The Newsroom

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!

I had attempted to watch the West Wing, but found it to be too dated. Newsroom was my second attempt to watch an Aaron Sorkin show. I absolutely fell in love with some of the characters, most notably Will McAvoy and Jim Harper.

The writing is absolutely brilliant. The dialogue is very witty and creates some fun situations. There are several comedic moments in the show while balancing massive news stories such as Deepwater Horizon or the assassination of OBL. What I love most is how often Don Quixote comes into play through dialogue.

The premise of the show is to report the news the correct way, not through calling attention to reality TV stars or a celebrity feud. Don Quixote and his mission to civilize is a frequent presence of the show. I identify far too much with Will McAvoy. Will is fiercely loyal, protective and can be a bit of an ass. Will was fine reporting stories that were not necessarily newsworthy until his former flame MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer) arrives as the new EP for his show. Mac forces and encourages him to report the actual news to the public. Will takes it upon himself to educate viewers, but also gossip columnists and others who he deems do not know the actual news. The relationship between Mac and Will is one of the series best.

Romance is a huge part of the show. There is a love between Will and Mac for the entirety of the series. I love Jim Harper (Josh Gallagher Jr.) though. He is kind, dorky and has the greatest bromance with Neal Sampat (Dev Patel). He also has a crush on fellow coworker Maggie Jordan (Alison Pill) and their chemistry is amazing.

Lastly, I was shocked to find the number of terrible reviews from numerous media outlets. The show does hope to change the way Americans view the news. The news does frequently mention the latest celebrity scandal and does not educate. The series hopes to fill that void. I believe that The NY Times, LA Times and others felt threatened by exposing the inner workings of a news station. I loved the show because it shows the idiocy of politicians, governmental mistakes and other key issues. Although, if you are conservative I do advise against watching the show.

I was very sad watching the series finale. I felt very close to some of the characters which is not something that happens to me very often. The series ends beautifully and I feel the series is so important as a whole. I wish the show was still continuing in the age of fake news, but I am thankful it was on for as long as it was. I found myself laughing, deep in thought and learning. I definitely recommend this!!!

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 am watching it for a second time. All of the critics are acting as if Aaron Sorkin kicked dirt in their faces. The critics said nothing of substance- just vitriolic rants. Maybe Sorkin has hit a nerve. In a sea of crap T.V. this is entertaining. Believe me, we all know that the Newsroom characters are no more realistic than President Bartlet or Sam or Toby, Josh,Leo, C.J., Josh, or Donna. I don't think for one minute that the President of the United States has a secretary who doles out cookies, but I desperately need to believe that we are capable of being all of these characters. I desperately need to be quixotic for an hour a week.

I watched this show after watching True Blood, which I watch out of habit on Sunday nights with my wife. I am SO glad we kept HBO on. I remember hearing about this show from different promos and snippets of interviews on the computer, but wow. Aaron Sorkin leaves his mark all over this show, right from the intro, which was very reminiscent of The West Wing right until the ending. Fantastic creation by him.

Without mentioning any spoilers, the show is about a news anchor (Jeff Daniels) who is beloved by his viewers but not so much by his co-workers and employees due to his aloofness, biting sarcasm, and general malaise. His character has a turning point in the opening scene and it is phenomenal. The writing, acting, cinematography, and tempo of the show are excellent. I fell in love with it right away. And how great is Sam Waterson on this show? I hope that this show has a domino effect and REAL news anchors take note and feel inspired. Hopefully, this show may lead to REAL NEWS STORIES by REAL NEWS ANCHORS. 9/10. Emmy's are DEFINITELY in this show's future.