The Newsroom
Encyclopedia
The Newsroom is a Canadian
television comedy-drama
series which ran on CBC Television
in the 1996-97, 2003–04 and 2004-05 seasons. A two-hour television movie, Escape from the Newsroom, was broadcast in 2002.
In the United States
, The Newsroom is shown on PBS stations across the country.
Set in the newsroom
of a television station (which is never officially named, but clearly based on the CBC itself. The news show itself is called "City Hour"), the show — which was similar to such earlier series as the British Drop the Dead Donkey
and the Australian Frontline — mined a dark vein of comedy from the political machinations and the sheer incompetence of the people involved in producing the nightly news.
The original 13 episodes were meant as a short run, not a multiseason series, and became one of the most critically acclaimed programs on Canadian television in the 1990s. Following the end of The Newsroom, Finkleman produced three different short-run series for the CBC, More Tears
, Foolish Heart and Foreign Objects, all of which included Findlay as a linking character. (A Findlay-like character with a different surname had also appeared in Finkleman's pre-Newsroom series Married Life
; Findlay was also revived in the 2011 HBO Canada
series Good Dog
.)
However, none of these subsequent series were as well-received by the public or by critics, and the CBC began to seek a new set of Newsroom episodes. Escape from the Newsroom, which included a fourth wall
-breaking plot digression in which the characters directly addressed the idea of reviving the series, was meant partly as a sarcastic response to that request. However, Finkleman ultimately agreed to produce 13 new episodes, which were broadcast in the winter of 2004. The last four episodes of the second season were shot as a mockumentary
.
A third season of The Newsroom, consisting of six episodes, was broadcast on CBC beginning on February 14, 2005. All three seasons and Escape from the Newsroom are available on DVD
.
starred as executive producer
George Findlay, a venal, petty man who cared only about his sex life, his lunch orders and his personal image within the network
's bureaucracy
. Findlay was exceptionally intelligent, but self-absorbed and utterly unconcerned about anything besides himself.
In the third season episode "One Dumb Idea", Karen offers her idea on a character based on Findlay for a sitcom idea he was trying to come up with, saying, "I think if you're gonna go for reality, or, sorry, for verisimilitude, I think your character should be deceitful and self-serving. Basically, pathologically ambitious and actually lacking in any real humanity." In other words, a sociopath.
Findlay apparently suffers from constipation
, hinted at by his obsession with bran
muffins, fibre products and doctor appointments for procedures including a colonoscopy
.
He constantly avoids talking to his mother who is always calling him at work. Telling people to tell her he is in a meeting or on vacation, he even went so far as to have an intern
get the telephone number to the show changed. When asked why he refused to talk to her he replies, "Talk to her? You're missing the point. The point is, this place is too cheap to get me an assistant. If I had an assistant, she could talk to my mother. But because this place is so god damn cheap, my mother has no one to talk to." Findlay does, however, have a close relationship with his BMW
dealer, often calling him about small problems with his "$40,000 German
car."
starred as Jim Walcott, the similarly shallow but far less intelligent anchorman. Walcott is often told by the others that he is smart, but Findlay always refers to him as an idiot when he is not around. He lives alone with his cat and has been charged with sexual harassment
several times, including an incident when he offered sexual favours to an underage girl in return for a ride in a helicopter
.
In the final episode of the first season, "The Campaign", Walcott, along with other staff of the newsroom, go into politics
. Walcott is running as a Liberal
for the provincial government of Ontario
. He is asked by a reporter from The Star
if he is in favour of eliminating child poverty
in Canada, to which he responds confusedly, "this is a provincial election."
During a fundraising party he mishears a woman he is talking to about abortion
, thinking she said, "the decision should be between the woman, her doctor and her dog." After "listening to [their] polls
", the campaign
team decides it best for Walcott to be pro-life
, and at a pro-life rally he falls victim to a slip of the tongue
by saying, "I believe life begins at masturbation
." Walcott's attempts to garner additional support include making appearances with his ex-wife and a disabled person, both of whom are represented by agents demanding more money per appearance.
