by Kashish Sharma
It had long become a trend to produce shows which are profession oriented. Suits for lawyers, House or Greys Anatomy (lol) for doctors, and CSI and ridiculous amount of other shows based on detectives and police. Well, I offer you another show, ‘The Newsroom’. Now most of you are probably going on IMDB and searching up about this show, don’t. In spite of the rating which they present, which I completely agree with, their description is pathetic.
”A news anchor's life is stirred up when he's forced to work with a new team of colleagues.” – IMDB
Really, that’s all the show is about? Their one sentence description isn't even the minutest tip of the ice berg. We live in a world where media has become an ominous power, and that is what this show tries to portray. Ever wondered how news channels and reporters get their stories, the moral dilemmas they go through while pursuing real life facts? This show has pinch of alternative comedy, drama and more than anything, a slap of reality on our faces.
”A news anchor's life is stirred up when he's forced to work with a new team of colleagues.” – IMDB
Really, that’s all the show is about? Their one sentence description isn't even the minutest tip of the ice berg. We live in a world where media has become an ominous power, and that is what this show tries to portray. Ever wondered how news channels and reporters get their stories, the moral dilemmas they go through while pursuing real life facts? This show has pinch of alternative comedy, drama and more than anything, a slap of reality on our faces.
Jeff Daniels (from Dum and Dumber) plays the role of Will McAvoy, a famous TV news anchor who is ranked the second most watched anchor in America. Will is a celebrity, who not only is liked by the mere citizens, his daily viewers but by political parties due to his on-screen passiveness. Everything was going well for our hero until he humiliates a college girl for asking, “Why is America the greatest country in the world?” His apathetic and ignorant personality doesn’t really help him score any brownie points with people, thus socially alienating himself from others and avoiding relationships. Like all stories, things start changing when his ex, MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer) is asked to work as the executive producer as ACN’s (Atlantis Cable News) prime time with Will.
NO, its not some pathetic love story where Will becomes all gooey and nice after seeing his ex. Both, Will and MacKenzie attempt at placing their differences aside and work towards revolutionizing news reporting. Reporting news which has real content, un-adulterated stories which the audience deserves to hear.
OH, and there is Olivia Munn. Olivia plays the role of Sloan Sabbith, an extremely sexy economics nerd and news anchor in Will’s show. She actually contributes a lot in awkward moments and it’s a delight to watch her attempt in undermining her hotness with her geeky comments.
OH, and there is Olivia Munn. Olivia plays the role of Sloan Sabbith, an extremely sexy economics nerd and news anchor in Will’s show. She actually contributes a lot in awkward moments and it’s a delight to watch her attempt in undermining her hotness with her geeky comments.
Thanks to Dev Patel who plays the role of Neal Sampat, the world is once again reminded of the Indian stereotypical professional image of IT specialist. Neal writes Will’s blog, which Will isn't really aware of, and evidently, doesn't write … his ‘own’ blog. He is the go-to guy for all internet related problems! Neal is extremely inquisitive and pursues the most bizarre stories which generally get rejected. He doesn't fear in putting himself in danger for the well being of others (sacrificial Indian). Constantly dating random girls and passionately believes in the existence of Big Foot.
Then there is Jim Harper, played by John Gallagher. Jim is my favorite character in the entire show. He followed MacKenzie and put his job into jeopardy, without really knowing whether Will would accept them or not. This senior producer at ACN eventually becomes everyone’s favorite, on and off screen. He eventually develops feelings for Maggie, an associate producer who has the lowest self-confidence ever. Often regarded as a clumsy and the weakest worker in this ‘dream team’, she gradually becomes stronger and bolder, with Jim’s help of course.
Not so surprisingly though, when Jim first meets Maggie, Maggie’s involved in an on-off relationship with Don Keefer. Don is an executive producer at ACN who left Will for another anchor, Elliot Hirsch. He however collaborates a lot with the News Night team and plays a crucial role in helping Mac achieve her goals. And last but not the least, Charlie Skinner, an old former US Marine who is the President of ACN is a constant support and pivotal in helping the ‘News Night’ survive through the rough tides(metaphorical, of course).
Like every great show and story, there are enemies. In this case, the greedy rating-whore AWM’s (Atlantis World Media) President Reese Lansing. Nevertheless, Will and his team go against the media norms and battle the commercial world of news reporting. Despite of their individualistic political allegiances, they aim at reporting news in the most un-bias manner. This show has everything which one can relate to; political malfeasance, societal crisis, relationship complexities and light humor. Why wouldn't you want to watch this show? Regardless of no nude and sexual scenes in this show, it grasps the firm attention of its audience, and I say it’s because of the amazing content and the story line.