I Hatewatch For You, Faithful Readers

Since it’s getting some unaccountably positive notices that I can imagine creating a “the second season is actually good!” narrative, I feel it’s my duty to note that The Newsroom remains stunningly, incomprehensibly bad. A dramatic show consisting almost entirely of people reading op-eds to each other is a horrible idea in theory, but when the auteur’s idea of cuttting-edge political commentary involves such insights as “kids today are dumb!” and “Oklahomans are reactionary hicks!” it’s even worse in the execution. To insulate against charges of misogyny, Sorkin has the female anchor  with 15 PhDs (played, natch, by Olivia Munn) be the commissioner of the fantasy football league (as well as bringing the “sorority girl” he ridiculed in the show’s legendarily bad opening scene back as an intern.) And, yes, the overall theory of the show seems to be that if MSNBC hosts said more witless versions of what MSNBC hosts say we’d have public policy like Denmark now. Really, it’s a crime to waste a cast like this.

Punchline: the auteur would like to inform you that Occupy are a little earnest and self-impressed for his taste.