The Newsroom.

[Harvey]

Not exactly. Showrunners, as part of their job, do a final pass on every script, but most don't take the amount of credit that Sorkin did on The West Wing. Credit, of course, determines how much the writers get paid. Sorkin was, deserved or not, taking money from writers that they wouldn't see taken on other shows.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Oh, I believe you when he said he screwed them.

Berman has a 170 writing credits for voyager and 97 writing credits for Enterprise.

Dude was so asleep at the wheel, but he still sleeps on a mound of money.

Someone writes a script, sells it to a producer, who makes it into tv, who sells it to the network (affilates, further sales over seas), who then have to kick back money to the screen writers guild and the screen writers guild every time they run or rerun a show depending on personal contracts vs. the minimum obligations of the SAG & SWG bylaws.

So if X number of dollars is paid to the total number of writers for an episode, then a complete individual payout is going to be better than a two or three, or four way split after a producer and the writing room finish with the final draft.

Although a writers room is an extension of the producer and not maintaining individual rights.

 

[Harvey]

Berman has a 170 writing credits for voyager and 97 writing credits for Enterprise.

Huh? He has the created by credit on both shows, as well as DS9, but the number of episodes that he took a writing credit on (written by, story by, or teleplay by) are a fraction of the number of total episodes. In contrast, Sorkin took a writing credit on all by four episodes (IIRC) in the 88 that he oversaw as show runner.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Damn it.

My entire world view is changed.

 

[Sci]

Someone writes a script, sells it to a producer, who makes it into tv, who sells it to the network (affilates, further sales over seas), who then have to kick back money to the screen writers guild and the screen writers guild every time they run or rerun a show depending on personal contracts vs. the minimum obligations of the SAG & SWG bylaws.

Well, no, that's only how it works if the script was written by a freelancer. Scripts writing by staff writers aren't "sold" to the producers.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Which I covered at the bottom of that post.

 

[Venardhi]

That's a good point. We could say the network mentality goes beyond Sorkin. But as it was his original show, it's hard to see Alda getting the presidency and staying to his character's base.

Alda's character was a moderate "Goldwater" Republican from California who opposed the Religious Right's influence on the party.

I, as a fairly liberal viewer, would have been very interested in seeing a couple seasons about the Vinick administration. His moderate inclinations contrasted with the outside influence of the party as it moves further right would have made for a very compelling show.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Vinick was ridiculous, there is no way he could make it as a professional republican considering how evil someone like Sorkin (who didn't work there any more, I know.) thinks everyone who disagrees with him are.

 

[davejames]

I really wanted to like this, because I'm totally onboard with what Sorkin's trying to say, and I usually love his writing. But after a fantastic opening it quickly went downhill for me.

All the nonstop speechifying and witty banter just got really tedious after awhile, and Daniels' character was such a prick I couldn't stand watching him anymore. And the other characters seemed pretty irritating as well.

 

[the G-man]

Alda's character was a moderate "Goldwater" Republican...

"Moderate 'Goldwater' Republican" is a contradiction in terms. Goldwater was, in fact, the father of the conservative movement. Goldwaters are generally the conservative/libertarian wing of the party, not so much on the religious aspects but on everything else he was as right wing as republicans can be. And even on social and religious issues Goldwater was often fairly conservative.

You might be thinking of "Rockefeller" republicans.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Do we like that they will be using real news?

Or would made up news be better?

 

[the G-man]

Do we like that they will be using real news?

Or would made up news be better?

"Murphy Brown" used current events and it comes off as pretty dated these days.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Hmm.

Was that an ongoing tool?

It was hilarious when she stuck it to Dan Quail.

It's been 25 years since I've seen the show.

But gosh I adored it at the time.

 

[the G-man]

Hmm.

Was that an ongoing tool?

Oh, yeah. Most of the jokes were current event based.

It was hilarious when she stuck it to Dan Quail.

You have a strange sense of humor then. The Quayle ep was one the dramatic ones (ie a 'very special episode').

It's been 25 years since I've seen the show.

Interesting, insofar as the show debuted in 1988.

 

[Venardhi]

Alda's character was a moderate "Goldwater" Republican...

"Moderate 'Goldwater' Republican" is a contradiction in terms. Goldwater was, in fact, the father of the conservative movement. Goldwaters are generally the conservative/libertarian wing of the party, not so much on the religious aspects but on everything else he was as right wing as republicans can be. And even on social and religious issues Goldwater was often fairly conservative.

You might be thinking of "Rockefeller" republicans.

Moderate + Goldwater Republican. As in a moderate version of a Goldwater republican. The producers themselves said that was their intention.

 

[The Nth Doctor]

I absolutely loved every single minute of this, from the crazy but honest rant to the play-by-play of the news studio. I know this isn't for everyone because of Sorkin's writing style but I love it. It tackles not just how a news studio works, but also the news media should work. Watching this episode has made me want to watch Good Night, and Good Luck tonight.

 

[the G-man]

Moderate + Goldwater Republican. As in a moderate version of a Goldwater republican. The producers themselves said that was their intention.

...proving the producers have no idea how to realistically portray republicans, then. As noted above, it's a contradiction in terms.

 

[marillion]

For you fans, I present to you:

Sorkinisms - Supercut

Apparently no one loves Sorkin's writing as much as Sorkin himself!

 

[Venardhi]

Moderate + Goldwater Republican. As in a moderate version of a Goldwater republican. The producers themselves said that was their intention.

...proving the producers have no idea how to realistically portray republicans, then. As noted above, it's a contradiction in terms.

What would be a better term for a socially progressive, non-religiously motivated, small government, fiscal conservative?

 

[Data Holmes]

Moderate + Goldwater Republican. As in a moderate version of a Goldwater republican. The producers themselves said that was their intention.

...proving the producers have no idea how to realistically portray republicans, then. As noted above, it's a contradiction in terms.

What would be a better term for a socially progressive, non-religiously motivated, small government, fiscal conservative?

Classical liberal.