The show will air on AMC, which was also home to Clooney’s adaptation of Joseph Heller’s “Catch-22.” The network describes Glatzer’s take thusly:
“The series follows Sy Steingartner, a young cameraman for Murrow’s ‘See It Now,’ who is forced to juggle his admiration for Murrow with his own ambition. With the CBS brass pushing an anti-Communist Loyalty Oath on Murrow and his staff, Sy has an opportunity to rise straight to the top, but only by betraying his mentor in the process. With wit and keen observation, the series confronts how we respond to chaos and the values that pull us through.”
This is fascinating, and very in keeping with the tragic style of storytelling favored by both shows for which Glatzer has written. The notion of betraying one’s mentor is Shakespearian stuff, but Murrow isn’t Logan Roy. He was a principled journalist rendered obsolete by ratings- and advertising-driven news. No one is a saint, but given everything I’ve read about Murrow, he had a keen BS detector.
I dig the pedigree here, but Glatzer’s got his work cut out for him. Fictionalizing this era makes me a tad queasy. And yet I know how much this story means to Clooney, whose father, Nick Clooney, is one of the most beloved broadcasters to ever come out of Ohio. Clooney’s heart and mind are in the right place. He nailed this material once. Why not again?
