Pilot Review: The Newsroom

The Newsroom (HBO)
Premiered June 24 at 10pm

Expectations are incomparably high for this show. This is only Aaron Sorkin’s fourth-ever TV series. His first, “Sports Night,” lasted two seasons, and his third, “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” made it through just one. “The West Wing,” however, enjoyed seven successful seasons and earned and a handful of Emmy Awards. Sorkin is back to making TV about TV now, and the best part is that he has a network that’s all but guaranteed to stand by him, HBO. Like “Studio 60,” this series opens with an on-air meltdown featuring an intense tirade by a TV personality. Unlike Judd Hirsch, who was just a one-time guest star on that show, Jeff Daniels is the star of this series. The extra-long pilot serves to introduce all of the other characters, and it works in a crisis-management format that may not continue to be the style for the rest of the show. As can be expected, there is plenty of highfalutin talk to be found in the first episode, and characters often go minutes at a time without letting themselves be interrupted. Some of the actors handle Sorkin’s material better than others, though it remains to be seen how they’ll factor into future episodes. Daniels played a similarly unlikeable man who thought highly of himself in “The Squid and the Whale,” and here he’s rather detestable but still commands respect. Emily Mortimer is magnificent as MacKenzie, his new executive producer who takes charge, and John Gallagher, Jr., a Tony Award winner for “Spring Awakening,” is a real find as her right-hand man Jim. It’s lovely to Alison Pill from “In Treatment” as the desperate and dedicated accidental assistant Margaret, and, though he’s harder to like, Thomas Sadoski does a great job in a tough spot as the outgoing Don. Sam Waterston shines in a role that lets him do more in one hour than he did in all the episodes of the last few seasons of “Law & Order” combined. The show drags a bit in its middle, but the handling of the crisis demanded attention and made for an incredible twenty or so minutes of television. Let’s hope there’s more of that to come. I liked learning that MacKenzie actually did make the signs, and I’d love to dig deep into these characters, which I’m sure we’ll do.

How will it work as a series? Sorkin hasn’t yet been able to enjoy a cable network where his seasons have only ten episodes, so, rather than produce filler content, he’ll be able to really focus and hone the best plotlines for the remaining nine hours, which will likely be less sensational but just as gripping as this one, if his past work is any indication. News is great ground for material.
How long will it last? The pilot ratings weren’t in the league of HBO’s megahits “Boardwalk Empire” and “Game of Thrones,” but I’m not sure anyone expected them to be. This show has a certain appeal to a distinct crowd, and I think that’s just the audience HBO wants to be serving. A renewal may not be right around the corner, but it’ll come.

Pilot grade: B+