The Newsroom [HBO - Spoilers]

JP Liz V1 · 08-09-2011 9:02pm #1

HBO is giving Aaron Sorkin’s cable news project a green light: The Social Network and West Wing writer’s behind-the-scenes drama about a fictional cable news network just earned a series order at the network.
The series centers on a cable news anchor (Jeff Daniels), his new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), his newsroom staff (Alison Pill, John Gallagher, Jr., Olivia Munn, Dev Patel, Thomas Sadoski) and their boss (Sam Waterston).
The logline: “Together they set out on a patriotic and quixotic mission to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles and their own personal entanglements.” Basically: The backstage cable network drama of Sorkin’s Sports Night combined with a probable dash of West Wing-style media politics.
The project is officially untitled but has been working under the name More as the Story Develops. Sorkin is executive producing along with Scott Rudin and Alan Poul.

Hopefully it does well on HBO I think it should do with Daniels and Waterston in the cast

Skid · 08-09-2011 10:11pm

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Source

Hopefully it does well on HBO I think it should do with Daniels and Waterston in the cast

Looks good, similar enough territory to 'Sports Night' for Aaron Sorkin although the Newsroom setting would give him more scope for meatier plotlines.

Biggins · 08-09-2011 10:14pm

I look forwards to seeing this and how it turns out.

expectationlost · 08-09-2011 10:43pm

i tried to watch sports night but couldn't stand the laugh track and the forced repetitive 'comedy' pity cos there were great polemics in it.

JP Liz V1 · 15-12-2011 2:42pm

Jane Fonda has joined in a recurring role

AnonoBoy · 15-12-2011 6:43pm

Remember The Newsroom from the 90's?

That was a great news TV show. Canadian I believe.

Skinfull · 16-12-2011 11:06am

Sports night was quality TV as was West Wing. Looking forward to this. Any dates or casting details?

The Black Oil · 02-04-2012 9:30am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC8ovJYAU3U

Didn't like the social media blended into it, but it does look good and clearly Sorkinesque. Slightly sweary trailer for those in work, etc.

Kiith · 02-04-2012 10:31am

Looks good. Will definitely give it a shot anyway.

Biggins · 02-04-2012 1:48pm

http://thedailyedge.thejournal.ie/trailer-west-wing-creator-returns-with-new-tv-drama-404214-Apr2012/

IN A WORLD where it’s the on-screen talent that usually takes all the plaudits, it’s rare that a screenwriter becomes so revered that his own name becomes as big an attraction as the actors appearing in their work.

That’s the case of Aaron Sorkin, however, a script writer who was already feted for play-cum-film A Few Good Men, TV series Sports Night and movie The American President before translating leftover ideas for the latter into The West Wing.

That series became one of the most celebrated of all time, winning 26 Emmy awards in its seven-season tenure, with Sorkin writing all but 3 of the first 89 episodes before moving on.

After returning to TV with the short lived ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’, a series on the backstage life at a Saturday Night Live-esque comedy show, he was honoured with an Academy Award for his adapted screenplay for Facebook drama The Social Network.
His latest effort, coming to American screens in June, is another TV-based drama: The Newsroom – a drama on life behind a cable news channel, featuring an ensemble cast led by Jeff Daniels.

I am SO looking forward to this show!

Skinfull · 02-04-2012 1:49pm

Love it but I'm not sure how it will translate into episodic TV. Seems more like movie fodder. but hell, Sorkin? I'm in.

JP Liz V1 · 02-04-2012 2:10pm

Black Oil wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC8ovJYAU3U

Didn't like the social media blended into it, but it does look good and clearly Sorkinesque. Slightly sweary trailer for those in work, etc.

I kinda like the social media blend in the trailer myself

mikom · 02-04-2012 3:23pm

"Arrrgh, Harry, your hands are freezing."

Looks good.

Otacon · 02-04-2012 3:42pm

Is Thomas Schlamme involved in this show?

