production.

[MissAnnersley]

The weird thing is I agree with so much the show is saying - I thought the segment about the Tea Party being the American Taliban was brilliant - but I hate the way it is being presented. It seems so preachy and worthy.

I really don't care about any of the characters and am also struggling to remember their names. If the main characters are either instantly forgetful or so annoying you want to throw something at the screen then something is wrong.

Anyway, having said all that I will be back for series 2.

Oh, I do like Sloane.

[Pagwatch]

I am trying to loveit but I cannot think of a character I ave disliked as much as Maggie.
I hate her acting, her mannerisms, how useless she is, how she is supposed to be endearing but isn't, how she is supposed to be a big love interest but thatis massively implausible.

I would have sacked her within 10 minutes. She is an annoying, useless, affected, loud, dull, ditsy and a bad part of my brain wants to punch her.

[limitedperiodonly]

Just saw that debt ceiling bit.

As Sloane walked away they didn't focus on her arse. All I wanted to know was whether it was fat or not.

No wonder they're slipping in the ratings.

[Tee2072]

Just saw the finale.

Not bad.

[Figgygal]

I enjoy it Emily Mortimer is bloody annoying but I love jeff bridges egotistical rants and monologues so sticking with it!!

[limitedperiodonly]

They could start each episode with something like the bit that would end Charlie's Angels.

'So Mac, I've got your name and implausible backstory now and Maggie's annoying identity is lodged in my brain like the Confused.Com jingle, but can you remind me who the grumpy bloke with the heart of gold and greying hair but black eyebrows is. And what's Dev Patel's name again? I thought I had it but it's gone again.'

[tribpot]

Given how laboured and clunky it is anyway, having them endlessly repeat each other's names and biographies would be no worse than the relationship bollocks Sorkin is serving up!

[limitedperiodonly]

That's right trib. They should make them wear big name badges.

Dame Edna Everage used to slap them on guests on her chat show.

I think even Joan Collins wore one. But that was obviously to distinguish her from Dame Edna.

[tribpot]

You mean Don, I assume The characters really are so lacklustre it's hard to remember which one is which.

More Jane Fonda, that's what I say.

[limitedperiodonly]

I've seen it now. I did hitch my breath a bit.

But there's no way on earth that flight crew would let Jim cheek them.

They'd have him tasered and in leg irons way before he got the chance to get all misty over the captain's insignia.

[Nancy66]

I'm enjoying it.
Still think Emily mortimer is hopelessly miscast.
Think the actress who plays Maggie overacts horribly but still find it entertaining.

[BlingLoving]

I am really enjoying it. It's entirely unrealistic, a lot preachy etc etc but it's entertaining. Although the nagger character us possibly the most annoying person on planet. Very Bridget jones - completely incompetent but we're supposed to root for her anyway?! I was thrilled when Jim asked Lisa out properly.

[Tee2072]

If I may venture a probably not popular opinion:

Y'all seem to be expecting this to be a serious show about news items.

It's not. It's a dramatic/comedic representation of what goes on behind the scenes.

I've never worked in TV but I've worked in professional theatre. Backstage is really like that.

So be mad that Maggie's a wimp or that Jim isn't used enough.

Don't waste your energy on how the actual news is put together and whether it is respectful or not. Cuz that's not what the show is about.

And if Sorkin has said that's what the show is about? He's deluding himself.

[tribpot]

Just watched 7. I don't think I can actually comprehend that they managed to trivialise the killing of Osama bin Laden by having Will hammered and Maggie and Jim in the most turgid love triangle/square of all time.

And that's skipping over the casual assumption that all victims of 9/11 were American.

Christ on a bike.

[Tee2072]

I'm actually enjoying it now. Just watched Ep 9, only one more to go.

It's not great. And it's certainly not WW great.

But it's entertaining.

[tribpot]

Agreed. I don't want it to be another West Wing, that was its own thing and could never be equalled.

