The Newsroom: The Complete First Season

The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin sets his new HBO original series at a cable news channel peopled by eccentric but idealistic and brilliant professionals with sharp political instincts and poor impulse control. Jeff Daniels plays veteran news anchor Will McAvoy, a self-described Republican who's jolted out of his malaise by the rise of the Tea Party, which he sees as a threat to the soul of true Republican principles. Sorkin's shows have always celebrated intelligence, ingenuity, and professionalism, so it's especially frustrating when his smart characters here repeatedly act impulsively on their emotions, as if they have zero self-control. Exhibit A is MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer), Will's veteran producer, a respected foreign correspondent who's reduced to blithering idiocy whenever her feelings rise to the surface. Still, Sorkin's affection for these flawed personalities is hard to resist, and for all the sanctimonious political posturing and stupid screwball complications, he spikes the scripts with wit and intelligence and offers a telling critique of modern TV news as a sideshow that favors controversy and opinion over investigation and analysis. Sam Waterston, Olivia Munn, Alison Pill, and Dev Patel costar, while Jane Fonda makes a memorable guest appearance. Presenting all 10 episodes from the 2012 first season, extras include audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes featurettes, and deleted scenes. The Blu-ray release also includes the entire season on two double-sided DVDs. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)