I never much cared for The West Wing. It always seemed a “con”. I rarely watched a complete episode but will of course acknowledge the writing and performances are superb…especially Martin Sheen, my favourite actor who is of course one of us.

The United States has an image of itself and it always seemed to me that President Bartlett’s White House was an alternative to President Bush’s White House…..a device where liberals in California could pretend that the better angels of the United States were still in charge.

The simple truth is that the United States would never have elected Bartlett. And Holywood would never have made a programme about George W Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeldt etc.

The creator/writer of The West Wing has now produced a new series. The Newsroom. I have had to tape the first two episodes. They are longish and worthy of two viewings. Moderate News Anchor Will McAvoy wants to front a “real TV news” programme, deploring the liberal losers and conservative nutters in fairly equal measure.

Although the series only started in USA three weeks ago, the episodes are about news stories from 2010…these  real stories (the BP oil leak in the Gulf and Arizona’s migration laws) have completed their arc which allows a kinda hindsight.

McAvoy is played by Jeff Daniels…..a tour de force, he dominates the screen. Another heavyweight is Sam Watterson playing the veteran Editor in Chief of the News Channel.

Ensemble pieces are always good drama. While the performances are excellent…..with the possible exception of Emily Mortimer as McAvoys Executive Producer and erstwhile lover..the sheer dominance of Jeff Daniels marginalises the rest of the youngish cast.

Episode One has McAvoy ill at ease with his  new young team of producers and bookers and for those of us fascinated by TV News, it was an interesting insight into how a newsroom (albeit fictional) works. Because its Holywood, there is a lot of youthful idealism. The Episode ends with McAvoy, largely won over by his new teams exclusive that the BP story was about a major environmental issue rather than the “search and rescue” mission that the other networks were reporting.

An interesting fact is that one of the minor characters is played by a journalist who worked at MNBC News and she is part of The Newsrooms team of writers. Necessarily the basic eight person ensemble cast…..plus a handful of minor background characters……will be composite characters who will be involved in every drama and news story.

Episode Two……….was not nearly as good as the first. Emily Mortimer’s charachter is unconvincing……hard nosed journalist loses out to soap opera woman with an important job. Even the characters name McKenzie McHale is unconvincing. She has the best lline telling a doubting McAvoy that “what we (the Newsroom lacks in experience, we make up for in lack of experience”.

The “Arizona” story is essentially about the Newsroom getting a presentation wrong. They have booked quacks and lunatics rather than serious contributors to the Arizona Border debate…..and their srew-up is rescued by McAvoy’s on-air professionalism.

So…..is Will Mcavoy……Dan Rather? Or mayber Anderson Cooper? Or Ted Koppel?

The opening titles feature American news anchors from the 1950s. One is Walter Cronkite and the footage is where he takes off his glasses to announce the death of President Kennedy is used. Uncle Walter, the man all Americans trusted. Reference is made to Ed Murrow and Walter Cronkite. And the not-so-subtle infrence is that America needs a Walter Cronkite….now.

Will McAvoy is to Journalism what Josh Bartlett was to Politics…..the person USA (or at least Hollywood) wants but cannot have.

McAvoys character….his public character at least is professional to the point of rudeness….exaggerated rudeness. But of course he will be redeemed by his idealistic young producers. A man who has admitted voting for both of Americas Parties at Election, the series arc will clearly show Will McAvoy re-discover his idealism.

The next episode will feature the 2010 Congressional Elections. And future episodes will feature the Arab Spring and budget cuts in Winsconsin and the Japanese nuclear power station disaster.

But……perhaps an episode featuring Palestine-Israel would be……too……divisive.