The world has gone through a lot since HBO‘s Aaron Sorkin drama The Newsroom aired, and as we head into an election season and the show’s 10th anniversary since the final season, there’s no better time to look back at the show which put journalism under a microscope.
“I can’t believe that it’s been 10 years. I also feel like it was way ahead of its time,” remarks star Thomas Sadoski, who TV Insider caught up with to discuss his ongoing role in American Sports Story. “I feel like it was an important show.”
For those who may need a refresher, The Newsroom followed the team behind Atlantic Cable News (ACN), a fictional news station akin to network news like NBC or ABC. Among the ensemble cast led by Jeff Daniels who played lead anchor Will McAvoy, Sadoski portrayed executive producer Don Keefer.
HBO
One thing Sadoski has noticed in the years since the series aired is that “so many journalists hate it… And I say this with love and respect… it makes me so happy that it makes so many people grumpy because if they had been doing their job better there would’ve never been any need for that show. It makes me really happy to be a part of art that is challenging, and challenging to the people, that it’s out to simultaneously prod and praise. And I think that we did a really good job of both of those things, and it was the job of a lifetime.”
On the flip side, Sadoski is also thrilled to know that the show’s impact has influenced a generation of young reporters. “I love it. That makes me happy. I’ve met a lot of journalists who said they went to [journalism] school because of it.”
But when it comes to some of the more enduring aspects of Sadoski’s performance, an internet meme has risen in the past few years of a screen capture moment where his character Don informs pilots aboard an idling plane that Osama bin Laden had been killed that night. The image has since been attached to other news announcements online and has become quite viral.
And Sadoski is well aware. “I’ve heard that that has happened. I’m not on social media anymore, but [I’ve heard] I’ve become a meme. And at first, I thought that it was sort of ridiculous, and I’ve always thought that it’s kind of funny.”
Debuting in 2012, The Newsroom ran for three seasons on HBO, and along with Sadoski and Daniels featured an ensemble that included Sam Waterston, Emily Mortimer, Olivia Munn, David Harbour, Jane Fonda, Chris Messina, Alison Pill, John Gallagher Jr., and Dev Patel among many others. You can relive all episodes on HBO’s streamer, Max.
The Newsroom, Streaming now, Max