The Newsroom

:

Season 2
  • Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Jun 24, 2012
Season #: 3, 2, 1
User Score
7.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 140 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 107 out of 140
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 140
  3. Negative: 21 out of 140
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User Reviews

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  1. SJvandelay
    Aug 19, 2013
    3
    If Aaron Sorkin was looking for a way to make liberals look like pompous asses, he has succeeded. And as a liberal, any show which leaves me wincing and screaming obscenities at the television while theoretically reinforcing my own beliefs is a feat of great magnitude. I had hoped this show would improve from last season, but it seems to have gotten worse. If not for the love interestIf Aaron Sorkin was looking for a way to make liberals look like pompous asses, he has succeeded. And as a liberal, any show which leaves me wincing and screaming obscenities at the television while theoretically reinforcing my own beliefs is a feat of great magnitude. I had hoped this show would improve from last season, but it seems to have gotten worse. If not for the love interest they all seem to have in one another, none of the regular female characters would even be missed if they were written out of the script. (Allison Pill cuts off all her hair after a contrived tragedy is about as deep as it gets.)

    I audibly groan at the real-life events (Occupy Wall Street, bank crisis, as an example) that we are supposed to watch again, through the eyes of the PEOPLE WHO WOULD HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING, oh, this ridiculous news channel. And this season, even more contrived b.s. with biological weapons being used on civilians in some far off country that everyone in America knows would never get put on the nightly news. There's a royal baby being born after all. Jane Fonda and Marcia Gay Harden are the only bright lights.    … Expand
  2. markncheese
    Jul 15, 2013
    10
    This is a great show. The second season had a bit of a rough history but as far as I can tell, the show is going great. Still funny and still extremely smart, The Newsroom is a fast paced show in which you must pay close attention. Also, to those who say that the show is "unrealistic", they should go watch the evening news. One of the better shows airing now.
  3. WinterSoldierAM
    Jul 18, 2013
    9
    A great beginning to a new season of a series that pushes political boundaries and gives unique depth to recent events. This series is great due to the excellent acting and great contrast between drama and comedy. I can't wait to see where the new season goes.
  4. cucumber
    Jul 28, 2013
    1
    Quippy fake recycled aaron sorkin crap! Every character has the same lines, relationship and extreme level of glibness. The plot is not believable, but some of the acting is okay.
  5. CrimsonWarfish
    Jul 16, 2013
    8
    Ok so I wanted to step in here and speak up for what I find to be a terrific show. I've been hearing nonstop criticism of this show over the last few weeks and most of seems to boil down to "Aaron Sorkin is in love with his own opinion." Well yeah, yeah he is. So what? He's a writer. Writers write because they have a high opinion of their thoughts and opinions and want to share them withOk so I wanted to step in here and speak up for what I find to be a terrific show. I've been hearing nonstop criticism of this show over the last few weeks and most of seems to boil down to "Aaron Sorkin is in love with his own opinion." Well yeah, yeah he is. So what? He's a writer. Writers write because they have a high opinion of their thoughts and opinions and want to share them with others. They often express a view that they themselves hold to. What people are really mad at is that the views Sorkin is expressing are liberal views and liberal is still a dirty word in America. Yeah the liberal circlejerk of this show can be tiresome at moments and I'm not saying this is the best show on television or anything but compared to 90% of the shows on TV its pretty excellent storytelling, so maybe, just maybe, we could stop dragging it through the mud before it gets cancelled and we are left with one less quality show to watch. How about it?… Expand
  6. Captiosus
    Aug 8, 2013
    4
    Four episodes into Season 2 and I'm sad to say that the show has become stale, boring, and lost its spark.

    Sorkin is a brilliant process and thematic writer but he utterly stinks at creating interpersonal relationships and sexual tension. He stunk at it on West Wing and he stunk at it on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In the former, thankfully, he had fellow writers to help with the    Four episodes into Season 2 and I'm sad to say that the show has become stale, boring, and lost its spark.

