"The Newsroom" Season Two Teaser

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HBO's "The Newsroom" returns for season two on July 14th.

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Aaron Sorkin made his name as the writer of beloved political series ‘The West Wing.’ He is also the man who made statistics and whiteboards thrilling in ‘Moneyball’ and ‘The Social Network.’ So in the summer of 2012 it was surprising to see quite a mixed reaction to his next project, ‘The Newsroom.’ The show is about news anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels). His life changes when his ex-girlfriend is hired as the executive producer of his show. As he and Mackenzie (Emily Mortimer) begin to work together they develop a new way to present the news where the focus is on journalism, real people and real issues rather than gossip and rumour. The difficulty they find is balancing this with the wishes of television bosses and maintaining ratings without pop culture pieces and gossip.

For many critics, the first series was flawed because the idealistic tone made the show feel indulgent and come across as morally superior. Almost all of the strong characters are ideologically liberal and moral whereas the more right wing characters are depicted as the villains. This is nothing new for Sorkin. Strong characters with this viewpoint are a Sorkin trope that was one of the biggest criticisms of the ‘The West Wing’ but did not stop it becoming one of the most popular television series of all time, alongside the likes of ‘The Sopranos.’

For me ‘The Newsroom’ was one of the best new shows of 2012 regardless of all the criticism and debates it caused. The first series evolved as it went on, reducing the length and speed of the dialogue and tightening the key relationships. This is not a show for everybody but for fans of political drama, long conversations in corridors, dry humour and the video clip form the pilot episode (above) I cannot recommend it enough. With the new series starting on Sky Atlantic in August, here are the reasons I can’t wait:

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One of the most endearing qualities of HBO’s sophomore series “The Newsroom” is the fact that it takes place largely in the not too distant past. This is mainly done to showcase the off camera drama of covering events such as the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the killing of Osama bin Laden, and the shooting of U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, among other major news events of the last 2 years at the Atlantis Cable News network in New York City.

Season one’s finale left ACN anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) in an implied state of limbo at the anchor desk at News Night after he slammed the Tea Party movement in the United States, referring to them as “the American Taliban.” This broadcast took place in August of 2011. From what we’ve seen of the season 2 trailer, it will pick up roughly 14 months later which would put us in or around October 2012, smack dab before the 2012 election that awarded Barack Obama a second term in office. It also confirms that News Night will cover the formation of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

However, much more happened during those 14 months and after the election; the writers room definitely had their hands full with big news events of the last couple of years, but these 5 would most definitely make for a compelling season 2.

Read more at http://whatculture.com/tv/the-newsro...RFI7KO0qCjD.99

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http://www.newsday.com/entertainment...shot-1.5662939

Give Aaron Sorkin another chance, as he's made the show sharper and edgier, says Verne Gay. "What this show needed to do -- and in the first episode, absolutely has done -- is get tougher, leaner and create that sense that the 'newsroom' is a real place, and not a soapbox for McAvoy (as proxy for Sorkin) to occasionally ascend. Sunday's episode is much more about process -- the manifold little things that add up to one very big thing, a nightly TV news broadcast." PLUS: Season 2 has less moralizing, so there's more to like, Season 2 is both really good and really bad just like last year, the new "Newsroom" is a lot more fun to watch, and Olivia Munn is able to overcome the Sorkinese.
Read more at http://www.hitfix.com/tv-tattle#2CblVlSEQV8LQj3C.99