During a campaign speech, Walcott is shot and ends up in a coma
with a bullet lodged in his brain. While watching the results of the election
on the news, the campaign team celebrates its win just as Walcott dies in the hospital bed beside them.
In Escape from the Newsroom, Walcott returns to his job as news anchor. His "death" was clarified as a two-year coma. Walcott offers Atom Egoyan
a story idea about "a news anchor, who's shot in the head, is in a coma for two years, but survives with a bullet lodged in his brain, and then struggles to return to his news desk." After Egoyan says to Walcott that he read about the same thing happening to Walcott, Walcott seems surprised and says, "yeah, there is a parallel there somewhere."
appeared as segment producer Karen Mitchell, who was the news department's rare example of intelligence and professionalism. Karen seems to be the only one who takes journalistic integrity seriously, while the others try to find ways to boost ratings by glamourizing news stories with sensationalism
.
Karen is apt to point out the ignorant prejudices of most of the staff, as they in turn tease her for not being able to find a date. Findlay suspects her of being a lesbian
after she is featured in a feminist magazine as one of ten women in the news who make a difference. He "connects the dots
" of her different personality traits to arrive at this conclusion, including observations of her not being able to sustain a male-female relationship, the fact that she knows the editor of a women's magazine, and that she is aggressive, argumentative, sure of herself and moralistic. Karen, however, is not a lesbian, as this only illustrates Findlay's way of thinking.
When offering her suggestion on characters profiles for Findlay's sitcom idea, after ridiculing Findlay (see above) she went on to describe a character based on herself that should be "highly intelligent and attractive in an unconventional way, with very strong legs from the years and years of yoga
and running that she has had to do to keep her sanity in a toxic psychic environment that is 'the newsroom', and basically far too busy doing her job to get involved in your stupidity or, I'm sorry, your character's stupidity."
and Mark Farrell
as Findlay's two "yes men" segment producers, Tanya Allen
as Audrey the intern, David Huband
as Bruce the weatherguy, Julie Khaner
as Findlay's boss Sidney, Nancy Beatty as Nancy, Findlay's other boss and David Gale as the entertainment reporter.
The 2004 season two cast included Matt Watts
as Matt and Jody Racicot as Alex who replaced Jeremy and Mark as Findlay's "yes men" segment producers. Douglas Bell played Allen, a writer, hypochondriac and Harvard graduate who often stutters. Holly Lewis
played Claire and Alberta Watson
played Susan. Tom McCamus
also appeared in one of the 2004 episodes as a newswriter who informed Findlay of his own terminal illness, to Findlay's lack of concern; his character died at the end of the episode.
In 2005, the season three additions to the cast included Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall
as Jason, who replaced Alex as segment producer, Kristin Booth as Nora and Sarah Strange
as Susan Murdoch, Findlay's boss. Jeremy Hotz
returned to the cast for the first episode when Findlay rehired his character and then fired him later that episode.
, Bob Rae
, Hugh Segal
, Naomi Klein
, Daniel Richler
, Angelo Mosca
, Linda McQuaig
, Cynthia Dale
and Noam Chomsky
, playing themselves in interviews on the newscast. Escape from the Newsroom featured Atom Egoyan
.
DGC Team Award
Gemini Awards
International Emmy Awards
Rose d'Or
San Francisco International Film Festival
WGC Awards
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
television comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
series which ran on CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
in the 1996-97, 2003–04 and 2004-05 seasons. A two-hour television movie, Escape from the Newsroom, was broadcast in 2002.
In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, The Newsroom is shown on PBS stations across the country.
