We’re winding down this month in the workplace with a couple of shows I’ve never seen and know maybe five things about total. One is set back in what I think is the ’60s and stars a dapper man, and the other is this week’s pick — a show set in a newsroom that, like The Office, doesn’t really stretch for a clever title. The Newsroom is about the ins and outs of the people who run what I can only assume is a CNN-like news program. So let’s get to it because the finale, I wasn’t all that thrilled to watch.
Name of Episode: “What Kind of Day Has It Been”
Premiere Date: June 24, 2012
Finale Date: December 14, 2014
Site: The Newsroom
Impact on Pop Culture
What this show did first and foremost was teach us that Olivia Munn was more than a hilarious guest on Conan. She actually had some drama up her sleeve, and while it may have confused some to see Chris Messina on both The Newsroom and The Mindy Project in the same year, they powered through and became an Emmy and Golden Globe nominated show. As far as what it did for pop culture as a whole, it proved that the news will always be the core of television. When something goes down in the world that does not involve a Kardashian, it’s real news we turn to as a society. This series showcased how the people behind the news stories are just as intricate as the stories they relay to us.
Facts & Stats
- Creator Aaron Sorkin also penned the screenplay for The Social Network.
- Marisa Tomei was originally offered the role of MacKenzie McHale.
- This was the first show by Sorkin where the pilot was not nominated for an Emmy.
- Notice how Emily Mortimer wore the same necklace all the time?
- There are only 25 episodes in the entire series, so binging on this wouldn’t take too long.
What I Knew Before Watching the End
Other than who was in it and that it was about a news network — absolutely nothing. Dramas are harder to get into than comedies and for me, this just wasn’t a show I ever wanted to watch. If Anderson Cooper isn’t telling me about serious news topics, then what’s the point?
Final(e) Thoughts
For a guy who has created some of the most beloved and critically acclaimed shows in TV history, I expected this to be interesting. Let’s now assume this was because I’d never seen an episode before. M*A*S*H and Frasier both proved that you could have never seen a single episode of a show and still fall madly in love with the it with just the finale. This series finale, though, was a bit of a bore. It did not make me want to rush out and find the other 24 episodes. All it made me want was it to be over.
From an outsider’s perspective, I kind of got what was going on. The old man from the flashbacks named Charlie was dead, the dude from Dumb and Dumber was going to be a dad, this show’s millennial “Jim and Pam” were going to be torn apart but then resolved their issues without too much distress (much like a millennial), and B.J. Novak seemed like a douche. At first the flashbacks served up some confusion, but then it felt like they were there to showcase how far the characters had come in their short time together. It looked to me that the show only spanned three years in their world. So while a bit confusing to me, they were a good aspect to have around.
Like many finales before it, again — someone was dead and a funeral was being had. Plus, there was a pregnancy. One gone, one coming. It’s typical and not too surprising for an ending. Also, it seemed like everyone got what they wanted when the final credits rolled. Promotions seemed to be had and Charlie’s death seemed to pave the way for them all to get one step ahead in their careers. So — happy ending for all? Well, all except Charlie. He’s dead, but another thing his death did — while I had no clue the significance of the song sung at his wake, if any — it was a cute moment for the ensemble cast. Which is what you like to see. You never want a show about a big group of characters to end with them in a whole bunch of different places. Which is likely why funerals and weddings are so often used.
In the end this wasn’t my favorite finale. It was a little slow moving and other than the actors I knew from elsewhere, I didn’t seem to care about anyone by the end. Sorry Charlie, even you were nothing to me. As far as finales go in this series, it had closure and movement for the future and wrapped up some loose ends while leaving some things to the imagination. An okay finale, but also a pretty boring one thanks to its snail pace.
