I was lucky enough to be one of the select few to attend an Entertainment Weekly screening of HBO’s newest drama The Newsroom.
I was very excited and hopeful for this new show because I am a fan of Aaron Sorkin’s writing. I loved A Few Good Men, West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Social Network, and Moneyball. And I am a news program fan. I have watched the news and been fascinated with it since I was young. I feel a personal connection with the anchors; an example, I cried with Peter Jennings passed away.
The show is centered around news anchor Will McAvoy, played by Jeff Daniels. He is known as the “Jay Leno” of anchors. One who never gives his opinion and always keeps everyone happy. The show opens up with McAvoy at a college forum, where a female student asks him what makes the United States the best country in the world. He snaps and goes on a perfect Sorkin speech about how America is actually NOT the best in the world anymore, rattling of stats like an almanac.
Fast forward a few weeks or months (I don’t remember, ha) and McAvoy comes back to work after a “vacation,” to most of his staff leaving to work with a new anchor. As well as his Executive Producer being replaced by his ex-girlfriend, Mackenzie MacHale, played by Emily Mortimor, without his consent.
MacHale gives a lengthy Sorkin speech to McAvoy, to prove that she can do the job and that they can work together. Mortimor’s delivery of Sorkin’s script unfortunately does not flow as well as Daniels. I’m hoping she will grown into it. I like to think optimistically.
Another issue for me was the character of Don, MacAvoy’s original EP, played by Thomas Sadoski. I don’t like the character in general, but the acting was sub par making some scenes with him awkward.
The smartest aspect of the show, has to be the decision to set it in current events. The first episodes big news story is centered around the BP oil spill in the Gulf in April of 2010. I am definitely looking forward to what other stories they are going to tackle.
But the only way they are going to keep audiences hooked is by developing the supporting characters story lines, like John Gallagher Jr’s (my new crush), Alison Pill, and Dev Patel’s roles.
I would definitely recommend checking it out. It airs on HBO tomorrow, Sunday, June 24th at 10PM.
Until next time…PEACE OUT!
The One... 