Set in the newsroom
Newsroom
A newsroom is the place where journalists—reporters, editors, and producers, along with other staffers—work to gather news to be published in a newspaper or magazine or broadcast on television, cable or radio...
of a television station (which is never officially named, but clearly based on the CBC itself. The news show itself is called "City Hour"), the show — which was similar to such earlier series as the British Drop the Dead Donkey
Drop the Dead Donkey
- Major characters :* Gus Hedges — The unctuous Chief Executive of the company, and yes-man to Sir Roysten Merchant. A management stereotype, complete with clichés and clumsy metaphors, he swiftly transforms GlobeLink from a serious news network to a ratings-chasing tabloid channel...
and the Australian Frontline — mined a dark vein of comedy from the political machinations and the sheer incompetence of the people involved in producing the nightly news.
The original 13 episodes were meant as a short run, not a multiseason series, and became one of the most critically acclaimed programs on Canadian television in the 1990s. Following the end of The Newsroom, Finkleman produced three different short-run series for the CBC, More Tears
More Tears
More Tears is a seriocomedy television series that was broadcast by CBC Television, as a short run programme; it was written and produced by Ken Finkleman following the success of The Newsroom , and was partly a remake of 8½ , by Federico Fellini.As in The Newsroom, George Findlay is the...
, Foolish Heart and Foreign Objects, all of which included Findlay as a linking character. (A Findlay-like character with a different surname had also appeared in Finkleman's pre-Newsroom series Married Life
Married Life
Married Life was the first of a string of short run series Ken Finkleman made for CBC Television in the 1990s and 2000s. The show's four episodes were later edited into one two-hour TV movie....
; Findlay was also revived in the 2011 HBO Canada
HBO Canada
HBO Canada is a Canadian television channel, which airs programming sourced from the HBO subscription service in the United States. HBO Canada is not available as a standalone channel, but as one channel within the TMN and Movie Central multiplexes....
series Good Dog
Good Dog
Good Dog is a Canadian television comedy-drama series which runs on HBO Canada. The show follows the life of character George, a role that Ken Finkleman is reprising from The Newsroom.-Characters:...
.)
However, none of these subsequent series were as well-received by the public or by critics, and the CBC began to seek a new set of Newsroom episodes. Escape from the Newsroom, which included a fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
-breaking plot digression in which the characters directly addressed the idea of reviving the series, was meant partly as a sarcastic response to that request. However, Finkleman ultimately agreed to produce 13 new episodes, which were broadcast in the winter of 2004. The last four episodes of the second season were shot as a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
.
A third season of The Newsroom, consisting of six episodes, was broadcast on CBC beginning on February 14, 2005. All three seasons and Escape from the Newsroom are available on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
.
George Findlay
Series creator Ken FinklemanKen Finkleman
Ken Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
starred as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
George Findlay, a venal, petty man who cared only about his sex life, his lunch orders and his personal image within the network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
's bureaucracy
Bureaucracy
A bureaucracy is an organization of non-elected officials of a governmental or organization who implement the rules, laws, and functions of their institution, and are occasionally characterized by officialism and red tape.-Weberian bureaucracy:...
. Findlay was exceptionally intelligent, but self-absorbed and utterly unconcerned about anything besides himself.
In the third season episode "One Dumb Idea", Karen offers her idea on a character based on Findlay for a sitcom idea he was trying to come up with, saying, "I think if you're gonna go for reality, or, sorry, for verisimilitude, I think your character should be deceitful and self-serving. Basically, pathologically ambitious and actually lacking in any real humanity." In other words, a sociopath.
Findlay apparently suffers from constipation
Constipation
Constipation refers to bowel movements that are infrequent or hard to pass. Constipation is a common cause of painful defecation...
, hinted at by his obsession with bran
Bran
Bran is the hard outer layer of grain and consists of combined aleurone and pericarp. Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. When bran is removed from grains, the grains lose a portion of their...
muffins, fibre products and doctor appointments for procedures including a colonoscopy
Colonoscopy
Colonoscopy is the endoscopic examination of the large bowel and the distal part of the small bowel with a CCD camera or a fiber optic camera on a flexible tube passed through the anus. It may provide a visual diagnosis and grants the opportunity for biopsy or removal of suspected...
.
