Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com EW.com
    • All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
    • All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
    • All Music
    • Music Reviews
    • All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • The Bachelor
    • The Last of Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • You
    • The Masked Singer
    • Yellowstone
    • Saturday Night Live
    • Outer Banks
    • All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
    • All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
    • All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
    • All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com EW.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • The Fast and the Furious cast: Where are they now?

      The Fast and the Furious cast: Where are they now?

      Catch up with Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and the rest of your favorite stars from the film that kicked off the hit franchise. Read More
    • How Grant Gustin runs The Flash — and the Arrowverse — across the finish line 

      How Grant Gustin runs The Flash — and the Arrowverse — across the finish line 

      The actor explains why he decided to end the CW’s last remaining Arrowverse show after nine seasons, and teases what to expect from next week’s epic series finale. Read More
    • Michelle Yeoh on the significance of American Born Chinese and her 'respectful' goddess action scenes

      Michelle Yeoh on the significance of American Born Chinese and her 'respectful' goddess action scenes

      The Academy Award winner previews the Disney+ action comedy series rooted in Chinese mythology: “Our culture, our heritage, is so steeped with history and beauty." Read More
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Winter TV
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • What to Watch

    What to Watch

    See All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • BINGE

    BINGE

    See All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • The Bachelor
    • The Last of Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • You
    • The Masked Singer
    • Yellowstone
    • Saturday Night Live
    • Outer Banks
  • The Awardist

    The Awardist

    See All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Gallery
  3. 10 Signs You're Watching an Aaron Sorkin TV Show

10 Signs You're Watching an Aaron Sorkin TV Show

We're betting we'll spot at least a few of the writer's go-to moves on ''The Newsroom'' season 2

Darren Franich
By Darren Franich June 24, 2012 at 06:00 AM EDT
Skip gallery slides
FB

1 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

1. It begins with a very public crash-and-burn.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip began with veteran TV producer Wes Mendell (played by beloved TV legend Judd Hirsch) delivering an on-air diatribe against…
Credit: NBC

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip began with veteran TV producer Wes Mendell (played by beloved TV legend Judd Hirsch) delivering an on-air diatribe against the state of television and the whole modern world. The media embarrassment puts the whole staff in crisis mode — which doubles as a nice introduction to the show's ensemble. It's almost identical to the inciting incident seen in The Newsroom's trailer when respected news anchor Jeff Daniels' Will McAvoy is caught on camera saying America isn't great. Sorkin plumbed similar territory way back in The West Wing when he began the series premiere with Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) getting into an on-air verbal scuffle with a Christian activist.

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

2. There is an office romance or two or seven.

Sorkinland runs on witty banter, so there's no surprise that everyone who works together on an Aaron Sorkin TV show inevitably winds up in a…
Credit: NBC

Sorkinland runs on witty banter, so there's no surprise that everyone who works together on an Aaron Sorkin TV show inevitably winds up in a will-they-or-won't-they relationship. Josh and Donna Moss (Janel Maloney) from West Wing danced a slow tango of verbal seduction over several seasons, and don't forget about both Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman) and Casey McCall (Peter Krause) as well as Jeremy Goodwin (Joshua Malina) and Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd) on Sports Night.

2 of 10

3 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

3. Boo, the Evil Corporate Person!

Aaron Sorkin populates his TV shows with idealistic work families all united in one common purpose: Putting on a TV show ( Sports Night ,…
Credit: Mitchell Haaseth/NBC

Aaron Sorkin populates his TV shows with idealistic work families all united in one common purpose: Putting on a TV show (Sports Night, Studio 60), saving the world (The West Wing), putting on a TV show that saves the world (The Newsroom). In this sense, the shows have an old-fashioned, pre-Sopranos sensibility in that there aren't any villains — unless you count ''the possibility of not achieving greatness'' as a villain. But the shows do tend to feature one major antagonistic presence: The Evil Company Man, who always has an eye on the bottom line and all too often has the gall to censor the protagonists' brilliance. Steven Weber played the role on Studio 60 and various faceless yes-men waltzed through Sports Night. The Newsroom will feature Jane Fonda as Rupert Murdoch-esque corporate honcho.

3 of 10

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

4. Yay, the Irascible Father Figure!

Only one thing can rescue our main characters from vile corporate shenanigans: A wise, paternal figure who knows everything, and whose one minor flaw only…
Credit: Paul Drinkwater/NBC

Only one thing can rescue our main characters from vile corporate shenanigans: A wise, paternal figure who knows everything, and whose one minor flaw only serves to highlight how flawless they really are. Martin Sheen's Jed Bartlet was the President-as-'50s-sitcom-dad and Robert Guillaume's producer on Sports Night was a voice of reason amidst the chaos. The casting of Sam Waterston as The Newsroom's executive producer was already perfect, since Waterston is basically a modern Perry Mason after years on Law & Order. Giving him a bow tie is just gilding the lily, which is the kind of phrase people say all the time on Aaron Sorkin shows.

