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

[OliviaLMumsnet]

[limitedperiodonly]

And why didn't Mac say: 'Tell you what, TV Economics Debate Show People, why don't I get my unfeasibly glamorous and even more unfeasibly well-qualified Economics Editor to tell you about it instead of me?

'Back in Jolly Old England you've have to put up with that annoying twat Robert Peston.'

[NewGirlInTown]

That storyline with Mac seeking tuition from the Economics Editor is a complete rip off of CJ asking Sam to teach her about the census, in The West Wing.
Can Sorkin rip himself off though?
God I wanted to vomit at them all forming a queue to donate money.

Did someone promise it gets better? Am v close to giving up on it.

[tribpot]

This week we had a rehash of some favourite themes:

• our stoic, moral leader (Bartlet/Will) cannot sleep so goes to visit a smartarse psychiatrist (note: Sorkin did a bit of smoke-and-mirrors and didn't call this one Stanley). He then tells the episode in a series of flashbacks. Then it turns out he has a violent father (hello Bartlet again, and Toby and Leo) and had to protect his younger siblings (Leo, I think). Feels guilt over a sister (Josh).
  
• Death threats followed by secret service agent/bodyguard storyline. Hopefully this one won't die in an unrealistic store heist after forming a deep emotional bond with Will. Surely Econolady having a feel of the guy's boobs was massively inappropriate?
  

God the storyline with Mac just gets more tedious. So he went out and bought a fake ring. Way to signal to the audience that these two will end up together in a union considerably more painful and unlikely than Matt and Harriet in Studio 60.

Dull, dull repetitive shite about what a ditz Maggie is (how adorable ). The Unworthy Don has finally noticed that wotsit is into her - Jesus, I had to look him up and it's been on for weeks. Jim. I meant Jim.

Meaningless plot about Econolady apparently not knowing the first few rules of journalism. Oh dear. In fairness she isn't a journalist, so that's probably why.

And why has the show-within-a-show got so bloody hectoring and partisan? It seems to be wildly anti-Republican given the lead is a Republican, and never balanced by Will sticking the boot into a Democrat. I thought they were trying to make an actual news show instead of just opinion packaged up as fact?

And Dev - poor, lovely, Dev reduced to implementing a completely unrealistic authentication service instead of just letting people log in with their Facebook credentials. Really?

[limitedperiodonly]

Good rehash.

I bailed out of The West Wing in the series after the shooting and I'd never even heard of Studio 60 before this thread.

I liked West Wing at first but I got bored with the main characters all being lovable.

I hate Maggie - or Sorkin for creating her. Sorkin would definitely never tolerate such an idiot on his own staff.

I can't even remember what he had the stupid cow do that offended me in the latest episode. All I remember is that she shrugged winningly. She'd be long gone in any competitive office. She's no good at whatever it is she's supposed to do, she's not sleeping with or greasing up to anyone important and she doesn't even try to pin the blame on someone else.

Actually, I hate most of them - Mac, Will, Econolady. I can't remember the names of the blokes who fancy that dolt Maggie because I care so little about them.

Will continue to watch though so I can whinge.

[limitedperiodonly]

The Unworthy Don has finally noticed that wotsit is into her - Jesus, I had to look him up and it's been on for weeks. Jim. I meant Jim.

Snap trib

[tribpot]

We're somewhat at opposite ends of the spectrum, limitedperiod, in that I adore the West Wing, and enjoyed Studio 60 and Sportsnight.

Just so you enjoy the full horror, I should say Maggie's crime this week was having confused Georgia the country with Georgia the state and released a headline to the effect Russia was invading Atlanta. But apparently that's okay - because she ducks and dives and avoids getting blamed. I think firing her would be a kindness.

I actually think Jim could be a decent character if he was ever allowed to do anything. At this rate, we'll never know.

[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.

[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]

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

[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.

[tribpot]

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

[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]

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.

[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]

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]

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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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]

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]

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]

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.'

[Figgygal]

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

[Tee2072]

Just saw the finale.

Not bad.