The broadcast news show is given new life and Anna Torv excels in this fun but flinty story that revels in its 80s setting
in excelling at a period setting.bulletin, presented by veteran Geoff Walters and rising star Helen Norville and presided over by bullying news director Lindsay Cunningham , a truly horrible boss. But our way into this world is through the eyes of ambitious young reporter Dale Jennings , a man with the boundless enthusiasm of a golden retriever.Desperate to become a real newsreader, Dale has been taking lessons from a voice coach and spends his evenings practising at home.
Although few of the themes are new – rife sexism, casual racism, flippant homophobia, office politics and warring ambition –gently and engagingly subverts a few stereotypes. Where Dale could be an obnoxious upstart, he is kind and keen to learn. Where Helen might be flinty with self-preservation, she is passionate and principled but more fragile than she first appears.
In a strong ensemble cast, both leads are excellent: while Reid has an endearing knack for rabbit-in-the-headlights comic timing, Torv is powerfully nuanced as Helen. Her performance in episode two, as she desperately tries to keep tears at bay and hold it together during a live bulletin, is especially heartbreaking.
Adhering to real-life events, the time period is smartly chosen for the turbulent news agenda it offers up. While later episodes cover Halley’s Comet and the case of Lindy Chamberlain , the first episode centres on an exhilarating sequence that sees Helen triumphantly return to the studio to present rolling coverage of the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster.
Although there is a slight soapiness to some elements of the plot, such as the bitter scheming of Geoff and his wife, the broadcast news set-up lends itself to melodrama with all its frantic activity off camera to ensure that everything on screen remains glossy and polished.about the way the show leans into the 80s setting, relishing its era-appropriate soundtrack, big hair and even bigger lapels, while making conscious casting choices regarding diversity.
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