The Newsroom: The Complete Series (Blu-ray Review)
STARRING: Alison Pill, Emily Mortimer, Jeff Daniels
RATED: UR/Region: A/1:78/1080P/NUMBER OF DISCS 9
AVAILABLE FROM Warner Home Entertainment
The Newsroom is what happens when Aaron Sorkin decides the nightly news isn’t preachy enough and boldly asks, “What if everyone talked faster, smarter, and with way more moral certainty than any real human being?” The result is a show that’s smug, self-righteous, and completely convinced it’s the smartest person in the room—and somehow, that’s exactly why it works.
Yes, it lectures. Constantly. It doesn’t just get on its soapbox, it builds a custom, artisanal soapbox out of righteous indignation and perfectly timed monologues. And yet, when Jeff Daniels’ Will McAvoy launches into one of those speeches, you don’t roll your eyes so much as you sit there thinking, damn it, he’s right. Or at least, he sounds right while talking at a velocity that could power a small city.
The cast is stacked with Sorkin specialists who know how to sell dialogue that no actual newsroom has ever uttered. Emily Mortimer brings heart, Sam Waterston radiates gravitas like it’s a renewable resource, and the supporting cast treats walk-and-talks as an extreme sport. The chemistry is so good you’re willing to forgive the fact that the show frequently rewrites recent history as a fantasy where journalists always say the perfect thing at exactly the perfect moment.
Sure, The Newsroom is earnest to the point of near parody. It believes deeply in journalism, facts, and the radical notion that the news should actually inform people. How embarrassing. How refreshing. In an age of cynicism, the show’s sincerity feels almost rebellious, even when it’s busy patting itself on the back for being morally superior.
Is it subtle? Absolutely not. Is it preachy? Constantly. Is it compelling, sharply acted, and weirdly addictive? Without question. The Newsroom may not tell you how the news really works—but it will remind you how good television works: smart dialogue, big emotions, and the confidence to argue loudly for giving a damn.
