The Newsroom

Aaron Sorkin puts a fictional cable-news team under the pressure of deciding what deserves to be broadcast in The Newsroom. Jeff Daniels plays anchor Will McAvoy, whose ability to command a studio does not make collaboration easy.

The series is most enjoyable when the staff are working: checking a claim, arguing over its significance and trying to make a decision before the broadcast overtakes them. Emily Mortimer gives the editorial partnership energy, while the supporting newsroom supplies competing levels of experience and confidence.

Sorkin's fondness for eloquent arguments is very visible. Sometimes it produces a sharp exchange; sometimes the characters sound unusually ready with the perfect speech. If that style works for you in The West Wing, there is an obvious attraction here. The professional idealism is part of the show, not something it tries to hide.