News junkies relished the break in pre-election noise this week in celebrating the 25th anniversary of The West Wing, a show that portrayed politicians as “competent and committed.”
Aaron Sorkin, its mastermind, might be caught off-guard when discovering CNN’s new show, Have I Got News for You, which consigns all politicians to a state of buffoonery.
Derived from a steadfastly outrageous BBC format, Got News defies CNN’s codes of impartiality (it tilts liberal) not to mention propriety. Panelists casually offer sexual references that might even startle Bill Maher, whose show also re-runs on CNN these days.
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Will angst-ridden American viewers accept a panel show steeped in snark – a sort of political snark tank? It’s worth a try, says Mark Thompson, the former BBC and New York Times executive who now runs CNN.
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Almost 800,000 viewers checked out Got News in the post-debate period when the overall news audience seemed to dwindle – ABC News’ ratings were off 17% last week.
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Proponents of the CNN venture would point out that, while the news market suffers its tremors, the appetite for humor seems to be thriving. Witness specials from the likes of Kevin Hart, Mike Epps, John Mulaney and, of course, Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock.
On September 28, TV’s comedic universe will deliver its ceremonial blessing to the 50h anniversary of Saturday Night Live, with Lorne Michaels accepting massive homage for his role in institutionalizing irreverence.
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To be sure, the panelists laboring on Got News have not yet earned SNL-like renown: Roy Wood Jr presides as chairman with a soft-spoken irreverence. Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black are what CNN calls “team captains,” and “guests” have included retired Congressman Charlie Dent, whose sly wit regularly jolts other panelists.
The game plan for Got News is to emulate the British model, whose panelists have included former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who became a semi regular.
Dent’ often registers on the show’s “Offend-o-Meter.” Last week he urged JD Vance, the vice presidential candidate, to rename his pet cat “Dinner” in anticipation of his visit to Springfield, MO. Vance and GOP nominee Donald Trump and have repeated rumors that some Springfield residents have devoured household pets.
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If Trump loses the election, he surely will receive a loud “welcome” from Got News producers. A new book titled Lucky Loser delivered lively grist to late-night comics this week in detailing Trump’s initial deal for The Apprentice.
In negotiating his starring role with an avid producer, Mark Burnett, Trump ended up making as much as $200 million from the show, adding up product placement and appearance fees plus licensing deals. This was even before establishing himself as a TV star. Lucky Loser was written by New York Times investigative reporters Susanne Craig and Russ Buettner.
Johnson’s infamy helped bring viewers to the British Got News. If Trump followed suit, would he be content as a CNN panelist, rather than an impresario?
Jimmy Mulville, a BBC producer behind Got News, notes that the British version has been skewering politicians on and off TV since 1990. He takes pride in the fact that social media criticism, while quarrelsome, emanates equally from the right and left.
The show may not present glimpses of statesmanship, like The West Wing, but its barbs apparently create their own tonic for a TV audience seeking refuge from political combat.