I don’t watch a lot of television, but I decided to watch the first episode of The Newsroom on HBO simply because I was finished with my political and lgbt blogs for the day, I was caught up on Facebook and my email, and I was bored. So, after watching True Blood (one of only 3 shows in which I actually watch every episode… used to be four, but House ended), I stayed tuned in.
Jeff Daniels had me sold on his character, and the entire show, in one scene that lasts a little over 4 minutes. It was powerful, it was emotional, and it was raw, unvarnished truth.
I hope the creative team never loses sight of it… it was sheer brilliance and if they remain on that path, this show is going to be a monster hit. I have no worries that Jeff Daniels can pull off anything they throw at him, nor Sam Waterston for that matter. I’m not that familiar with the rest of the cast, but they all seemed pretty good.
Now, I did see a couple things that might require tweaking, but, overall, it was really a great hour of television. But, this is an Aaron Sorkin series we’re talking about. I expect the things that need tweaking, have already been tweaked.
Watch this clip and then see the entire episode when it airs again.
I’m looking forward to episode 2.
“The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore”. ~ Will McAvoy
My Addled Brain 