Studio 60 (particularly in comparison to this) was a focused, credible, funny and well-written 'behind the scenes' on a TV show. Is it really what working on SNL is like? Of course not. Any more than TWW was a realistic portrayal of life in the White House. They were both idealistic, idealised comedy dramas, and I guess to some extent the wittiness of them helped to show this; no-one could possibly be as funny as all the characters were on TWW. No Pres could ever have the heart and intellect and humanity of Bartlet. You were never meant to be tuning in thinking 'Christ, someone's broadcasting the CCTV footage of the White House, woo-hoo'.

The Newsroom isn't helped by what's clearly a completely unrealistic portrayal of network news in 2012. But we have suspended disbelief before and we would do it again, for a sympathetic group of characters with strong storylines and excellent storytelling. Basically, we'd do it for good writing.

And at that I can only quote from Toby and Sam, Sorkin's better selves:

TOBY: It?s good.
SAM: Yeah.
TOBY: It?s good.
SAM: Yeah.
TOBY: It?s a little flat.
SAM:I think so, too.
TOBY:My writing?s been a little flat lately.
SAM:It?s not you. It?s me.
TOBY:Well, you did the best you could.
SAM:What do you mean?
TOBY: You reached your potential here.
SAM: No, I didn?t. I can do better than this.
TOBY: I can do better than this.
SAM: Are you saying I can?t do better than this?
TOBY: I?m saying you?re fine, and I?m flat.
JOSH[passes by and stops] What?s going on?
TOBY:We?re having difficulty locating our talent... Alright... It couldn?t have gone far, right?
SAM: No.
TOBY: Somewhere in this building... is our talent.

[Fiderer]

Indeed.

I wondered if I was being too critical in a "It's not The West Wing" way but I really think not. I wanted it to be good/watchable and different, not to be a re-run of TWW. But some of it is just awful and the contrast is very hard to avoid because you can't help wondering how the writing, characters, stories can be so crap.

[tribpot]

Jesus, Fiderer. "This is bad on so many levels".

[Fiderer]

I watched ep8. Look away now if you haven't seen it.

Flashes of a good story ruined by:

More and worse relationship crap. Bet you didn't think that was possible.

By idiocy from Mac - petulant cow.

By idiocy from Will.

By Sloan - one minute she was insisting the debt ceiling is A Very Important Story and articulating so coherently. Next minute she has Dev up against the wall by his throat because he was suggesting (and made it clear it wasn't true) that she had a big arse. Jesus.

All the above being so unbelievable and unbelievably annoying.

I know this falls into spoiler territory but I feel it my duty to warn you so you don't get your hopes up as I did when the odd moment of a good storyline comes along. Not even Sam W and Jane F could salvage it.

[limitedperiodonly]

And neither's Brazil, I'm reliably informed by my Ladybird Book of Foreign Countries.

[limitedperiodonly]

Sorry, it couldn't have been for the same tournament because Nigeria's not in Europe either

My excuse is that working with these people sapped my brain.

[limitedperiodonly]

Georgia, that's it.

I actually agreed with the politics in TWW but I got sick of there not being a single main character in a show about politics who was devious and nasty.

Stupid people are everywhere. I worked with a picture editor who, when asked for a shot of the flags of all nations playing in a European football tournament, came up with something with the Japanese flag in it and couldn't see what was wrong.

Her researcher, when asked for a picture of Pele for the same feature, used a picture of someone in Nigerian strip. It turned out his nickname was Pele in tribute to the real one.

When she was told Pele was Brazilian so played in yellow and blue, not green, pix of him had him in skimpy shorts because they were taken around 1970 and was only, like, the most famous player in the world, she burst into tears and her boss said we were being horrid because not everyone knew about football.

She also told us that only smartarses like us knew there were black Brazilians

But I wasn't working on something like whatever that organisation that Maggie's supposed to be on.

We had another thickie but telling you about her idiocy and mulishness will make this go on too long.