    Sorkin is a brilliant process and thematic writer but he utterly stinks at creating interpersonal relationships and sexual tension. He stunk at it on West Wing and he stunk at it on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. In the former, thankfully, he had fellow writers to help with the "relationship" angle and the latter didn't last long enough for it to matter. Unfortunately with this season of The Newsroom, the relationships between Will and Mac, Jim and Maggie, and Sloan and Don have taken center stage and the writing has been horrendous. To give example, Hallie, Jim's pseudo-love interest while he hides away from Maggie and the ACN New York Office on the Romney campaign, offers the groanworthy line of, "I'm the rebound." (Aside, so uninspired is the writing that Hallie boasts regularly about being a Vassar grad; The actress who plays Hallie, Grace Gummer, is, in fact, a Vassar grad and Sorkin doesn't even attempt to give the character any more depth.)

    In the original season of The Newsroom, the news and the process of reporting drove the story. It was the news of the day which allowed Mac, Will, and Charlie to become "renegades" in AWM. The actual news, despite being old, felt like a character in the story, much as the act of politics felt like a character in Sorkin's West Wing. In Season 2 however, the primary story is told, essentially, through the narrative of AWM lawyer Rebecca Halliday (played by Marcia Gay Harden). The news stories no longer drive the story forward and feel like ancillary issues that are just "getting in the way" of the fictional story of "Genoa". The character of Neal Sampat is a prime example of how this change is hurting the show. In season 1, Neal played several key roles while establishing himself in The Newsroom. Thus far, he's been used only as a "liason" to the Occupy Wall Street movement because he's a stereotypical 'tech savvy millennial' who saw the online OWS propaganda. Furthermore, his efforts were undermined by Sorkin's continued focus on the fictional "Genoa", forcing a contrived connection between Neal's OWS story and the overarching fictional story.

    Also, one my BIGGEST gripes of the show from the first season still remains: Olivia Munn's character, Sloan Sabbath, simply does not need to exist and Munn's acting abilities bring down the cast as a whole. Her character's educational background is utterly unbelievable and Munn simply doesn't have the acting chops to pull off the character. Instead of coming across as an expert in economics she comes across as a grade-A airhead who is just reciting memorized script lines. Compare that to Martin Sheen's "President Bartlett", who was also a fictional economist but actually sounded the part. Sloan is also a completely redundant character. Her character flaws are the exact same as the character flaws in the other female leads (Mac and Maggie) and her love interest storyline is no different than those of Mac, Maggie, Will, Jim, and Don. If there is any doubt that Munn was included in the cast solely for sex appeal for the 18-34 year old demographic, the teaser for episode 5 (unaired at the time of writing this) should remove any doubt. In Episode 5's previews, Sloan's newest storyline involves a "revenge porn scandal" with softcore pornographic pictures posted on the internet. This story is only made possible by utilizing Munn's Playboy photoshoot and further undermines her attempts to portray a character that is an economics expert or career journalist.

    To get back on track, Sorkin needs to bring in co-writers for the relationship angles, axe Sloan from the cast as the character's redundancy and lack of believable direction is wasting valuable writer time, and get back to letting news drive The Newsroom rather than trying to direct a fictional story or love triangle with actual news as props.    … Expand
  7. volpino
    Jul 30, 2013
    2
    I really don't watch television to be patronized. Which leaves precious little to enjoy.

    Sorkin has overseen some passable television, some of it excellent, but Season 2 of the Newsroom desperately needed to begin with more than a continuation of grating condescension, too-obvious plot patches (i.e. must ensure sexual tension between Maggie and Jim goes unresolved by sending one out on    I really don't watch television to be patronized. Which leaves precious little to enjoy.

    Sorkin has overseen some passable television, some of it excellent, but Season 2 of the Newsroom desperately needed to begin with more than a continuation of grating condescension, too-obvious plot patches (i.e. must ensure sexual tension between Maggie and Jim goes unresolved by sending one out on the Romney campaign and the other to Africa thereby extending their unrequited attraction so that now there's two in the show (oh and another looming with Sloan and Don) so that we're covered there), some blatant, telegraphed slapstick and a few quips.

    The news is being forgotten. They've taken the news out of the Newsroom. There's an opportunity being missed to show another side to how our "news" stations have reported on important issues of the past few years, albeit with the complete opposite single eye and with a revisionist's pen. I know it has to be entertaining, but can it not be intelligently so? Or will that not sell what happened to the 'mission to civilize'?

