Jeff Daniels’ epic monologue was worth it; after two episodes had aired HBO renewed Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom for a second season. The June 24 series premiere attracted a healthy 2.1 million total viewers. The drama follows network anchor Will McAvoy (Daniels) and his newsroom staff led by executive producer MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer) as they attempt to revamp the way news is reported to viewers whilst weaving their way through personal entanglements. The premiere was solid and typical Sorkin: dialogue-heavy, which can be dizzying but at the same time quite invigorating. Have you seen his previous TV effort The West Wing and his award-winning recent screenplay in The Social Network? The Newsroom is intellectual and highly entertaining; if anything it’s an uplifting look into the chaotic world of reporting. If you missed the premiere you’re only two episodes behind; catch up because this isn’t one to miss.
In related HBO renewal news, True Blood is coming back for a sixth season (but without series creator Alan Ball because he’s moving onto a new show for Cinemax called Banshee) and Eastbound & Down will swing once more in season four (the network ordered eight more episodes).
The Newsroom airs Sunday nights at 10PM on HBO; True Blood precedes it at 9PM.