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The Newsroom - Season 2
There are few cable shows that are as unanimously bashed by critics as HBO's 'The Newsroom'. The show, following a team that puts together a cable news show, took on a moral high ground in the first season. The ideal pursuit of trustworthy news in a time when media aim for ratings instead of quality, was met with understandable negativity by the press. Creator Aaron Sorkin ('The West Wing') all but declared war on journalism and the critics were not going to stand idly by. After much negative press, Sorkin ultimately admitted he had some troubles with the critical reception of the show. When the show returned for its second season there were some consequential changes. The lecturing tone towards modern journalism is slightly softer, the not-so-subtle commentary on the state of commercial media a little more nuanced. Most of this stems from the overarching story of the second season: the story of Genoa.
The procedural style of the first season is now combined with a season long arc. There's a lawsuit against ACN and its senior staff, with charges against anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels, 'State of Play'), executive producer MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer, 'Doll & Em') and president of the news division, Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston, 'Law & Order'). A series of unfortunate events have led to a colossal mistake which questions the journalistic integrity of ACN. Sorkin knowingly put his own characters (he writes most of the scripts himself, with a small writers staff to support him) through the same perils he did the media a year ago. The story is incredibly well-crafted. Sidestories wave seamlessly into the larger narrative and result in a captivating portrait of 'institutional failures'. Without submerging into the sea of spoilers, the story is basically a career changing news story on such a scale that it requires a lot of confirmed sources. As the team collects these sources and slowly turn less skeptical to the unlikely story, you, as a viewer, are drawn in with them.
There aren't many shows that work extremely well with one story arc. Episodes are easily used as filler without moving the story forward at all. Luckily, it works rather engaging with this season. Not only is it baffling how believable the main story actually unfolds, it's also rather shocking how close it comes to the conflict in Syria this summer. If Sorkin ever wished for 'The Newsroom' to reflect better journalism with fictional stories, Genoa hits a home run. Unfortunately, there's also no sign of anyone not doing the right thing. The moral on this show is so high it can be smothering, which is why it's such a relish to see the likes of Jane Fonda, Chris Messina, Constance Zimmer, Marcia Gay Harden, Kelen Coleman and Hamish Linklater (all recurring guest stars on this season), give the regular cast a run for their money with sharp witted, reflective comments. This show revolves around a team effort to do the news better, so the dynamics that are set up between Jim (John Gallagher Jr., 'Short Term 12'), Don (Thomas Sadoski, 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'), Maggie (Alison Pill, ''The Pillars of the Earth') and Charlie with their respective rivals can be refreshing. The protagonists deserve their moral victory, but it's not handed to them on a silver platter. True character beats aren't Sorkin's strong suit, but through the sarcasm, quick wit and obstacles, there's a shimmer of hope that works inspiring, not revolting.
There's a lot more to this season than one storyline. Will is confronted with his public image after calling the Tea Party the American Taliban. This could easily be a short resolved PR issue but the complexity of Will's character allows for it to grow, slowly, ultimately resolving the question if he really needs the love of the public. Neil chases a story concerning Occupy Wall Street, which presents the perfect opportunity for us to re-evaluate what the hell that was all about. Maggie decides she wants to do journalism in Africa, but her story fails to really ground in any particular recent conflict in the continent. 'The Newsroom' joins 'ER' in spending an unnecessary amount time in "Africa" by not trying to inform the audience on actual pressing matters. Maggie comes back from Africa a changed woman, which becomes the only faulty result of Sorkin's last minute re-write of three episodes. Unsatisfied with the material he wrote, Sorkin pressed HBO to change some scripts (with overrunning costs that might easily explain why this season counts not 10 but 9 episodes), perhaps changing some stories that were meant to be cleared up. Save for Maggie, he succeeds almost everywhere else. Jim leaves the Newsroom to cover the Romney press campaign in New Hampshire, which of course leads to Sorkin's much criticized (but never not accurate or unfunny) bashing of the Republican party. Don and Charlie remain the voice of reasons in the show while MacKenzie becomes less of a punchline and more like 'the best EP in the business' we were once promised.
All in all, 'The Newsroom' improves on its first season. Not only because the forced comedy is a little bit less obtrusive, or the lecturing monologues are replaced with some welcome self-doubt, but also because it becomes more the show it should be. Instead of the Newsroom covering different subjects from recent memory every week, the show works better when it takes time to go in depth. The audience already knows the flashing headlines, so an explanatory look at campaign policies, Occupy Wall Street or drones, actually adds something. The season still preaches quality driven journalism opposed to ratings feeding pulp, but it does so with more self-awareness, more sense of character than before. Sorkin has (and never will be) a writer who can please everyone. The fast paced dialogue which throws numerous balls in the air in one conversation has to work for you. If you're not into serious conversations, yelling at cheap shots, Sorkin isn't the writer for you. But if you're looking for a way to believe in media again, somehow, with fictional characters and fake stories, 'The Newsroom' persuades you to do so, even if it's just a little bit.
