# The Newsreader (2021)

> A star newsreader and an ambitious bisexual reporter form an unconventional alliance in a ruthless 1986 Australian newsroom as events threaten to reshape their lives.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/108228

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 18
- Episode runtime: 52 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: drama
- Created by: Michael Lucas
- Network: ABC TV
- Cast: Anna Torv, Sam Reid, William McInnes, Michelle Lim Davidson, Marg Downey, Chum Ehelepola, Stephen Peacocke, Philippa Northeast
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13925142/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: melancholic, tense, intimate, sharp

## What critics say

Critics broadly praise the lead performances and the period newsroom atmosphere, while noting that the story's pacing and plotting can feel uneven.

## Synopsis

The Newsreader (2021-2025) is an Australian period drama series created by Michael Lucas for ABC TV. Anna Torv plays Helen Norville, a star newsreader whose authority on screen masks a precarious private life, while Sam Reid plays Dale Jennings, an ambitious bisexual reporter who joins her in forging an unconventional alliance. William McInnes plays Lindsay Cunningham, a figure of institutional power whose ambitions press against theirs. The engine of the series is the daily grind of a television newsroom, where scoops, ratings and editorial pressure collide with the risks of a secret relationship in a conservative country. Each season builds through a run of tense episodes that follow news stories and the people behind them. Across three seasons of six episodes each, the story stays a single continuing arc with a clear shape. Set in 1986 Sydney, the series captures a society on the cusp of change, with wood-panelled offices, late night deadlines and the first stirrings of new media. Its tone is melancholic yet sharp, combining workplace intrigue with an intimate queer love story. Fans of Mad Men and The Newsroom will find resonance in its prestige period style and its portrait of ambition under pressure.

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