The Newsroom

In the tradition of his earlier 'behind-the-scenes of TV' shows, Aaron Sorkin's The Newsroom takes a hard (and witty) look at the behind the scenes of cable news. And like all his other shows, The Newsroom deals as much with themes of honour, ethics, loyalty, idealism and love, as it does with the news. It's also written in Sorkinese – Aaron Sorkin's fast-paced, back-and-forth, sing-song dialogue that'll leave you heady on a good day but with a headache on a bad one.

So, like critics have lambasted, is it "weighted too heavily toward sermonizing diatribes (LA Times)?" Maybe. Does it "choke on its own sanctimony (NY Times)?" Perhaps. Is it "yet another platform in which to Set the People Straight is a worthwhile purpose (Huffington Post)?" Most definitely yes. But is this all really so horribly, terribly bad? NO!

The main bone of contention for critics for this show seems to be that it tries too hard to be good, do good and instill good, just like all of Sorkin's earlier work. But when did that become a crime, in times of shows about becoming the next scrawniest supermodel, douchiest reality housemate or Tim Allen's 30th comeback? What's wrong with a show fantasizing about a world upheld by a long-forgotten morality in a time infested with shows that fall over each other to portray stark, grim realities and apocalyptic futures?

The Newsroom's got a fantastic cast with enough charm to last you till the next Woody Allen movie. Emily Mortimer's already got me falling in love with her, Jeff Daniel makes you really root for him, John Gallagher Jr and Alison Pill have an instant chemistry and Sam Waterson's singularly enough to bring you back every week. Yes, it's longer than it needed to be, and yes, it could have done with a little more Noam Chomsky and a little less Don Quixote. But really, as long as it does what so few show can ever claim to together – rouse you, make you think and ENTERTAIN, bloody well at that – who's complaining?

Admittedly, I'm a fan of Aaron Sorkin. I've seen (repeatedly) and LOVED Sports Night and The West Wing, and I think Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is one of the best shows ever made. His writing has inspired me in the past, and after watching The Newsroom, I have all reasons to believe that it will continue to, well into the future.

Critics be damned, watch this show simply because it's good television. It may not change the world, but at least it's trying to.

I think it's safe to say that this show ended way too soon. It would be interesting to see how the show would have handled all the way from the lead up to the 2016 election, through the 4 years of ... interesting times during the 45th President's administration, and the 2020 election and its aftermath.

I've been watching television for all of my 57 years on the planet. It is a rare thing when I see a show that grabs me from the first moments and holds me to my chair until the very last, but this just happened tonight as I watched the first episode of The Newsroom. Brilliant writing, terrific characters, excellent dialog, smooth and sexy directing that organically brought all the pieces together, and there couldn't have been better casting. Every character just felt exactly right. When it was over, I said this will be the new West Wing. Jeff Daniels shines in this role and what a great opportunity to showcase his effortless acting. I can easily see major Hollywood "A" listers grabbing their telephone's right now making late Sunday night calls to their agents demanding they get a guest appearance on The Newsroom. I was hoping for good when I heard about this show last winter, but what was delivered was excellence. Well done HBO. You've got me hooked. Well done!

Rarely does a television show come along and sweep you off your feet with brilliant writing, an amazing cast and an actual message that is relevant and inspirational. Aaron Sorkin has done it again with The Newsroom! This show is truly a display of what television can achieve if we have the right people who are willing to break the rules of the mundane drab to make an engaging and intelligent show.

Jeff Daniels plays Will McAvoy, the cautious, veteran news anchor tiptoeing with his career in order to "play it safe", concerned more with keeping his ratings than stepping on toes. He has the smarts, the background and the ability to be something more, a challenger of beliefs and a defender of ideals, but lacks the motivation until Mackenzie MacHale (played beautifully by Emily Mortimer), a woman from his past, reenters his life. She is the spark to ignite his flame and gets him burning with an unquenchable passion once again.

Within the first five minutes of the show, Jeff Daniels delivers a speech of Aaron Sorkin's words about the state of America that is extremely touching, stimulating and brutally true for a vast majority of the population. It's reminiscent of his West Wing days, but with even more flare and aggression. I only hope he can keep the pace that he has set with the pilot; the bar is set high.

I have never felt as driven to make sure other people understood just how perfect a show was. Not for Game of Thrones, Firefly, Sopranos or any of the other shows I obsess about. But this show changed that! This show boils down everything that is wrong with America and puts out a simple answer to solving that. DO THE BLOODY NEWS LIKE IT'S NEWS NOT A HIGH SCHOOL PROM ELECTION!

Jeff Daniels is perfect in his role as the tired beaten down journalist that just doesn't give a damn about anything anymore, but used too. And we can see the spark that ignites him to become great again. Why aren't real reporters like this? Why oh why?

If this show get's cancelled I will camp out in front of HBO HQ and not leave till the last Game of Thrones series comes out (because I have to get on with my life at some point).

This was my first review ever on IMDb, all because of this amazing show! You better watch it as well!