This is my last column as TV editor for TheWrap, and I wanted to take a moment to thank the people in charge of the site: You.
As a person who clicks on things, you control not only TheWrap but the entire internet. Your clicks are your votes. You help millions of websites, from this one to… well, almost every other one, decide what we post about every day. You get the internet you make.
Also read: Other Columns By This Goofball
When you’re good, God you’re good. The collective pressure of #BringBackOurGirls may help reunite girls and their families. That would be, in short, amazing.
Sometimes you vote up the silly instead of the vital. But at least you’re never dull. Thank you for the chance to audition for your attention, day after day for the last four years, and for occasionally passing me to the next round.
I’m leaving TheWrap to go work at PBS’s “Frontline,” which creates a shocking number of important stories that deserve not only your clicks, but your time. Tonight, for example, it will air back-to-back films about Ebola and Boko Haram, the militant kidnappers who necessitated the creation of #BringBackOurGirls. (You can click here to learn more.)
Also read: Why ISIS Makes ‘Al-Qaeda Look Like the Boy Scouts’
I’m honored to have spent the last four years working for Sharon Waxman and two for Joseph Kapsch. They have worked tirelessly to balance smart and silly to keep you both informed and amused. I’m a huge fan of the people you see bylined all over this site, masters of the silly and smart. And I can’t wait to see the energy and fun that new TV editor Jethro Nededog will bring to the job.
Also, I’m thrilled that I got to talk to some of the greatest writers, actors and other artists of our time, including, somehow, the heroic Joan Rivers. But some of the most inspiring people have not been as famous as her.
One night I was lucky enough to listen to actor Bill Timoney explain his preparation for a supporting role in “All the Way,” starring his friend Bryan Cranston: Why Bill wore a particular watch, why he held a certain pose when the lights went down. It made me realize that everyone in the storytelling business works very, very hard to tell their stories. And that the best, like Bill, are not only passionate but methodical about how to give their all. They aren’t always flashy, with clickable names, but they do the real work.
Before I sign off, some stray, silly thoughts: “The Walking Dead” was coolest when Glen Mazzara was in charge. I’m excited for the next season of “Girls,” and thrilled Whit Stillman is doing a series. Try to check out “Black-ish” and “Fresh Off the Boat.” They’re funny.
And please follow @frontlinepbs and click on good things.
Love,
Tim