He constantly avoids talking to his mother who is always calling him at work. Telling people to tell her he is in a meeting or on vacation, he even went so far as to have an intern
Intern
Internship is a system of onthejob training for white-collar jobs, similar to an apprenticeship. Interns are usually college or university students, but they can also be high school students or post graduate adults seeking skills for a new career. They may also be as young as middle school or in...
get the telephone number to the show changed. When asked why he refused to talk to her he replies, "Talk to her? You're missing the point. The point is, this place is too cheap to get me an assistant. If I had an assistant, she could talk to my mother. But because this place is so god damn cheap, my mother has no one to talk to." Findlay does, however, have a close relationship with his BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
dealer, often calling him about small problems with his "$40,000 German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
car."
Jim Walcott
Peter KeleghanPeter Keleghan
Peter Keleghan is a Canadian television actor, who has played roles in several popular Canadian comedy series.Keleghan's best-known roles have been film industry CEO Alan Roy on Made in Canada, low-IQ news anchor Jim Walcott on The Newsroom, and Ranger Gord on The Red Green Show...
starred as Jim Walcott, the similarly shallow but far less intelligent anchorman. Walcott is often told by the others that he is smart, but Findlay always refers to him as an idiot when he is not around. He lives alone with his cat and has been charged with sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
several times, including an incident when he offered sexual favours to an underage girl in return for a ride in a helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
In the final episode of the first season, "The Campaign", Walcott, along with other staff of the newsroom, go into politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
. Walcott is running as a Liberal
Ontario Liberal Party
The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...
for the provincial government of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. He is asked by a reporter from The Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
if he is in favour of eliminating child poverty
Child poverty
Child poverty refers to the phenomenon of children living in poverty. This applies to children that come from poor families or orphans being raised with limited, or in some cases absent, state resources. Children that fail to meet the minimum acceptable standard of life for the nation where that...
in Canada, to which he responds confusedly, "this is a provincial election."
During a fundraising party he mishears a woman he is talking to about abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, thinking she said, "the decision should be between the woman, her doctor and her dog." After "listening to [their] polls
Opinion poll
An opinion poll, sometimes simply referred to as a poll is a survey of public opinion from a particular sample. Opinion polls are usually designed to represent the opinions of a population by conducting a series of questions and then extrapolating generalities in ratio or within confidence...
", the campaign
Political campaign
A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided...
team decides it best for Walcott to be pro-life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
, and at a pro-life rally he falls victim to a slip of the tongue
Slip of the Tongue
-20th Anniversary Edition DVD:-Singles:*"Fool for Your Loving"*"Now You're Gone"*"The Deeper the Love"-Personnel:*David Coverdale – vocals*Steve Vai – All Guitars*Adrian Vandenberg - Guitars *Rudy Sarzo – bass...
by saying, "I believe life begins at masturbation
Masturbation
Masturbation refers to sexual stimulation of a person's own genitals, usually to the point of orgasm. The stimulation can be performed manually, by use of objects or tools, or by some combination of these methods. Masturbation is a common form of autoeroticism...
." Walcott's attempts to garner additional support include making appearances with his ex-wife and a disabled person, both of whom are represented by agents demanding more money per appearance.
During a campaign speech, Walcott is shot and ends up in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
with a bullet lodged in his brain. While watching the results of the election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
on the news, the campaign team celebrates its win just as Walcott dies in the hospital bed beside them.
In Escape from the Newsroom, Walcott returns to his job as news anchor. His "death" was clarified as a two-year coma. Walcott offers Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
a story idea about "a news anchor, who's shot in the head, is in a coma for two years, but survives with a bullet lodged in his brain, and then struggles to return to his news desk." After Egoyan says to Walcott that he read about the same thing happening to Walcott, Walcott seems surprised and says, "yeah, there is a parallel there somewhere."