PhiloCypher · 02-04-2012 4:07pm

"I'm a republican the only reason I sound liberal is that I believe hurricanes are caused by high barometric pressure and not gay marriage"

Looking forward to this .

Biggins · 02-04-2012 5:03pm

PhiloCypher wrote: »

"I'm a republican the only reason I sound liberal is that I believe hurricanes are caused by high barometric pressure and not gay marriage"

Looking forward to this .

The West Wing was supposedly slanted towards a Democratic point of view so it will be interesting to see how this one goes.
Its not as if the Republican's haven't given him enought material to work with! LOL :pac:

kevohmsford · 02-04-2012 6:30pm

Anyone know when this show is due for release, should be decent show.

Ludo · 02-04-2012 8:47pm

kevohmsford wrote: »

Anyone know when this show is due for release, should be decent show.

June 24th is current scheduled date.

Really looking forward to this. Enjoy all of Sorkins stuff.

Biggins · 02-04-2012 8:48pm

kevohmsford wrote: »

Anyone know when this show is due for release, should be decent show.

I think its June 24th.
...According to this: http://gawker.com/5898403/the-newsroom-aaron-sorkin-loathes-the-internet-youth

Another write-up about the show: http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2012/apr/02/the-newsroom-trailer-aaron-sorkin-hbo

expectationlost · 02-04-2012 8:48pm

he's obviously going for the decent republican thing.

cml387 · 02-04-2012 8:51pm

Good heads up-thanks.

Now the fears that the Republicans will be too nice like Alan Alda and that it all falls into a kind of mushy love in.

Skid · 02-04-2012 10:10pm

cml387 wrote: »

Good heads up-thanks.

Now the fears that the Republicans will be too nice like Alan Alda and that it all falls into a kind of mushy love in.

That's the one thing I don't like about Sorkin's work (The West Wing and Sportsnight, anyway). He is prone to drifting into sentimantility at times which can ruin a great episode. You can gloss over it because everything else is so good, but it is annoying.

Skinfull · 02-04-2012 10:26pm

Skid wrote: »

That's the one thing I don't like about Sorkin's work (The West Wing and Sportsnight, anyway). He is prone to drifting into sentimantility at times which can ruin a great episode. You can gloss over it because everything else is so good, but it is annoying.

Agreed, kinda. But with Alan Alda (love that guy!) playing a republican (also in the audio book version of WWZ!) I think its playing against cast. And I like it. I mean they cant all be gun toting Alaskans, or nutjobs like Colbert. There has to be some intelligent "easy to love" republicans, and it will be really interesting to see how Sorkin writes them, we all know he can write democratic.

My only wish is for Bradley Whitford to make an appearance.

And I wouldn't hurt anyone is Timothy Bushfield also arrived!

Biggins · 02-04-2012 10:30pm

Skid wrote: »

That's the one thing I don't like about Sorkin's work (The West Wing and Sportsnight, anyway). He is prone to drifting into sentimantility at times which can ruin a great episode. You can gloss over it because everything else is so good, but it is annoying.

No one is perfect.
Writers sometimes allow (too much?) sentimentality when they are writing about something they partly feel strong about.
We all can be prone to it, by accident or design.
So far Sorkin has done a damn good job of using sentimentality to good effective effect rather than bad effect more often than others.
The serious amount of awards, respect and accolades he has gained over decades is testament to this alone.

Skid · 02-04-2012 11:18pm

Biggins wrote: »

No one is perfect.
Writers sometimes allow (too much?) sentimentality when they are writing about something they partly fell strong about.
We all can be prone to it, by accident or design.
So far Sorkin has done a damn good job of using sentimentality to good effective effect rather than bad effect more often than others.
The serious amount of awards, respect and accolades he has gained over decades is testament to this alone.

Yeah, to be fair I am being a bit churlish in my criticism. It's just something that bugs me. But Sorkin is a class apart. I just finished The West Wing again, it is unbelievably good. He deserves all the awards, respect and accolades you mention.