'The Newsroom': What We'll Miss Until Next Year
"The Newsroom" quickly became our favorite show to hate-watch this summer thanks to its ridiculous plot lines, insufferable characters, and general condescending attitude. It'll be a struggle for us to get through a Sunday night without being so frustrated that we want to throw our remotes at our televisions. Here are the 10 elements of the show that we're most going to miss as we wait for Season 2 next year:
10. The pratfalls
Sure, we can tune in to most sitcoms and watch people trip over things, but on what other serious drama are we going to see supposedly intelligent characters act in such an insanely clumsy manner, what with all the running into glass doors, falling to the ground while getting dressed, and injuring themselves by punching computer monitors?
9. The lack of social media comprehension
Aaron Sorkin may have written an entire movie about the founding of Facebook, but that doesn't mean he really grasps how it works. For proof, look no further than the clueless way Jim demanded that Lisa take her Facebook "down" simply to hide her place of work (and how Maggie apparently has her roommate's password). And, of course, there was that party full of media-savvy young people where only the drug supplier (Neal's date) was interested in her Twitter feed. (The less said about the troll subplot, the better.)
8. Neal's conspiracy theories
He's a regular Fox Mulder, this one. We can't wait to see what bizarre alien twist he's going to put on the death of Steve Jobs next season.
7. Seeing how "News Night" can piss off even more people
It's kind of amazing to observe the best anchor and executive producer in the business lose viewers by refusing to cover the news, aggrandize the people who pay their exorbitant salaries, and alienate potential sources yet still remain on the air.
6. The flashbacks to not-so-current events
With its odd timeline created just to retrofit fictional characters around actual events (the most egregious example being everyone partying at Will's on a Sunday night) and its pretentious, heavy-handed coverage of news stories that feel like they happened eons ago, we're curious what might happen if the show were produced closer to real time, sapping it of its self-righteousness. Too bad we'll never find out thanks to the long gaps between HBO seasons.
5. The preachiness
We're now faced with many months of not being judged for our curiosity about news events that outlets around the world are covering in depth. Months without being made to feel guilty about occasionally looking at TMZ and Page Six. Months without wondering why we don't care about who anchors shows we don't watch because we get our news online. At least we can relive our favorite "Newsroom" moments with our "Sports Night" and "West Wing" boxed sets.
4. The unbelievable relationships
We've been led to believe that Will can date almost anyone, yet he's been hung up on the almost certifiably insane Mackenzie? And Jim is hung up on Maggie, who has really done nothing to make us like her, when he can have the arguably more-attractive-on-every-level Lisa pining for his attention? And who the hell was sending Don flowers months after a casual date or two? It all makes Jeremy and the porn star downright plausible.
3. Women who know too little
These are supposed to be accomplished professional women working in the news industry, but that doesn't matter. We love seeing just how dumb they can be about economics, the term "LOL," or the country of Georgia. Even the one sometimes smartly written woman can easily be distracted from larger current events by a mention of how large her butt might be.
2. The workplace etiquette
Yes, it's totally realistic to have grown adults stomping their feet in the middle of their workplace when they don't get their way. Or yelling at their bosses "Jerry Maguire"-style without reprimand. Or going on television high as a kite. Or inviting friends to just hang out and see how the news gets made when they are dealing with sensitive information. Or screaming at a flight attendant because heaven forbid a newscast (one you don't even work on, technically) is put together without you for one evening.
1. The endless surplus of connected acquaintances
When a big story is about to break, why work on, you know, reporting when someone on the team is bound to have a sibling, an ex-lover, or a roommate with all the scoop you need? Journalism sure is easy! Well, easier than putting your pants on, anyway.
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