Those who know me know that I hate “stupid” humor.
Jeff Daniels recently won an Emmy for his character Will McAvoy in The Newsroom. Daniels is a brilliant actor in a brilliant role on a brilliant show. Imagine my surprise, then, when I learned that not only was Jeff Daniels Jim Carrey’s counterpart in Dumb and Dumber (which I’ve seen years ago but only vaguely remember–or more likely tried to forget), but that they are both currently filming Dumb and Dumber To [Two]. I would have thought that, now that Daniels has found success in a “smarter” role, that he would put his “dumber” role behind him. I am disappointed, primarily because the entire premise behind The Newsroom is that making this world a better place to live involves making its people more well-informed, and here we have The Newsroom‘s lead actor returning to a role that glorifies stupidity, going against that premise.
However, Aaron Sorkin, The Newsroom‘s creator and writer, is to be thanked more for that premise than Jeff Daniels is. Sorkin is an utter genius. I have seen almost every episode of every television show that he’s created. I did a West Wing rewatch a few months ago. I watched Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip for the first time over the summer. I am currently watching season two of Sports Night. I watched season one of The Newsroom as soon as it was available on DVD, because I don’t have HBO. Now I’m waiting for season two, which I have preordered. While this makes me a few weeks too late, I plan on writing my reactions to each episode as I watch them after it arrives. I’ll continue to post newsworthy items here too.
Season 3 of The Newsroom is basically a go, but is as of yet unconfirmed. Jeff Daniels’s Emmy win really solidifies a third season happening. I was so excited that Jeff Daniels won, I almost forgot that another favorite of mine, Hugh Bonneville, was also nominated for an Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy. Hugh Bonneville plays Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey, which just began its fourth series in the UK on Sunday.
Yet another new season that I have to wait to see.