    Oh and finally, Neal Sampat's social media and internet geek/fanboy caricature makes me want to vomit. Seriously, I think I cry tears of blood each time his earnest little platitudes insult my cochlea.    … Expand
  8. badfluffy
    Jul 17, 2013
    8
    Wow. Another season smashed by the critics. Surprise. I guess they don't like the media scrutinized. Nobody wants to be told they sold out and stink at their job. The season premiere was brilliant and they fixed some of the worst issues of season 1 by introducing a longer arc and killing the boring love triangle right away.
    For the record, nobody was "fired" from the show's first season.    Wow. Another season smashed by the critics. Surprise. I guess they don't like the media scrutinized. Nobody wants to be told they sold out and stink at their job. The season premiere was brilliant and they fixed some of the worst issues of season 1 by introducing a longer arc and killing the boring love triangle right away.
    For the record, nobody was "fired" from the show's first season. They only brought in new people and others moved on to shows where they would get to write actual scripts instead of helping with scripts written by Sorkin.
    Brilliant cast and great execution. Don't believe the trolls who post negative reviews just because they can't stand shows that dare to take position instead of schmoozing everyone or because they feel Republicans are not treated "fairly". Watch and get your own opinion.    … Expand
  9. jcwilliams410
    Jul 18, 2013
    8
    The first season of the show was fantastic. Aaron Sorkin did a great job bridging the gap between season one and season two. My only critique is that a lot of major events happened back to back with not too much time to digest everything. However, it IS the first episode. That's an aspect I could have predicted. Overall, great show. I urge everyone to keep watching.
  10. Karlybeze
    Jul 30, 2013
    10
    This is an amazing show. The cast ensemble is mixed and work well off each other. The show is intelligent, fast paced and exciting. It hits the heart with its real stories and leaves the viewers thinking and wanting more.
  11. shibboleth
    Aug 10, 2013
    10
    Brilliant shows. Very interesting to see news stories reported in a way that everyone should want. And the guy below that said the stories aren't believable is a moron. The stories are nearly all actual real stories. Not based on real stories, ACTUAL stories. The only story that isn't real is the Genoa story, but it is based on the actual CNN story from the 90's that turned out to beBrilliant shows. Very interesting to see news stories reported in a way that everyone should want. And the guy below that said the stories aren't believable is a moron. The stories are nearly all actual real stories. Not based on real stories, ACTUAL stories. The only story that isn't real is the Genoa story, but it is based on the actual CNN story from the 90's that turned out to be extremely wrong.… Expand
  12. giankot
    Sep 16, 2013
    10
    Season 2 is absolutely fantastic. More twists, a lot more drama, amazing acting, and some great news. I gotta give it to Aaron he never lets me down.
  13. Lokathor
    Jan 24, 2014
    6
    You have to love Aaron Sorkin to love this show at all, and it's full of contrivances even then, but if you are a Sorkin fan then this is 9 episodes of perfect Sorkin writing.

