@tardisblue
See, here’s the thing (and although I’ll focus on Sorkin here, keep half an eye on Moffat):
– Sorkin doesn’t write “realistic” characters at all, and never has. From Jed Bartlet and Leo McGarry through Toby Zeigler (or ‘me’, only bearded and Jewish, as I know him) to Donna Moss and CJ to Wil McAvoy, Mac McHale, Maggie, Jim and Lisa…and Jerry, all of his characters exist to do one thing: to serve a dramatic purpose. Sorkin writes to theme and point, not record. He paints with a broad brush and always has;
The first season was spent skewering networks news and the critics gave it a shoeing? I, for one, and shocked. (Also – you have fallen into the trap spelled out in episode 2 of the journalistic definition of ‘balance’, something the BBC suffers from in extremis).
– Despite being familiar with the factual basis of Genoa, I was a bit disappointed by the rework in S2 – it dumped a potentially interesting journalist-under-threat story AND what would have proved an epically well-timed story on privacy (something Sorkin is “on” about – Sam Seaborn said privacy would the the 21st century issue in 1999!).
Instead we only got passing reference to the inexcusable failings of modern news journalism (an issue Jon Stewart is able to address directly – see his item about the Washington Shootings and CNN. Utter genius. Had Sorkin written a story highlighting that would it have been “preachy”? Oh, hang on – he did and the Gabby Giffords episode is one the best single episodes of TV I have ever watched (many times now));
– Out there in the real world women have to work twice or three times as hard as men to earn the same respect (and salary) so I find it odd that critics seem to think his women should not be plagued by the same doubts, insecurities and neuroses, and confronted by the same prejudices as …well, everyone else.
– As the Romans knew, only the Gods are perfect, but I will take Sorkin’s (or Moffats’s, or Whedon’s) imperfection over pretty well any one else’s perfection every time.
Now if you want insultingly bad TV, I recommend Under The Dome – everything that is wrong with Stephen King’s writing in – literally – a capsule. A bold, brilliant high concept, populated by the stupidest people ever doing stupid things for stupid reasons, with what should have been a marvellous study of a leader becoming progressively unhinged being mishandled at every turn.
Watch that, then re-watch The Newsroom. *That’s* balance.
