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Reviews Continue To Pour In For Bill Simmons' Show, With Sentiment Still Mixed

Reviews for the debut episode of Bill Simmons' new HBO show "Any Given Wednesday" continue to roll in, with SPORTS ON EARTH's Will Leitch writing Simmons and his producers have not "made any attempt to turn the show into some all-encompassing moon shot, an overly ambitious, too-packed variety hour hellzapoppin' extravaganza." The show is "calm, quiet, more NPR than 'First Take.'" Simmons "doesn't try to expand too far out of his comfort zone, and the show doesn't promise more than it can deliver." It is a "welcoming little sports show" whose "modesty feels like a minor miracle." But the show "still has Simmons' inherent weaknesses, the Boston provincial stuff, the passive aggressive border-megalomania, the tendency to fall back on well-honed shtick as a crutch." Leitch: "Simmons still hasn't necessarily mastered the teleprompter; his eyes tend to glass over, and his mannerisms are a bit stiff" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 6/23). In N.Y., Neil Genzlinger writes if the hope was that Simmons "would bring his lively, attention-getting style to a broader variety of subjects and thus a general audience, that wasn't realized in the premiere." Simmons "stayed in his comfort zone almost exclusively, and the result was largely a televised version of what you might hear on sports talk radio, only with cursing." Simmons' detractors have "suggested that his background would not translate well to a talk show," and so far "they are right." He is "not a natural yet on camera, or adept at keeping up with guests who are going at the speed" of premiere guest Ben Affleck. Genzlinger: "Hosting is a learned skill" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/24).

BAD WORDS: In DC, Matt Bonesteel wrote Simmons' show, which is taped, had "been in the works for months, and this was the best they could do?" The Affleck interview was the "worst part of the show." Simmons should get someone he "can banter with besides the celebrities" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 6/23). In N.Y., Evan Grossman writes under the header, "Bill Simmons' 'Any Given Wednesday': What The F--K Was That?" The debut was "largely forgettable," except for Affleck. There was "little that was smart or thoughtful," which was a surprise because the projects most closely associated with Simmons are "exactly that: smart, thoughtful and entertaining" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/24). But VARIETY's Sonia Saraiya wrote the show "is really promising." The mash-up of ad spot, music video, and soundbites "also made for a viewing experience that felt layered and engaging, not unlike browsing social media." Simmons' interview with Affleck "turned into one of the most fascinating character studies" on a talk show. Saraiya: "The show just feels fun" (VARIETY.com, 6/23).

SPEAK FOR THE BOTH OF US: FS1's "Speak for Yourself" debuted last week, and Jason Whitlock said what differentiates him and co-host Colin Cowherd from other sports TV is the conversations the two have "are more authentic." Whitlock: "They're the kind of real conversations that people, sports fans, have at sports bars and sports pubs." Whitlock, on the duo's differing styles, said, "He's a radio broadcaster and I'm a sports writer. I'm from the Midwest. He's from the coast. He's married with children. I'm single and still a bit of an idiot. I come at things from a perspective of wanting to discuss the racial and social and cultural impact of sports. And he kind of comes at things from a parent's perspective on sports and looks for opportunities to analogize things going on in sports with the lessons he's learned as a parent." Whitlock added friends of his that "work at ESPN have reached out and congratulated me on the show. Some were surprised and said it's better than they expected" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 6/24).

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