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!!!