    The metaplot about the Genoa story being woven in with the other stories was a little clumsy at times, but there was a lot of fun character stuff mixed around so I think it balances out.
  14. Jhwarfield
    Sep 6, 2013
    8
    The Newsroom is the voice of the forgotten center of the political spectrum, screaming to return to the heart of journalism, to turn away from news cycles more concerned with commercial viability than integrity. Its focus on near history's pivotal moments makes the drama feel all the more real.
  15. MatthewArmishaw
    Sep 5, 2013
    10
    Never have I EVER been so interested in politics. This show makes you laugh, cry, get nervous and also somehow feel more witty than everyone else all at the same time. I love the writing, You are constantly on the edge of your seat. I wish every show was written in this format of fast-talking two-conversation-at-a-time way. I loved social network and I love this show! Two thumbs WAY up!Never have I EVER been so interested in politics. This show makes you laugh, cry, get nervous and also somehow feel more witty than everyone else all at the same time. I love the writing, You are constantly on the edge of your seat. I wish every show was written in this format of fast-talking two-conversation-at-a-time way. I loved social network and I love this show! Two thumbs WAY up! I will always be watching… Expand
  16. TgExpress
    Jan 11, 2014
    8
    Big step up from season 1. This is fast becoming my favourite show- great characters, provocative ideas and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Yes it hits hard at right wing America but as an Aussie I don't mind them taking a few hits. Sorkin is fast becoming the best writer on television if he hasn't already. Can't wait for season 3.
  17. MorbidPig
    Aug 19, 2014
    7
    What separates The Newsroom apart from almost all other shows on television? The writing. And with season two, Sorkin's characters speak with enough loaded dialogue and enormous wit to run the entire series alone based on the words coming out of their mouths. It could be badly acted and terribly directed, but that's certainly not the case here. Apart from some structural flaws when itWhat separates The Newsroom apart from almost all other shows on television? The writing. And with season two, Sorkin's characters speak with enough loaded dialogue and enormous wit to run the entire series alone based on the words coming out of their mouths. It could be badly acted and terribly directed, but that's certainly not the case here. Apart from some structural flaws when it comes to the story, this second season runs like clockwork.… Expand
  18. Leafy14
    Aug 26, 2014
    8
    I watch television to escape, NOT to compare it to the normalcy of realistic everyday life, the fact this show uses realistic issues and twists them up in thought provoking but also crazy ways is what I love about it! Blah Blah portrayal of women and all that, you are scrutinising the characters way too much, at least they have substance which is only a good thing. People need to justI watch television to escape, NOT to compare it to the normalcy of realistic everyday life, the fact this show uses realistic issues and twists them up in thought provoking but also crazy ways is what I love about it! Blah Blah portrayal of women and all that, you are scrutinising the characters way too much, at least they have substance which is only a good thing. People need to just accept their personalities and enjoy and embrace being appalled. The PC police need to STFU! It figures this show is ending prematurely, you need a relatively decent IQ to watch it and well, the sheep masses need a couple of feral people, some boobs, and a few "famous for no reason" celebrities thrown in to hold their attention span longer than five seconds… Expand
  19. fbtimes
    Mar 30, 2015
    7
    What separates The Newsroom apart from almost all other shows on television? The writing. And with season two, Sorkin's characters speak with enough loaded dialogue and enormous wit to run the entire series alone based on the words coming out of their mouths. It could be badly acted and terribly directed, but that's certainly not the case here. Apart from some structural flaws when itWhat separates The Newsroom apart from almost all other shows on television? The writing. And with season two, Sorkin's characters speak with enough loaded dialogue and enormous wit to run the entire series alone based on the words coming out of their mouths. It could be badly acted and terribly directed, but that's certainly not the case here. Apart from some structural flaws when it comes to the story, this second season runs like clockwork.… Expand
  20. fbtimesofficial
    Jul 25, 2015
    7
    What separates The Newsroom apart from almost all other shows on television? The writing. And with season two, Sorkin's characters speak with enough loaded dialogue and enormous wit to run the entire series alone based on the words coming out of their mouths. It could be badly acted and terribly directed, but that's certainly not the case here. Apart from some structural flaws when itWhat separates The Newsroom apart from almost all other shows on television? The writing. And with season two, Sorkin's characters speak with enough loaded dialogue and enormous wit to run the entire series alone based on the words coming out of their mouths. It could be badly acted and terribly directed, but that's certainly not the case here. Apart from some structural flaws when it comes to the story, this second season runs like clockwork.… Expand
  21. UofAlec
    Aug 6, 2015
    10
    Season 2 continues the greatness season 1 produced. There's a main overarching theme to the season that keeps you watching, while also providing historical events like in the first season.

    It's fun, fast paced, engaging, and worth every second of your time.

    Beginning season 3 tonight. I'm looking forward to it!

Awards & Rankings

81
#81 Best TV Season of 2013
59
#59 Most Discussed TV Season of 2013
97
#97 Most Shared TV Season of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. People Weekly
    Reviewed by: Tom Gliatto
    Jul 18, 2013
    75
    [The Newsroom] is much stronger and more solidly entertaining. [29 Jul 2013, p.37]
  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    Jul 15, 2013
    70
    There's still a lot of craziness and rants designed to resonate with a certain demographic. But an air of if not humility then self-awareness pervades, softening everything it touches, even Will.
    Read full review
  3. New York Magazine (Vulture)
    Reviewed by: Matt Zoller Seitz
    Jul 15, 2013
    70
    I wouldn't say season two of The Newsroom is a big improvement over season one, but the show's definitely more measured and confident--and now that we've accepted that certain tics, such as setting the stories in a recent, real past, aren't going away, it's easier to appreciate what Sorkin and company do well.
    Read full review
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