“First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one. America is not the greatest country in the world anymore. Enough?”

CREATOR: Aaron SORKIN
STARRING: Jeff DANIELS, Emily MORTIMER, John GALLAGHER, Allison PILL, Dev PATEL,
Sam WATERSTON

Having established himself as one of Hollywood’s best writers, Aaron Sorkin has built up a strong reputation in film and television with his work on A Few Good Men, The Social Network and The West Wing. It was for the latter which allowed him to get his teeth into political drama and that has become influential in his latest work, the media-based series The Newsroom. Assembling together a cast of talented (and underrated) actors including Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer and Sam Waterston, Sorkin looks to break new ground by showing us what drives a media news company forward over the course of ten episodes. Americans may not like what they hear on this show when it comes to their own personal and political conflicts but that’s television for you….

After humiliating himself at a university session by stating that America isn’t the greatest country in the world, TV anchor Will McAvoy (Daniels) goes on vacation and comes back to his newsroom to find that he has a new team of interns led by producer (and ex-girlfriend) Mackenzie Hale (Mortimer). Over the next year, Will and his team attempt to give honest and constructive news reports about America’s struggles whether it be politics or the economy but not without their problems. Will’s own reputation is tarnished at times, leaving his boss Charlie (Waterston) to try and fend off the company’s head Leona Lansing (Fonda) who wants the TV anchor fired. But other characters bid to make the news matter despite their own personal conflicts as it becomes all about giving the best coverage possible.

If ever an opening scene in television kept you hooked for a whole series, then The Newsroom certainly succeeded in that department. Once Will McAvoy delivers his incredibly blunt speech about America’s declining reputation, your interest in this series goes up completely. It enables us to appreciate Sorkin’s genius as a writer in the way he indulges us with his no-nonsense views on what is wrong with America and how it can be repaired. Each episode goes deep into the news with the fictional team constructing the real-life reports which cover up nothing and reveals important real-life issues that have been debated by Americans over the past year and a half including the BP spill and the Casey Anthony trial. Of course non-American audiences will struggle to really understand the anti-political tirades delivered by McAvoy regarding the Republican/Tea Party rivalry but that is what makes this programme fascinating as Sorkin’s fluency in writing teaches us why these stories are important to the American people. When his script is all set, he allows his actors the chance to indulge in their characters with some of them being effectively cast. Jeff Daniels, always associated for his goofiness in film, is on top form as the gruff and agitated news anchor whose opening episode speech truly defines him as a flawed human being straight away and allows us to finally appreciate Daniels’s talent as an all-round actor. It is his chemistry with the characters that also works especially in his scenes with Mortimer’s Mac as the two bounce off each other via Sorkin’s sharp and witty dialogue. Younger actors like John Gallagher Jr and Thomas Sadoski (as the two authoritative producers) are more suited to Sorkin’s pacy script through their character interpretations though rather unexpectedly it is the gorgeous Olivia Munn who surprises everyone as the fast-talking newsreader Sloan Sabbath who adds seldom and reluctance to her role. Finally the old guard of Sam Waterston and the briefly-used Jane Fonda add long-term experience to the series with Waterston terrific as the loyal boss of the news team in what is probably his best performance since The Killing Fields. As for Fonda, she only appears in three episodes but makes a harsh impact in the first one with a full-scale rant about Will’s reputation which overshadows nearly all the other female performances on the show. She isn’t a two-time Oscar winner for nothing!

The series though is flawed by Sorkin’s representation of certain female characters. While the Sloan and Leona characters were interesting to watch, the same couldn’t be said for the two key females on the show. British actor Emily Mortimer may be charming in her role as Mac but having her use an English accent rather than an American one does make the character seem farcical when she spends some scenes gesturing to her team about the importance of reporting the American news. This becomes just as irritable during a couple of big speeches to Will especially in the penultimate episode which completely falls flat with its silly twist. However the more cringe-worthy performance is from Allison Pill as the insecure intern Maggie who in the first episode showed promise when trying to help Will. But Sorkin’s decision to create a cheesy and awkward love-triangle involving her and Jim (Gallagher Jr) just took away the crispness of the show’s plot and made her come across as desperate. Watch the scenes involving her and Jim at a wedding dress shop and you’ll know what I mean!

VERDICT: Whilst bogged down by its silly romantic sub-plot, The Newsroom succeeds as a refreshing and innovative programme with terrific performances and a fine script from Sorkin with enough promise for Series Two. The news has never looked any better on television!