Follow The NewsroomThe procedural style of the first season is now combined with a season long arc. There's a lawsuit against ACN and its senior staff, with charges against anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels, 'State of Play'), executive producer MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer, 'Doll & Em') and president of the news division, Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston, 'Law & Order'). A series of unfortunate events have led to a colossal mistake which questions the journalistic integrity of ACN. Sorkin knowingly put his own characters (he writes most of the scripts himself, with a small writers staff to support him) through the same perils he did the media a year ago. The story is incredibly well-crafted. Sidestories wave seamlessly into the larger narrative and result in a captivating portrait of 'institutional failures'. Without submerging into the sea of spoilers, the story is basically a career changing news story on such a scale that it requires a lot of confirmed sources. As the team collects these sources and slowly turn less skeptical to the unlikely story, you, as a viewer, are drawn in with them.
There aren't many shows that work extremely well with one story arc. Episodes are easily used as filler without moving the story forward at all. Luckily, it works rather engaging with this season. Not only is it baffling how believable the main story actually unfolds, it's also rather shocking how close it comes to the conflict in Syria this summer. If Sorkin ever wished for 'The Newsroom' to reflect better journalism with fictional stories, Genoa hits a home run. Unfortunately, there's also no sign of anyone not doing the right thing. The moral on this show is so high it can be smothering, which is why it's such a relish to see the likes of Jane Fonda, Chris Messina, Constance Zimmer, Marcia Gay Harden, Kelen Coleman and Hamish Linklater (all recurring guest stars on this season), give the regular cast a run for their money with sharp witted, reflective comments. This show revolves around a team effort to do the news better, so the dynamics that are set up between Jim (John Gallagher Jr., 'Short Term 12'), Don (Thomas Sadoski, 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'), Maggie (Alison Pill, ''The Pillars of the Earth') and Charlie with their respective rivals can be refreshing. The protagonists deserve their moral victory, but it's not handed to them on a silver platter. True character beats aren't Sorkin's strong suit, but through the sarcasm, quick wit and obstacles, there's a shimmer of hope that works inspiring, not revolting.
There's a lot more to this season than one storyline. Will is confronted with his public image after calling the Tea Party the American Taliban. This could easily be a short resolved PR issue but the complexity of Will's character allows for it to grow, slowly, ultimately resolving the question if he really needs the love of the public. Neil chases a story concerning Occupy Wall Street, which presents the perfect opportunity for us to re-evaluate what the hell that was all about. Maggie decides she wants to do journalism in Africa, but her story fails to really ground in any particular recent conflict in the continent. 'The Newsroom' joins 'ER' in spending an unnecessary amount time in "Africa" by not trying to inform the audience on actual pressing matters. Maggie comes back from Africa a changed woman, which becomes the only faulty result of Sorkin's last minute re-write of three episodes. Unsatisfied with the material he wrote, Sorkin pressed HBO to change some scripts (with overrunning costs that might easily explain why this season counts not 10 but 9 episodes), perhaps changing some stories that were meant to be cleared up. Save for Maggie, he succeeds almost everywhere else. Jim leaves the Newsroom to cover the Romney press campaign in New Hampshire, which of course leads to Sorkin's much criticized (but never not accurate or unfunny) bashing of the Republican party. Don and Charlie remain the voice of reasons in the show while MacKenzie becomes less of a punchline and more like 'the best EP in the business' we were once promised.
All in all, 'The Newsroom' improves on its first season. Not only because the forced comedy is a little bit less obtrusive, or the lecturing monologues are replaced with some welcome self-doubt, but also because it becomes more the show it should be. Instead of the Newsroom covering different subjects from recent memory every week, the show works better when it takes time to go in depth. The audience already knows the flashing headlines, so an explanatory look at campaign policies, Occupy Wall Street or drones, actually adds something. The season still preaches quality driven journalism opposed to ratings feeding pulp, but it does so with more self-awareness, more sense of character than before. Sorkin has (and never will be) a writer who can please everyone. The fast paced dialogue which throws numerous balls in the air in one conversation has to work for you. If you're not into serious conversations, yelling at cheap shots, Sorkin isn't the writer for you. But if you're looking for a way to believe in media again, somehow, with fictional characters and fake stories, 'The Newsroom' persuades you to do so, even if it's just a little bit.
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