Thread: All Things:HBO

Tara with limited screen time is way better.

as much as I hate Tara, I love the dynamic with her and Pam. Pam makes everything better.

I'll be really sad when this season ends too. I love this show. Even when it starts to meander and sort of get lost in itself, it always picks up at the very end of the season. True Blood knows how to do finales.

Yeah, Tara has been much more palatable dead. And I am finally on board. Jessica, despite being a tall gorky redhead, is kinda cute.

Originally Posted by Dexter

Newsroom's secret society of online trolls is so dumb.

Yeah...I'm only watching at this point because Jeff Daniels is a good actor. The stories are becoming so absurd and annoying that I can barely bring myself to tune in.

Originally Posted by SmytheKing

Yeah...I'm only watching at this point because Jeff Daniels is a good actor. The stories are becoming so absurd and annoying that I can barely bring myself to tune in.

Awww c'mon, it's a good show. It's a little absurd. But I think the overall likeability of the cast carries it. And the writing, at least as far as the tennis style serve & volley quips is terrific.

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

Awww c'mon, it's a good show. It's a little absurd. But I think the overall likeability of the cast carries it. And the writing, at least as far as the tennis style serve & volley quips is terrific.

I'm not saying that it's BAD...just that it's really really drifting in that direction. If the acting was ****, the writing would be getting torn to shreds right now. Just a couple of absurdities from last night:

1. Mac breaking down (again) in front of everyone and screaming.
2. Luckiest and most connected newsroom ever? Not only do you have two connections at BP, you also have someone who knows the guy running cleanup at the nuclear power plant in Japan, and NOW you have someone who knows Casey Anthony? Man, what a bunch of breaks....
3. Someone you went on "one or two dates" months ago suddenly sends you flowers?
4. A debate that anyone with half a brain would know is never going to fly?
5. In said debate you're asking questions about a candidates infidelity while spending the whole season talking about how it's irrelevant talk? Not to mention fighting in the same episode to not cover the Weiner case because there's no allegations that he did anything to jeopardize the office?
6. That stupid love quadrangle scene near the end?
7. The whole internet troll as a news story and using staff members as bait?
8. Jeff Daniels falling in the middle of the room while trying to put his pants on after the obvious setup with his tailor?
9. That scene where they're trying to get Lisa to come on the show while she's working?
10. Her being adamant about not going on there and then turning into a pro-abortion, race aware, missing person advocate?

I could go on...but it hurts my head.

Having said that, I enjoy True Blood. Probably because I just started watching this season so I don't have the attachment that many of you probably do. I find the quirky weird stuff sort of fun.

You came on at a good time with True Blood. It's been a fairly positive season. And yes, The Newsroom is not a great representation of tv news, Mary Tyler Moore was more realistic...but as far as entertainment I love it. It's silly but well done. It's easy to rail against Sorkin because he is trying to create this reverential/serious tribute to news media and the results are bordering on sitcom. For what it is, I find it a lot of cute, charming fun.

Originally Posted by jerseydevil

You came on at a good time with True Blood. It's been a fairly positive season. And yes, The Newsroom is not a great representation of tv news, Mary Tyler Moore was more realistic...but as far as entertainment I love it. It's silly but well done. It's easy to rail against Sorkin because he is trying to create this reverential/serious tribute to news media and the results are bordering on sitcom. For what it is, I find it a lot of cute, charming fun.

That's probably my issue with it mostly. If it were more of an outlandish take on the whole thing, sort of like how Larry Sanders was to Late Night shows, I'd probably really dig it. As it stands though, it just seems like a lot of patting on the back.

Originally Posted by SmytheKing

That's probably my issue with it mostly. If it were more of an outlandish take on the whole thing, sort of like how Larry Sanders was to Late Night shows, I'd probably really dig it. As it stands though, it just seems like a lot of patting on the back.

great point, and that's all Sorkin. I'll admit, it is normally something that I would brand as smug and self-loving without even watching it. Glad I watched it with an open mind instead, and I can forgive Sorkin's excessive traits. Once again...it's the banter and the acting that raise it above it's faults. I expect season 2 to address a lot of the down side. Sorkin has said that the criticisms make no difference because the entire season was filmed before it started airing. So if he wants to make changes it'll show in the second season.