New York Times boss calls the newspaper's FX show The Weekly "A big deal. It's a big test for us"

The Hollywood Reporter

The Weekly, which premieres Sunday on FX and Monday on Hulu, isn't a show about journalism, despite featuring Times reporters. "It's not an inward-looking show," says Times assistant managing editor Sam Dolnick, who serves as an executive producer on The Weekly. "We're not interested particularly in how the newspaper gets made. We want to keep the lens pointed outwards...We know there are lots of people who don't read the Times, who don't think of the Times, who may not even think of themselves as news consumers. My hope is that this show will find them and we'll grab them and they will realize they do care about the issues we're discussing. That would be a major victory for us." Dolnick's boss, Times executive editor Dean Baquet, adds: "The possibility of television sets is to reach audiences we've never had in different parts of the country. It's a big deal. It's a big test for us. Can we tell stories in such a completely different format?" ALSO: FX wanted The Weekly to give its audience an emotional viewing experience.