The Newsreader review: a ‘charmingly mellow’ newsroom drama
This Australian show set in the 1980s is ‘a treat’ – it’s beautifully acted and written
This six-part Australian drama set in a live TV newsroom in the 1980s has won several awards on its home turf, said Dan Einav in the FT, and you can see why. The series doesn’t have the kind of “grand themes” you might expect – it has little to say about politics or social issues. Instead, it relies on compelling characters and fine performances to create a “charmingly mellow” drama.
The series follows Helen (Anna Torv), a newsreader who brings “cool poise” to her evening broadcasts but who is decidedly less together off air. When a piece of breaking news completely “blindsides” her, and leads her to take an accidental overdose, she is saved by a fledgling reporter (Sam Reid), and the two bond. Although it’s set against a backdrop of major news events, it amounts to “unhurried, stress-free viewing”, aided by a “soothing beige” colour scheme.
“What a treat” this show is, said Rachel Cooke in The New Statesman. It’s “a comedy, a love story, a pastiche, an homage”, and it’s beautifully acted and written. Every time I watch it, I feel “wrapped in a million-thread-count sheet”; you’d have to be “almost unimaginably flinty-hearted and lacking in taste” not to enjoy it “just a little bit”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
I’m afraid I didn’t enjoy it much, said Anita Singh in The Daily Telegraph. Yes, it provides a welcome opportunity to wallow in 1980s nostalgia – there are VHS tapes on the shelves and Mr. Mister on the radio – but this is really just a “straightforward soap opera” peddling the usual soapy storylines. And there are better Australian soaps out there.
Where to watch: BBC iPlayer
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Crossword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff
-
Film reviews: Sinners and The King of Kings
Feature Vampires lay siege to a Mississippi juke joint and an animated retelling of Jesus' life
By The Week US
-
Music reviews: Bon Iver, Valerie June, and The Waterboys
Feature "Sable, Fable," "Owls, Omens, and Oracles," "Life, Death, and Dennis Hopper"
By The Week US
-
Susan Page's 6 favorite books about historical figures who stood up to authority
Feature The USA Today's Washington bureau chief recommends works by Catherine Clinton, Alexei Navalny, and more
By The Week US
-
Book reviews: 'The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World's Most Coveted Microchip' and 'Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service'
Feature The tech titan behind Nvidia's success and the secret stories of government workers
By The Week US
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin America
Feature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
One-pan black chickpeas with baharat and orange recipe
The Week Recommends This one-pan dish offers bold flavours, low effort and minimum clean up
By The Week UK
-
G20: Viola Davis stars in 'ludicrous' but fun action thriller
The Week Recommends The award-winning actress plays the 'swashbuckling American president' in this newly released Prime Video film
By The Week UK