I've taken some shit here in the past for liking this show. I warn you in advance you that this has not diminished my affection for it, so I'm here to rave about it again.
*Other than* considering criticism of this show the petty sniping of less talented writers than Aaron Sorkin (uh...pretty much everybody), I've never really understood why people dump on it as much as they do. At least liberals. We all know why conservatives and neo-crypto-fascists dump on it. I am a real fan of what Sorkin has done in the three and a half seasons this show has been on the air. I think the writing has been just fuckin' SUPERB, and that the direction and performances by actors have been of the same caliber. The American airwaves haven't seen this much fast, snappy dialogue since "Moonlighting," and before that in the cinema, since the classic Tracy-Hepburn films. As an unapologetic fan, I just wanted to post a short, drive-by thumbs up for this series, in case anyone feels inspired to check it out. Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, and Sam Waterston just ROCK as the principal leads, and there is simply no finer cast of supporting players on television anywhere on the planet. I don't think there is a weak or uninteresting actor in their midst, and there is at least one veritable superstar. I tune in every week just on the off chance that the character portrayed by Jane Fonda will appear. Whenever she does, it's almost automatically an Emmy moment. The writing is equally "hang ten" for me, both in terms of politics and writing excellence. "The Newsroom" is a veritable tour de force. If you hadn't noticed, Aaron Sorkin has been the principal writer of every single episode, in addition to his duties as showrunner. The latest episodes echo the very real pseudo-reality that journalists work within in these post-Snowdon days. I think he's doing incredible work, both as a writer and as a social activist. Your mileage may vary. This was the opening scene to the series. Many think it's gone downhill since then. I'm not one of them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zqOYBabXmA
