Aaron Sorkin has reportedly fired all writing staff from The Newsroom , the new drama series which only debuted four weeks ago. The Daily reports how Sorkin spared only one writer: ex-girlfriend Corinne Kinsbury.
Yet a statement from a HBO spokesperson has played down the severity of the firings, telling Entertainment Weekly :
“Every year each show reassesses the needs of its writing staffs. This process is nothing out of the ordinary.”
The show, which has already been renewed for a second season, follows the behind-the-scenes events at the fictional Atlantis Cable News (ACN) channel. The first few episodes have met with a mixed critical response, and Sorkin has been criticized for not using his writing staff for, well, writing , In a recent interview, Sorkin confessed to hogging writing duties for season one:
“I create these shows so that I can write them. I’m not an empire builder. I’m not interested in just producing. All I want to do is write. I came up as a playwright — writing is something you do by yourself in a room. That said, I couldn’t possibly write the show without that room full of people. I go in there, and we kick around ideas. I’m writing about all kinds of things I don’t know anything about. So they do research for me.”
Have you caught The Newsroom yet, and if so, do you think this sudden culling could benefit the show?
