Sunday, August 12, 2012

The Newsroom

Before I begin, I need to disclose that I am indeed a HUGE fan of Aaron Sorkin. If I could get Aaron and Joss in a room together I think my mind would just go all explodey. Yes, new word, use it.


Aaron had me at Sports Night, then of course I followed him to West Wing and ran with him into Studio 60. I loved these shows because they had such heart, such feeling. Words are not wasted with Aaron, he uses them to evoke and to entice. There isn't a single episode he has written in which I did not at some point cry and then laugh. His views on love, friendship and loyalty are what I would hope we all strive for, the world would be a better place.

Now he has The Newsroom an aptly named show which concerns well.. here is the official blurb:

From the mind of Aaron Sorkin, creator of The West Wing and screenwriter of The Social Network and Moneyball,  comes The Newsroom,  a behind-the-scenes look at the people who make a nightly cable-news program. Focusing on a network anchor (played by Jeff Daniels), his new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), the newsroom staff (John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Olivia Munn, Dev Patel) and their boss (Sam Waterston), the series tracks their quixotic mission to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles-not to mention their own personal entanglements.

Ultimately, it is a show about people, extraordinary people who are regaining the honor and dignity of what it meant to "do the news". It is about ordinary people, once the news is done, that have hopes, dreams, tragedy and sorrow. To me, this show is a love story, as I believe are most of Aaron's shows.

It is HBO, so I think that limits a lot of people from seeing this wonderful show, but perhaps Hulu and other online avenues will open up. I currently watch it on HBO GO on my kindle fire. You have to have a subscription to HBO, but it is mobile and I can watch it while our 9 year old watches the same episode of ICarly or Disney channel show for the billionth time. (Actually I think ICarly isn't bad, good writers there)

Anyway, you should give The Newsroom a try, you may find a new passion.

2 comments:

  1. I never had watched an episode of The Newsroom, only seen some Meme’s from the show and heard small talk about it here and there. A coworker at Dish told me she thought I would love the show and seemed offended that I hadn’t been watching it. Friday and Saturday I made time to sit down and watch the first season, just like you I watched it online, but I already have Dish Online bookmarked, so I always get to HBO’s page through there. I like the show; it is a refreshing change from watching the History Channel and Discovery. Jeff Daniels is outstanding as Will and the supporting cast is just as talented. They have made a solid base to launch season 2 from, and hopefully there will be a few more.

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    1. We are in luck, the season 2 filming date has been confirmed by Emily Mortimer during a Q&A. She remarked, “we start shooting on November 12 this year.” I can't wait to see what season 2 has in store for us.

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