‘The Newsroom’ is by far one of the best TV shows I have watched! That is how I decided to describe ‘The Newsroom’ after completing season two, though I must say that ‘The Newsroom’ might not be for everyone. I know some people, who have seen the show and had no idea what it was about; it was more of the case of “I don’t care or couldn’t care less”. Let me clarify that these are the same people, who enjoy and are glued to shows like ‘Revenge’ and ‘Devious Maids’.
The Newsroom – The Beginning
‘The Newsroom’ premiered on HBO on June 24, 2012. The reasons I was interested in watching this new series are because I watch all new TV series and the fact that the ‘The Newsroom’ was written by Aaron Sorkin, the same man who is behind ‘The Social Network’. ‘The Newsroom’ wouldn’t be the show that it is without its ensemble cast, which includes Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn and Sam Waterston.
‘The Newsroom’ has the best opening scene in this history of television opening scenes, according to me.
The Newsroom – What is it about?
‘The Newsroom’ shows you what happen behind the scenes at a news channel. You have seen the news countless times on TV, but do you know what goes on before the news is aired and broadcasted on TV? This is exactly what ‘The Newsroom’ is about. Watching ‘The Newsroom’, I have understood how difficult and stressful it is to work at a news channel. I have also understood why news anchors and reporters are respected. Sadly with the modern technology these days, the news isn’t just what it was 20 years ago. ‘The Newsroom’ shows you the drama that happens before the news reporters and the producers decide to air important news. Yes, ‘The Newsroom’ basically recaps past events, especially huge events, and shows you the trouble that the cast and crew had to go through to bring you these important events on TV. So if you don’t read the news and are not familiar, there’s a high chance you won’t get what ‘The Newsroom’ is about!
The Newsroom – Cast
Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy
I have known Jeff Daniels since I saw the ridiculously made ‘Dumb & Dumber’ that also had Jim Carrey in it. Jeff was also in ‘Speed’, which was ages ago and mostly remembered because of Sandra Bullock. It was a surprise to see Jeff acting in a drama like ‘The Newsroom’. After his introduction scene in ‘The Newsroom’, I found it even harder to believe that it was the same guy, who acted in ‘Dumb & Dumber’! Television is like a second chance for movie actors; most of them are doing great and earning a great reputation for themselves by appearing on television. Jeff did a great job on season one of ‘The Newsroom’, so much so that you start seeing him as his character Will McAvoy. Jeff also won a Primetime Emmy for his performance of Will McAvoy in season one of ‘The Newsroom’. In season two, Jeff’s character is much more loveable than on season one. Again, he has done a splendid job portraying a heartbroken, serious, annoying and understanding Will McAvoy.
Emily Mortimer as MacKenzie McHale
Emily Mortimer is loveable in every movie or TV show she does; I guess that’s just her personality or maybe her voice! I remember her from ’30 Rock’ and ‘Pink Panther’. I was quite surprised to see her in ‘The Newsroom’, as she’s British. It doesn’t really matter as she does play a British TV news producer on the show. Emily plays MacKenzie McHale, who was once engaged to Jeff Daniels’ character until she cheated on him with her ex. Because of this, which is revealed as season one unfolded on TV, there’s a love-hate relationship between Will McAvoy and MacKenzie McHale. But on the whole, MacKenzie McHale is not the usual mean TV news producer; she loves and respects the people she works with. At the end of season two of ‘The Newsroom’, a huge development is revealed that will change everything for MacKenzie McHale.
Alison Pill as Maggie Jordan
Prior to watching ‘The Newsroom’, I had no idea who Alison Pill was. Now after watching two seasons of ‘The Newsroom’, I see no one else playing the role of Maggie Jordan! Alison’s character in ‘The Newsroom’ is like an everyday girl. At the beginning of season one, Maggie is involved romantically with one of the TV news producers in ‘The Newsroom’ and by the end of season one, she finds herself falling for another character on the show. In season two, we saw Maggie evolve in a really harsh way, so much so that you feel sorry for her on the show. I do hope there’s a better Maggie in season three as she looked like she needs it at the end of season two.
