Aaron Sorkin has written some of the most iconic political television ever made, with The West Wing still remaining his defining achievement. But a decade after that series changed the landscape of prestige drama, Sorkin returned to TV with another ambitious and idealistic show about American institutions. It didn’t have the same TV-defining presence, but it was unmistakably Sorkin, and far more worthwhile than many remember.
That series was HBO’s The Newsroom. Though its first two seasons drew mixed reviews and landed a middling Rotten Tomatoes score, the show is far more compelling than its reputation suggests. Anchored by a magnetic performance from Jeff Daniels, who deservedly won an Emmy for the role, the series stands out as one of the most thoughtful and well-crafted political dramas of the 2010s.
What Is Aaron Sorkin’s HBO Series ‘The Newsroom’ About?
Premiering in 2012 and running for three seasons on HBO, The Newsroom takes viewers behind the scenes of the fictional cable network ACN. Unlike The West Wing, which used fictional political crises to comment on current events, The Newsroom grounds its storytelling in the real-world breaking news of its time. It’s classic Sorkin from top to bottom, filled with his signature walk-and-talks, rich interpersonal dynamics, and ethical dilemmas, offering audiences a different perspective on the news stories that helped shape the world.
Leading the show and ACN itself is longtime anchor Will McAvoy (Daniels), who has built a reputation on being calm and relatively noncontroversial. That all changes when he delivers a now-famous onstage monologue about the state of the country which goes viral and forces him to confront what his job actually means. His world becomes even more chaotic when his ex-girlfriend and former executive producer, MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer), returns to rebuild his news broadcast. Together, with the help of his team, they attempt to create a nightly news show centered on truth, accountability, and responsible journalism, no matter the corporate, commercial, or personal obstacles in their way.
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Like The West Wing and Sorkin’s other ensemble-driven series like Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Newsroom works especially well because of its cast. There’s Sloan Sabbith (Olivia Munn), ACN’s brilliant but often underestimated (and sometimes awkward) financial analyst. Neal Sampat (Dev Patel) is the digital journalist whose storylines about online activism and whistleblowers proved years ahead of their time. Overseeing the entire operation is Charlie Skinner (Sam Waterston), the idealistic news division president who still believes journalism can serve the public good. Together, they form the backbone of a series that blends newsroom chaos with real-world urgency, all anchored by Daniels’ commanding lead performance.
Jeff Daniels’ Will McAvoy Is the Beating Heart of ‘The Newsroom’
It takes a special kind of actor to handle Aaron Sorkin’s writing. Not to just deliver it believably, but to keep pace with the operatic rhythm of his dialogue. Jeff Daniels proves he’s uniquely suited for it, playing Will McAvoy as the quiet powerhouse who holds the entire series together. Like Martin Sheen and Matthew Perry before him, Daniels takes Sorkin’s musical, densely layered writing — especially those epic Sorkin monologues — and breathes a different kind of life into it. His delivery is believable, magnetic, and emotionally on point.
In an interview with Collider back in 2018, Daniels described what it’s like to lock into Sorkin’s cadence, saying, “Once you find the rhythm, it’s like riding a wave.” You see that especially in The Newsroom’s most iconic moment in the Northwestern speech. It’s a scene he credits not only with defining the series, but with revitalizing his career and opening the door to roles in The Looming Tower and Godless. That speech will outlive me and Aaron,” Daniels said, and he’s probably right. While it’s certainly a brilliant moment, it’s only the beginning of his Emmy-winning performance. He turns Will McAvoy into one of Sorkin’s most compelling characters that audiences can admire and be infuriated with in the same moment.
HBO’s ‘The Newsroom’ Surprisingly Fell Flat With Critics
Critics weren’t always kind to The Newsroom. Some argued it was arrogant or overly idealistic, while others felt it simply hadn’t aged well. Those critiques aren’t entirely without merit. Sorkin has never shied away from being a bit preachy, but the criticism also overshadows how much the series genuinely gets right. In many ways, The Newsroom feels more relevant today than it did a decade ago as a show rooted in media responsibility at a time defined by misinformation and crumbling trust in institutions.
The Newsroom isn’t perfect, and some elements inevitably feel dated given today’s political and media landscape. While it’s not The West Wing, very few series are. What it is, though, is an idealistic, sharply written show, anchored by a career-best performance from Jeff Daniels, making it far better than its Rotten Tomatoes score suggests. If you’re craving a smart, character-driven show about journalism, power, and the imperfect people trying to get it right, The Newsroom absolutely deserves another look.
All three seasons of The Newsroom are available to stream on HBO Max.
- Release Date
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2012 – 2014-00-00
- Network
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HBO Max
- Writers
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Aaron Sorkin