4 of 10

Advertisement

5 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

5. Conservative characters who aren't actually very conservative.

Sarah Paulson's character on Studio 60 had two key character traits: She was incredibly funny, and she was Christian. Regarding the former: No. Regarding the…
Credit: Mitch Haaseth/NBC

Sarah Paulson's character on Studio 60 had two key character traits: She was incredibly funny, and she was Christian. Regarding the former: No. Regarding the latter: The character was explicitly in favor of premarital sex, had a complicated perspective on the question of gay marriage, and generally didn't talk about her Christianity except when she occasionally said ''I'm a Christian.'' On The Newsroom, Will McAvoy is a registered Republican, but he's a hyper-moderate Republican who explicitly disagrees with the vast majority of contemporary right-wing causes.

5 of 10

6 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

6. What do you mean an all-white cast? Look at that one guy!

At the start of the 1999 broadcast TV season, the NAACP threatened a lawsuit against the Big Four broadcast networks when none of the networks'…
Credit: James Sorensen/NBC

At the start of the 1999 broadcast TV season, the NAACP threatened a lawsuit against the Big Four broadcast networks when none of the networks' 26 new Fall shows featured a single non-white lead character. The West Wing got caught up in the controversy and quickly introduced Charlie Young, the personal aide to the President played by Dulé Hill. Sorkin clearly took the criticism to heart, attempting to grapple directly (albeit awkwardly) with racial issues on Studio 60 with Simon Stiles, the character played by D.L. Hughley. And The Newsroom features an Indian actor (Dev Patel) and a half-Asian actress (Olivia Munn) on its ensemble. So... progress?

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

7. Bad Internet, bad!

Aaron Sorkin's new HBO show, starring Jeff Daniels as an acerbic anchor who Sorkin insists isn't based on Keith Olbermann, debuts Sunday at 10 p.m.…
Credit: Melissa Moseley/HBO

Aaron Sorkin does not like the internet. This fact is so well-established that it isn't surprising that Neal's (Patel) job as a ''blogger'' (scoff scoff scoff) is instantly dismissed by his boss on The Newsroom.

7 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

8. An amazing array of alliterative names.

Rob Lowe, The West Wing | It's hard to think of a more perfect name than ''Sam Seaborn.'' It's snappy. It's sexy. It suggests a grand journey, a questing spirit, a…
Credit: Everett Collection

It's hard to think of a more perfect name than ''Sam Seaborn.'' It's snappy. It's sexy. It suggests a grand journey, a questing spirit, a wide ocean as blue as Rob Lowe's eyes. Sorkin loves the superhero-secret-identity rhythm of the alliterative name. On The Newsroom, Emily Mortimer plays a character ''Mackenzie MacHale,'' and Munn plays ''Sloan Sabbith.'' The all-time winner is Paulson's character on Studio 60. Full name: Hannah Harriet Hayes.

8 of 10

Advertisement

9 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

9. The walk-and-talk.

Because everything worth saying is worth saying in motion. Sorkin hilariously parodied his love of walk-and-talk dialogue on 30 Rock — so, yes, he knows…
Credit: NBC

Because everything worth saying is worth saying in motion. Sorkin hilariously parodied his love of walk-and-talk dialogue on 30 Rock — so, yes, he knows you make fun of it, and he doesn't care.

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

10. There will be speeches!

Few things in life cannot be solved by a beautifully composed, philosophical-and-yet-so-conversational speech. Sorkin has written some great soliloquies, but nothing matches the ''Philo Farnsworth''…
Credit: ABC

Few things in life cannot be solved by a beautifully composed, philosophical-and-yet-so-conversational speech. Sorkin has written some great soliloquies, but nothing matches the ''Philo Farnsworth'' speech on Sports Night, delivered by Sam Donovan (William H. Macy). A complete history of the birth of TV, delivered while walking and talking through several hallways, which serves as a stirring rebuke to nattering nabobs of corporate negativism? It's a Sorkin bingo!

10 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

  • By Darren Franich @DarrenFranich

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 10 1. It begins with a very public crash-and-burn.
    2 of 10 2. There is an office romance or two or seven.
    3 of 10 3. Boo, the Evil Corporate Person!
    4 of 10 4. Yay, the Irascible Father Figure!
    5 of 10 5. Conservative characters who aren't actually very conservative.
    6 of 10 6. What do you mean an all-white cast? Look at that one guy!
    7 of 10 7. Bad Internet, bad!
    8 of 10 8. An amazing array of alliterative names.
    9 of 10 9. The walk-and-talk.
    10 of 10 10. There will be speeches!

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    EW.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab Do Not Sell My Personal Informationthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright EW.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

    View image

    10 Signs You're Watching an Aaron Sorkin TV Show
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.