The Ronan Reviews Are In…

By Jordan Chariton 

RonanFarrowDebut

“Ronan Farrow Daily” is about to take to the air for its second outing. Here’s what media reporters are writing about the first:

  • Entertainment Weekly‘s Darren Franich thinks cable news is in need of saving, but Farrow is not yet its hero. “But Farrow is also young — and looks younger, and sounds even younger — and so the debut of ‘Ronan Farrow Daily’ was also an awkward mix of tones.” The EW review also suggested Farrow’s attempts at humor are part of the problem, as his joke about growing up with Murrow, Cronkite, and Colbert only emphasizes he is too young to have real newsmen to admire. Franich’s overall grade: C-
  • The New York Post’s Michael Starr notes a lack of fireworks in the premiere—particularly no mention from Ronan about father Woody Allen and sister Dylan Farrow’s recent back and forth over Dylan’s molestation charge. Even without a buzzworthy moment to offer “something we haven’t seen before,” the Post credits the show with not embarrassing itself, and Farrow for looking quite comfortable on camera.
  • Variety‘s Brian Steinberg writes about Farrow’s “detached,” “bemused” stance toward the stories he reported on, observing that the 26-year-old did not come off as a “cheerleader” for any one cause. Noting that Farrow targeted a younger audience with numerous social media mentions, he still might have a problem reaching the youth: “Farrow’s challenge will be to gain momentum during a time slot that is not known for luring the millennials who might form his natural audience.”
  • The Guardian‘s Tom McCarthy gives Farrow an “A” for effort, but thinks Ronan is “effed”:
    “But with an hour to fill every day it also has plenty of time for some of the most tiresome features from other cable shows, such as an on-set roundtable and a lame Twitter callout.” He also compares Farrow to the cute neighborhood kid pushed into a talent recital he’s not prepared for.
  • The New York Times Alessandra Stanley thinks MSNBC has turned Ronan Farrow into Chuck Todd. Mr. Farrow’s debut on Monday was a lot like every other one on that cable channel, often with many of the same stories and interviews (Ukraine, the governors’ meeting at the White House) that had already been exhaustively examined by Mr. Todd on his show, “The Daily Rundown,” or, for that matter, by Joy Reid, whose new show, “The Reid Report,” also had its debut on Monday on MSNBC.

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