Ronan Farrow’s daytime debut as a talking head Monday was surprisingly low-key and by-the-book — a radical departure from his recent derogatory, scathing tweets about his estranged father, Woody Allen.
There was no mention of Allen, Farrow’s mother Mia Farrow or any of that family’s dysfunctional drama, on “Ronan Farrow Daily,” which premiered live at 1 p.m. on MSNBC.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but the show could have used some fireworks — or at least a defining watercooler moment — to liven things up a bit. If its aim on Day One was to distinguish itself from the multitude of generic, hour-long cable news/opinion shows, it failed — unless you consider Farrow, 26, wearing a sports jacket (but no tie) a radical statement.
Farrow appeared quite comfortable in front of the camera at the top of his new show, joking that “I grew up watching the greats of TV news — Murrow, Cronkite . . . Colbert.” Perhaps that rolled-up piece of paper he clutched throughout the hour soothed some opening-day jitters, belying his relaxed demeanor. He did shout a bit too loudly throughout the hour when introducing his segments and guests — while standing alongside a lectern with a plexiglass top — but that’s easily fixable.
And if “Ronan Farrow Daily” didn’t offer anything we haven’t seen before, it didn’t embarrass itself, either, starting off the hour with a look at the world’s headlines before spending the next 12 minutes examining the volatile political situation in the Ukraine with former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen and ex-White House aide David Axelrod. (But Farrow’s comment that Ukrainian politican Yulia Tymoshenko “also has amazing hair” was weird and off-putting, particularly in the context of that region’s incendiary developments.) The show also covered gay rights (or lack thereof) in Kansas, student loans, the pros and cons of raising the minimum wage and other topical subjects — so it clearly won’t shy away from hot-button issues.
Farrow wasn’t flustered when he had to interrupt an interview with MSNBC colleagues Michael Steele and Alex Wagner to cut to breaking news about Pentagon budget cuts, and he made a personable comment about Lena Dunham (“She’s also grateful for a little bit of airbrushing — but aren’t we all.”)
He did his best “aw-shucks” act in noting that “Ronan Farrow Daily” spends “a lot of time jawin’ and yakkin’ ” — which is true, at least in its inaugural telecast. “We made it. We got through it,” Farrow noted at the close of the hour. Yes, he did — but he’s got a long road ahead of him.
Only time will tell if viewers will make that journey with him.