Karen Mitchell
Karen HinesKaren Hines
Karen Hines is a Canadian actress, writer and director. She is the artistic director and producer of "Keep Frozen: Pochsy Productions."Hines has appeared in several television series, including many of Ken Finkleman's satires such as The Newsroom, Foreign Objects, and Married Life for which she was...
appeared as segment producer Karen Mitchell, who was the news department's rare example of intelligence and professionalism. Karen seems to be the only one who takes journalistic integrity seriously, while the others try to find ways to boost ratings by glamourizing news stories with sensationalism
Sensationalism
Sensationalism is a type of editorial bias in mass media in which events and topics in news stories and pieces are over-hyped to increase viewership or readership numbers...
.
Karen is apt to point out the ignorant prejudices of most of the staff, as they in turn tease her for not being able to find a date. Findlay suspects her of being a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
after she is featured in a feminist magazine as one of ten women in the news who make a difference. He "connects the dots
Connect the dots
Connect the dots, also known as dot to dot or join the dots is a form of puzzle containing a sequence of numbered dots. When a line is drawn connecting the dots the outline of an object is revealed. The puzzles often contain simple line art to enhance the image created or to assist in rendering a...
" of her different personality traits to arrive at this conclusion, including observations of her not being able to sustain a male-female relationship, the fact that she knows the editor of a women's magazine, and that she is aggressive, argumentative, sure of herself and moralistic. Karen, however, is not a lesbian, as this only illustrates Findlay's way of thinking.
When offering her suggestion on characters profiles for Findlay's sitcom idea, after ridiculing Findlay (see above) she went on to describe a character based on herself that should be "highly intelligent and attractive in an unconventional way, with very strong legs from the years and years of yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and running that she has had to do to keep her sanity in a toxic psychic environment that is 'the newsroom', and basically far too busy doing her job to get involved in your stupidity or, I'm sorry, your character's stupidity."
Other characters
Each season had a different supporting cast of newswriters, reporters, producers and network bureaucrats. The 1996 season one cast included Jeremy HotzJeremy Hotz
Jeremy Hotz is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian. He has appeared on Comedy Central Presents, the Just For Laughs comedy festival, The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno...
and Mark Farrell
Mark Farrell
Mark Farrell is a Canadian comedian and writer, who honed his talent in the Yuk Yuk's comedy club in Halifax, Nova Scotia before moving to Toronto in 1989. One of the founders of Canada's alternative comedy scene. Farrell helped lead an exodus from the Yuk Yuk's chain, along with other prominent...
as Findlay's two "yes men" segment producers, Tanya Allen
Tanya Allen
Tanya Allen is a Canadian film and television actress. She has won a Gemini Award for her television work in Canada.-Filmography:* Spenser: Ceremony as April Kyle* Lives of Girls and Women as Del Jordan...
as Audrey the intern, David Huband
David Huband
David Huband , also known as Dave Huband, is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his roles on Cinderella Man as Ford Bond and in the films Cube Zero, Dirty Pictures and The Lookout.-Career:...
as Bruce the weatherguy, Julie Khaner
Julie Khaner
Julie Khaner is a Canadian television and film actress, best known for her roles in as Alana Robinovitch in Street Legal, Sidney Dernhoff in The Newsroom, Gen in Deepwater Black and Bridey Jones in Videodrome. She also appeared in the 1995 Susan Dey vampire flick Deadly Love.-External links:...
as Findlay's boss Sidney, Nancy Beatty as Nancy, Findlay's other boss and David Gale as the entertainment reporter.
The 2004 season two cast included Matt Watts
Matt Watts (comedian)
Matt Watts is a Canadian comedian, actor and writer.Best known for his work on Ken Finkleman's The Newsroom, he has recently been working for CBC Radio One, writing and performing in the dramas Steve, The First, its sequel Steve, The Second and Canadia: 2056...
as Matt and Jody Racicot as Alex who replaced Jeremy and Mark as Findlay's "yes men" segment producers. Douglas Bell played Allen, a writer, hypochondriac and Harvard graduate who often stutters. Holly Lewis
Holly Lewis
Holly Lewis is a Canadian actor. Born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario, Holly is best known for her television and film work, though she does have stage experience as well, working primarily in the Toronto area...
played Claire and Alberta Watson
Alberta Watson
Faith Susan Alberta Watson , known professionally as Alberta Watson, is a Canadian movie and television series actress.-Early life:...
played Susan. Tom McCamus
Tom McCamus
Tom McCamus is an award-winning Canadian film and theatre actor who is most widely known for his work on the science-fiction television show Mutant X....
also appeared in one of the 2004 episodes as a newswriter who informed Findlay of his own terminal illness, to Findlay's lack of concern; his character died at the end of the episode.
