While many ofHBO’s best showswarrant a rewatch, there’s one thatQuentin Tarantinoadmitted to watching three times weekly when it came out. Known for his distinctive style and hyperreal dialogue in films such asKill Bill,Jackie Brown,andOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood,Tarantino is widely regarded as one of thebest directors of all time.
Considering his prowess and ingenuity in modern filmmaking, when Quentin Tarantino offers an opinion on a piece of cinema or television, people tend to listen. In a 2015 interview,theInglourious Basterdsdirector called out Aaron Sorkin’s flick for HBO,The Newsroom,by name. Still, the series doesn’t get the recognition of the network’s other shows.
The Newsroom Still Doesn’t Get The Love It Deserves Among HBO’s Greatest Shows
Why The Newsroom Is Unapologetically Controversial
While it didn’t land among themost popular HBO shows of all time,The Newsroomis a modern masterpiece. It aired on HBO from 2012 to 2014, amassing 25 episodes over three seasons. The show followedJeff Daniels as Will McAvoy, a veteran news anchor who returns to the spotlightwith renewed intentions after a volatile public meltdown.
The series uses real news stories to depict the high-stakes reality of a 24-hour news network, while subversively covering how events like the Deepwater Horizon oil spillshouldhave been reported. While some loved the show for its unapologetic stance, others wrote it off as self-righteous. That said,The Newsroomdoesn’t have the same universal appeal as HBO’s other shows.
The Newsroom’s Dialogue Was So Good, Quentin Tarantino Watched It 3 Times
The Newsroom Is A Dialogue Masterclass
For Tarantino,The Newsroomwas a writing masterclass. He admitted toVarietythat, week after week,Tarantino would watch eachThe Newsroomepisodea total of three times.Tarantino creditedThe Newsroom’s writing as to what kept him coming back, saying he would revisit the episode to“listen to the dialogue one more time.”
The Newsroom was more than entertainment for Tarantino; he was absorbing what is considered to be one of Aaron Sorkin’s best works.
The Newsroomwas more than entertainment for Tarantino; he was absorbing what is considered to be one ofAaron Sorkin’s best works.The show was best enjoyed“at seven o’clock on Sunday when the new one would come on,”for Tarantino. He admitted to rewatching it immediately, and then once throughout the week, to adequately soak it in.
Quentin Tarantino’s best movies, likeReservoir DogsandPulp Fiction,are driven by dialogue. The latter, for example, is known for its unforgettable narratives, like Jules’ (Samuel L. Jackson) Ezekiel 25:17 quote or Vincent Vega’s (John Travolta) memorable“Royale with cheese”banter. Thus, Quentin Tarantino’s appreciation ofThe Newsroomis a classic case of one master appreciating the next.
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8.6
The Newsroom
Cast
At the fictional Atlantis Cable News station, lead anchor Will McAvoy and his staff work to put out a news show in the face of each week’s corporate challenges, political tension, and personal conflicts.
