海角大神

After a noticeable three-year absence, Aaron Sorkin makes his long-awaited return to television with The Newsroom, a behind-the-scenes look at the fictional news network ACN, its onetime staple series 鈥淣ews Night,鈥� and its host, the seemingly uncontroversial Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels).

Following an unexpected, emotionally-driven speech while appearing on a panel of political experts at Northwestern University, the career of McAvoy changes dramatically, as the subsequent weeks find his show in decline and much of his newsroom staff jumping the sinking ship.

Hopes were high that The Newsroom would become a 鈥減erfect storm鈥� of sorts, taking the best elements of Sorkin鈥檚 past work to help create a new, original series on HBO. That being said, the series premiere of The Newsroom never felt as succinct as Sports Night, as earnest as The West Wing, or as honest as Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Leading The Newsrooms鈥� eclectic cast of exceptional actors is Jeff Daniels, whose portrayal of the typically-sardonic Will McAvoy is, as expected, wonderful. Unsurprisingly, the same thing can be said about Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher, Jr., Allison Pill, Dev Patel, Thomas Sadoski and Sam Waterston. In the case of The Newsroom, it feels as if it鈥檚 the man, not 鈥渢he machine,鈥� wherein the problem lies.

Kicking of the premiere with a wonderfully-crafted monologue for Daniels, much of the premiere follows in suit. Coming in at just over 72 minutes, the almost feature-length premiere felt, at times, like more of a collection of wonderfully written monologues than the character-driven series we鈥檝e come to expect from the man that helped revolutionize single-camera series.

The Newsroom鈥檚 placement on HBO allows Sorkin to do many things he couldn鈥檛 on TV, but perhaps it鈥檚 through those very same network limitations and time constraints where his stories became perfectly tuned. Slated as a 60-min series, there were many times where scenes felt like they could have either been shortened, reworked, or completely left out.

Sorkin perhaps felt like he needed to include a lot in the premiere episode, but a tighter pace would have made for a more fluid viewing experience, allowing audiences time to become attached to the characters on their own terms. Though one of the smallest television casts that Sorkin has worked with, very few characters, along with their motivations, are clearly defined by the end of the premiere.

With an orchestral theme song that doesn鈥檛 feel quite right for the series, and a unique, sometimes chaotic, visual styling that separates (not elevates) The Newsrooms from Sorkin鈥檚 usual pedigree, watching the premiere can easily become a challenge; it鈥檚 hard not to come to the conclusion that some things are amiss with this series.

Even so, for fans of Aaron Sorkin, there鈥檚 much to be excited about. While many will certainly focus on the political aspect of the series, HBO鈥檚 The Newsroom is as much about politics as FX鈥檚 The League is about football. Instead, this series much more about one man鈥檚 attempt at being true to himself.

McAvoy鈥檚 comments about America no longer being the greatest country in the world certainly caught the聽attention of everyone watching, but it was his further explorations (some forced), where the real story lies. Dropping references to New York Times media reporter Bill Carter and NBC鈥檚 famed late night staple Jay Leno, Sorkin is highlighting viewer鈥檚 trends toward more honest media 鈥� perhaps not always the highest-rated, but certainly more honest. For McAvoy, the struggle about coming to terms with his unconscious need (and want) to be more than just 鈥�the guy that doesn鈥檛 bother anyone鈥� is one of The Newsroom鈥檚聽few narrative anchors, though one that was only briefly touched upon. Fortunately, it鈥檚 an extremely hefty anchor. Certainly mirroring conversations that many longtime personalities must have had internally, McAvoy鈥檚 transition brings up some interesting questions.

As the familiar Sorkin storylines from the past begin to bleed their way into The Newsroom, audiences will be able to continue along an enjoyable journey that was started on Sports Night. However, for those looking for a truly more evolved series, one must look within those familiarities to find growth. At this point, it鈥檚 difficult to say how challenging that may be for audiences, but hopefully it becomes easier in subsequent episodes.

For all intents and purposes, HBO鈥檚聽The Newsroom聽is anything and everything that one would expect to see from Sorkin鈥檚 return to television 鈥� though perhaps not what many had hoped. While there鈥檚 more than enough beautifully-written dialogue for fans to sit back and enjoy, it鈥檚 hard not to acknowledge a certain disconnect from the series and its characters that can be felt throughout the premiere.

Even though, at times, much heart can be felt onscreen, there鈥檚 not much more than Sorkin鈥檚 name currently driving curiosity and intrigue for subsequent episodes. Fortunately, for now, Sorkin鈥檚 name alone is enough.

Giving The Newsroom a few weeks to find itself, as well as to introduce the rest of the cast (Jane Fonda & Olivia Munn), isn鈥檛 much to ask from a series, writer, or network of this caliber. However, unlike in previous series, where Sorkin was able to tweak storylines to reflect the current status of the actual show, the first season of The Newsroom is already completed.

Like a train following an already set course, there鈥檚 no chance of correcting its path, even if it鈥檚 on the wrong one. At this point, the only thing you can do is to hope that you still end up at your destination. Thankfully, Aaron Sorkin is one of the few people to trust when it comes to navigating the world of television.

As if taking a note from The Newsrooms鈥� original title, we hope for more as this series develops.

Anthony Ocasio blogs at Screen Rant.