Even though this HBO dramatic series began broadcasting in 2012, it remains shockingly timely in 2025. Watching it for the first time now, it’s hard to distinguish its political commentary from our current reality, in spite of its production occurring during the Obama era. Any concerns about the series feeling dated should be immediately put to rest; The Newsroom is still entirely relevant.
Buy The Newsroom: The Complete Series Blu-rayCreated by Aaron Sorkin, the 25-episode series goes behind the scenes of a nightly news broadcast anchored by veteran Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels). His prickly character is firmly established in a blistering and unforgettable opening monologue that rails against both political parties, setting the tone for the show’s thoughtful deep dive into the issues still dividing us today. From there, we follow McAvoy as staff upheaval ushers in his ex-girlfriend (Emily Mortimer) to produce his show and play on his unresolved feelings.
Other recognizable faces in the regular supporting cast include Olivia Munn as a featured economics expert, an impossibly young-looking Dev Patel as McAvoy’s blog guru and eventual associate producer, and Sam Waterston as the news division head. Jane Fonda pops in occasionally as the network owner, and David Harbour has multiple brief spots as a correspondent for the news show.
Since the show couldn’t realistically feature current news stories in its protracted production timeframe, the creators wisely set it two years in the past. This allowed time for actual news events to have fully resolved themselves, while also confirming which stories were historically relevant. For instance, the newsroom staff tackle the developing story of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as it happens for them, while we know with the benefit of time how catastrophic it was. Examples of other major stories include the execution of Osama bin Laden and the shooting of Gabby Giffords, events forever shared in our national consciousness.
A downside of the past setting is that it sometimes feels like Sorkin’s writing team is relitigating the news, not so subtly laying a progressive thumb on the scales to tilt the impact analysis to the left. They make pains to define McAvoy as a registered Republican, although he’s usually more aligned with Democratic sensibilities, while his staff is seemingly entirely blue. Your Republican uncle won’t get too outraged about the fairly tame political bias, but it’s clearly present.
When they’re not preparing the nightly news show, the staff are canoodling, with various office romances coming and going as the seasons move along. Unfortunately, the interpersonal stuff usually feels like time that could have been better spent on more insightful news analysis. The writers try to make the characters banter at times to fairly weak results, but somehow there is quite a bit more humor than one would expect in the series. The show is weakest when it’s trying to infuse hints of Moonlighting and The Office in the newsroom interactions, but always quickly saved by Daniels’ wizened and soulful take on the fascinating McAvoy character.
Oddly, the series has never been released as a complete U.S. Blu-ray set until this year, a full ten years after the final season Blu-ray was released. The new box set compiles all three seasons into one plastic case designed to look like a standard single-disc Blu-ray, but deeper to accommodate all of the discs. The video quality improves as the series progresses, with the pilot looking so grainy and dull it seems like it was set in the 1970s newsroom of The Mary Tyler Moore Show. From the middle of the first season to the finale, overall cinematography approaches modern 4K HDR sheen, with film grain mostly eliminated and lighting design improved. Sound is presented in the typical DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 format, with optional DTS digital surround tracks in French and Spanish.
The box set is “packed” with bonus features according to the back cover, but that packing is mostly related to Season One. Each season includes HBO’s Inside the Episode featurettes, providing peeks behind the scenes of each episode’s production. Audio commentary tracks are also offered for select episodes, with five in Season One, four in Season Two, and only the finale in the Season Three. The first two seasons also have some deleted scenes. Where Season One excels is the inclusion of an extra behind-the-scenes look at the sets including interviews with cast and crew, as well as a roundtable discussion about the series with the cast and producers, including Sorkin.
Whether you’re a new viewer or a long-time fan, the series is a fresh and rewarding production that adeptly balances its fake but insightful coverage of real news stories with the interpersonal dynamics of the newsroom staff.