In 2005, the season three additions to the cast included Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall
Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall
Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall is a Canadian journalist, best known for his 2004 book Down to This: Squalor and Splendour in a Big-City Shantytown...
as Jason, who replaced Alex as segment producer, Kristin Booth as Nora and Sarah Strange
Sarah Strange
Sarah Strange is a Canadian actress, known for work in a variety of American and Canadian television and film projects, most notably as Helen in the Canadian drama Da Vinci's Inquest.-Life and career:...
as Susan Murdoch, Findlay's boss. Jeremy Hotz
Jeremy Hotz
Jeremy Hotz is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian. He has appeared on Comedy Central Presents, the Just For Laughs comedy festival, The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno...
returned to the cast for the first episode when Findlay rehired his character and then fired him later that episode.
Guest stars
The show also included guest appearances by a number of public figures, including David CronenbergDavid Cronenberg
David Paul Cronenberg, OC, FRSC is a Canadian filmmaker, screenwriter and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror or venereal horror genre. This style of filmmaking explores people's fears of bodily transformation and infection. In his films, the...
, Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
, Hugh Segal
Hugh Segal
Hugh Segal, CM is a Canadian senator, political strategist, author, and commentator. Segal is credited with helping Stephen Harper become Prime Minister by moderating his image.-Life and career:...
, Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein is a Canadian author and social activist known for her political analyses and criticism of corporate globalization.-Family:...
, Daniel Richler
Daniel Richler
Daniel Richler is a Canadian arts and pop culture broadcaster and writer. He is the stepson of author Mordecai Richler.-Biography:Born in London, England, his family moved back to his stepfather's hometown of Montreal when Daniel was 15...
, Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca
Angelo Mosca is a former Canadian Football League player and professional wrestler. He is also known by the wrestling nicknames King Kong Mosca and The Mighty Hercules...
, Linda McQuaig
Linda McQuaig
Linda Joy McQuaig is a Canadian journalist, columnist and non-fiction author.-History:Long a business reporter at the Globe and Mail, she subsequently wrote a column for the National Post before moving to her current job at the Toronto Star...
, Cynthia Dale
Cynthia Dale
Cynthia Dale is a Canadian television actress and stage performer. With a long and accomplished history as a dramatic actor, she is best known for her role as lawyer Olivia Novak in the 1987-94 television drama Street Legal....
and Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, playing themselves in interviews on the newscast. Escape from the Newsroom featured Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan, OC is a critically acclaimed Armenian-Canadian stage director and film director. Egoyan made his career breakthrough with Exotica...
.
Episode guide
- Season 1 (1996–1997)
- The Walking Shoe Incident
- Dinner at Eight
- Deeper, Deeper
- The Kevorkian Joke
- A Bad Day
- Petty Tyranny
- Dis and Dat
- Parking
- Unity
- The Meltdown Part I
- The Meltdown Part II
- The Meltdown Part III
- The Campaign
- Escape from the Newsroom (2002) (movie)
- Season 2 (2004)
- America, America
- Death 1, George 0
- Pushy, Moneygrubbing, Cosmopolitan Racist
- An Enormous Waste of TIme
- Anchors Away
- One of Us
- Never Read Symptoms
- The Fifty
- Slow Leak
- Reality Stikes
- The British Accent
- Say Cheese
- The Second Coming
- Season 3 (2005)
- One Dumb Idea
- Dial 'G' for Gristle
- Lolita
- Latent Homosexual Tendencies
- Baghdad Bound
- Learning to Fly
Awards
DGC Craft AwardDirectors Guild of Canada
The Directors Guild of Canada is a Canadian labour union, founded in 1962, which represents more than 3,700 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. The DGC represents directors, assistant directors, location managers, production assistants and...
