Loud But Not Captivating: Drama About Fox News Chief Roger Ailes Falls Flat

On June 30, the Showtime network launches a new TV miniseries called The Loudest Voice. Based on the Gabriel Sherman book The Loudest Voice in the Room , it's a seven-part drama about the television triumphs and controversies of Roger Ailes, who created and ran the Fox News Channel. The title The Loudest Voice is supposed to refer not only to Ailes, but also to the news network he helped generate with the backing of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. There actually are two stories told here: one about the development and rise of Fox News, the other about the many alleged sexual abuses of power that eventually led to the firing of both Ailes and network star Bill O'Reilly , in what became some of the earliest high-profile scandals of the #MeToo era. The central star of this Showtime account is Russell Crowe, loaded beneath many pounds of makeup and prosthetics to portray Ailes. But in the three episodes provided for preview, he's not at all captivating — and neither is The Loudest Voice as an