Olivia Munn as Sloan Sabbith
When I watched season one of ‘The Newsroom’, I couldn’t believe that the producers hired Olivia Munn to be on this show! Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about Olivia. It’s just that compared to everyone else on this show, she’s the least experienced one. I saw her in 2011 in the TV show ‘Perfect Couples’ in which she was amazing as the controlling beautiful wife. Sadly though, the how was canceled after just one season. Then she was in a very small role in ‘Date Night’, a movie that had Tina Fey and Steve Carell as the lead. As season one of ‘The Newsroom’ progressed, I have to admit I couldn’t see anyone else in the role of Sloan Sabbith. With everyone noticing Jeff Daniels in ‘The Newsroom’, there’s a huge chance that the talent of Olivia Munn will go unnoticed. In season two of ‘The Newsroom’ though, Olivia’s character gets more screen time and it’s nice to see how she IS Sloan Sabbith. Every time she comes on screen in ‘The Newsroom’, she’s funny and witty. I like how season two ended for Sloan Sabbith. Let’s see what they have in store for her in season three of ‘The Newsroom’.
John Gallagher, Jr.as Jim Harper
When I saw the first episode of ‘The Newsroom’, I couldn’t help but notice how adorable the character Jim Harper was. Jim Harper and Maggie Jordan are two of the most adorable characters in ‘The Newsroom’. This is the first time I have seen John Gallagher Jr. on screen and here in ‘The Newsroom’, he is just perfect for the role of Jim Harper. I personally think that in season one John’s character was better than in season two. I would definitely like to see John and Maggie together, maybe that be their storyline for season three of ‘The Newsroom’.
Thomas Sadoski as Don Keefer
I hated Thomas Sadoski’s character in season one of ‘The Newsroom’, but in season two Thomas’ character Don Keefer undergoes a nice change; a change that is invisible, but there. Don in season one was the bad boyfriend. He was seeing Maggie Jordan in season one when he realized that Maggie had feelings for Jim Harper. In season two, Don and Maggie are good friends and the topic of the breakup is never brought up. However Don grows slightly closer to Sloan Sabbith and by the end of season two, a nice development happened between Sloan and Don; I would say a sweet development!
Dev Patel as Neal Sampat
You might and I do remember Dev Patel from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. Since then, Dev has embarked on a movie journey that is best forgotten. Sad to say, but Dev’s role as Neal Sampat in ‘The Newsroom’ is his best so far. Neal is just the techie and nerdie guy, who fixes computers, the network’s website and sometimes comes up with these ridiculous stories that no one is interested in.
Sam Waterston as Charlie Skinner
Charlie Skinner is the nicest character in ‘The Newsroom’. Played by Sam Waterson, Charlie Skinner plays the boss of everyone working in this office. He’s there for them, he understands them and somehow his character is never the bad guy – not that he deserves to be. He’s almost like everyone’s grandfather in ‘The Newsroom’. It’s nice, a break from the usual pervert roles of older men working in news rooms or behind-the-scenes.
The Newsroom – The Future
The end of season two of ‘The Newsroom’ looked like the END of the show. Everyone ended up finding what they were looking for with the exception of Maggie and Jim – the characters. It did come as a surprise when Will decided to pop the question as it seemed to have come out of nowhere. It does seem to me that the makers of ‘The Newsroom’ probably ended the show this way as maybe they didn’t want to come back. Aaron Sorkin claimed before that it was very difficult to write a show like ‘The Newsroom’. I can imagine it as it’s definitely one of the smartest shows around with one of the greatest storylines and dialogues. Aside from Maggie and Jim, I see the last episode of season two as closure for all the characters on ‘The Newsroom’. If that’s not the case, then let’s see what the future holds for ‘The Newsroom’.
The Newsroom – On DVD
‘The Newsroom’ is available on DVD everywhere and currently, there are two seasons of the show.