- 2005 - Outstanding Achievement in Direction - Television Series - Ken FinklemanKen FinklemanKen Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
- (For episode "Baghdad Bound") - 2005 - Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Television Series - Tom Bjelic, Allan Fung (For episode "Learning To Fly")
DGC Team Award
Directors Guild of Canada
The Directors Guild of Canada is a Canadian labour union, founded in 1962, which represents more than 3,700 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. The DGC represents directors, assistant directors, location managers, production assistants and...
- 2005 - Outstanding Team Achievement in a Television Series - Comedy (For episode "Baghdad Bound")
Gemini Awards
- 1997-98 - Best Director - Variety, Comedy or Performing Arts Program or Series - Ken FinklemanKen FinklemanKen Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
(For episode "Meltdown, Part 3") - 1997-98 - Best Performance - Comedy Program or Series - Jeremy HotzJeremy HotzJeremy Hotz is a Canadian actor and stand-up comedian. He has appeared on Comedy Central Presents, the Just For Laughs comedy festival, The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno...
, Ken FinklemanKen FinklemanKen Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
, Mark FarrellMark FarrellMark Farrell is a Canadian comedian and writer, who honed his talent in the Yuk Yuk's comedy club in Halifax, Nova Scotia before moving to Toronto in 1989. One of the founders of Canada's alternative comedy scene. Farrell helped lead an exodus from the Yuk Yuk's chain, along with other prominent...
, Peter KeleghanPeter KeleghanPeter Keleghan is a Canadian television actor, who has played roles in several popular Canadian comedy series.Keleghan's best-known roles have been film industry CEO Alan Roy on Made in Canada, low-IQ news anchor Jim Walcott on The Newsroom, and Ranger Gord on The Red Green Show...
, Tanya AllenTanya AllenTanya Allen is a Canadian film and television actress. She has won a Gemini Award for her television work in Canada.-Filmography:* Spenser: Ceremony as April Kyle* Lives of Girls and Women as Del Jordan...
(For episode "The Campaign") - 1997-98 - Best Photography - Comedy, Variety, Performing Arts Program or Series - Joan Hutton
- 1997-98 - Best Picture Editing - Comedy, Variety, Performing Arts Program or Series - Allan NovakAllan NovakAllan Novak is a Canadian media professional associated with creating, directing or editing many critically acclaimed Canadian TV series produced since 1985....
- 1997-98 - Best Writing - Comedy or Variety Program or Series - Ken FinklemanKen FinklemanKen Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
(For episode "The Campaign") - 2005 - Best Writing - Comedy or Variety Program or Series - Ken FinklemanKen FinklemanKen Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
- (For episode "Baghdad Bound")
International Emmy Awards
- 2005 - Best Comedy (Canada)
Rose d'Or
Rose d'Or
The Rose d’Or is one of the most important international festivals in entertainment television. It was founded in Montreux in 1961 and has taken place in Lucerne since 2004. Producers, executives from independent and public service broadcasters and heads of production companies from over 40...
- 1997 - Bronze Rose, Sitcom.
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival is the oldest continuously running film festival in the Americas. Organized by the San Francisco Film Society, the International is held each spring for two weeks, presenting an average of 150 films from over 50 countries...
- 1997 - Silver Spire, Television - Comedy - Ken FinklemanKen FinklemanKen Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
(For episode "Walking Shoe Incident")
WGC Awards
Writers Guild of Canada
The Writers Guild of Canada represents more than 1,800 professional writers working in film, television, radio, and multimedia production in Canada...
- 1997 - Ken FinklemanKen FinklemanKen Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
- 1998 - Ken FinklemanKen FinklemanKen Finkleman is a Canadian television and film writer, producer and actor.In Canada, Finkleman is best known as the writer, creator and producer of the CBC Television series The Newsroom, in which he starred as television news producer George Findlay...
(For episode "Meltdown Part III")