Bloodless Coup

State of Play (the Miniseries)

Apparently its similarities to the Affleck and Crowe movie are fewer than one might think. On the whole this is a newspaper story, and a very good one. Honestly, the series probably doesn't need to be as long as it is (there were six episodes). Parts of it are drawn out, though other parts are a bit rushed (like the ending turn, which didn't quite work for me). But even if the pacing isn't perfect it remains engrossing, and a largely well told tale, that is well-acted throughout. While showing how a major newspaper story is built, it also successfully presents some great, fully-realized characters, who are then brought to life by excellent actors. As much as I love Polly Walker and Bill Nighy my favorites were two Doctor Who veterans - John Simm (the Master!) and Marc Warren (Elton Pope!). But one of the great joys of this series is that even the small roles are beautifully filled out. I've heard mixed reports on the movie, but I was happy to see that the miniseries merits its fine reputation.