Aaron Sorkin’s TV work has been fabulous. Obviously The West Wing is his shining achievement, but I like to think his best work was SportsNight. A behind the scenes look at a SportsCenter type show at the hight of ESPN’s flagship program’s popularity.
So when HBO decided to run with a show that had a very similar structure penned by Sorkin you can imagine my excitement. The Newsroom replaces the more laid back and goofy environment of a cable sports program and replaces it with the far more juicy cable news program, sounds like a winner of an idea:
The Newsroom, a behind-the-scenes look at the people who make a nightly cable-news program. Focusing on a network anchor (played by Jeff Daniels), his new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), the newsroom staff (John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Olivia Munn, Dev Patel) and their boss (Sam Waterston), the series tracks their quixotic mission to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles-not to mention their own personal entanglements.
In case people were still on the fence, HBO has just released a new promo that really hammers home the Sorkin feel for the characters. The cast is impeccable, the concept is rock solid, and the promise of rich, well-written characters seems to have been realized. The checklist looks to be complete for another stellar show.
The show premieres June 24th on HBO and you can check out the new trailer after the jump.
Personally I am most excited for the Sam Waterston character, my money is on him to have some great material to work with in this show.
