Daniel Gillies | The Newsreader

• Genre: Drama
• Created by: Michael Lucas
• Written by: Michael Lucas, Jonathan Gavin, Niki Aken, Kim Ho, Adrian Russell Wills
• Directed by: Emma Freeman
• Starring: Anna Torv, Sam Reid, Robert Taylor, William McInnes
• Composer: Cornel Wilczek
• No. of series: 2
• No. of episodes: 12
• Executive producers: Joanna Werner, Stuart Menzies
• Producers: Joanna Werner, Michael Lucas, Sally Riley, Brett Sleigh
• Production locations: Melbourne, Victoria
• Running time: 51–60 minutes
• Production company: Werner Film Productions
• Network: ABC Television
• Release: 15 August 2021 – present

In the 1980s, an embattled anchorwoman and an ambitious reporter confront studio politics and their own desires as they navigate the cut-throat world of Australia's news media.

"Decision '87"

• Season: 2
• Episode: 1
• Directed by: Emma Freeman
• Written by: Michael Lucas
• Premiere: 10 September 2023

8–13 July 1987. The night is dominated by rivalries as Dale and Helen - now firmly established as 'The Golden Couple of News' - prepare to front the network's federal election coverage, frustrated by unjust pressure from their new CEO, Charlie Tate, as to what the telecast promises viewers - a 7:45pm guarantee on the election outcome - and from their erstwhile colleague and former News at Six icon, Geoff - whose career revival happens to be his own simultaneous coverage on a rival network. The Six's night goes from bad to worse when they are unable to deliver a projection by the deadline and an opportunity to interview Paul Keating is jeopardised, as Lindsay and Dennis' toadying of Charlie becomes more desperate and Noelene gets on the wrong side of everyone bar Rob. Variety show host Gerry Carroll's addition to the panel initially annoys Dale, but he finds himself warming to the comic - to an extent that disturbs and unsettles him and Helen in different ways. Meanwhile, Evelyn struggles to accommodate her daughter's homecoming.

"People Like You and Me"

• Season: 2
• Episode: 2
• Directed by: Emma Freeman
• Written by: Hoddle Street massacre
• Premiere: 17 September 2023

9–12 August 1987. A dinner at Charlie's is interrupted as news reaches the team of a mass shooting in Clifton Hill, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne. The only news programme with raw footage of the aftermath, the exclusive sees Lindsay approve the broadcast of unedited video that includes the image of a dead body. The resulting uproar taints Helen, the bulletin's newsreader, by association; being forced to confront her besmirched image - having subverted expectations of what viewers expect from a female newsreader, those disparate qualities and her departure from them made clear - worsened by Geoff, who launches a caustic attack on the exploitative tactics of modern media, aided by Evelyn's underhand tactics in extracting insider information from Cheryl. With his and Noelene's homes located near the massacre, Rob struggles to gather himself in the following days, compounding the pair's reluctance to reveal their relationship. Charlie begins to inveigle himself into the Six's affairs with a baulking effect; Lindsay in his crosshairs.

"Greed and Fear"

• Season: 2
• Episode: 3
• Directed by: Emma Freeman
• Written by: Michael Lucas
• Premiere: 24 September 2023

17–20 October 1987. Helen is deeply perturbed when the newsroom is contacted by a notorious newspaper gossip columnist promising a tell-all feature about her troubled past, including her estrangement from her family and her brief institutionalisation as a teenager. Dale and Helen take different routes and inspiration in attempting to deal with the situation, as Gerry encourages Dale to concede to the columnist's power - which results in a mistimed proposal. Helen, meanwhile, takes the direct route in attempting to rope CEO Charlie into quashing the story - who is preoccupied with trying to stem his losses from the stock market catastrophe - with a visit to Evelyn's to lay the blame at her door worsening the image the story will create of her. The pair both find themselves at potential sources of temptation to repair and secure their future. The shifting deckchairs and unstable manoeuvres at the network and the Six unsettle Dennis, whose secret plotting to overthrow Lindsay steps up a notch. Geoff continues to be blind - with reluctant self-admission to otherwise - to the truth behind Kay's increasingly obvious suffering, while Noelene's efforts to improve her professional standing fall short, to her dismay.

"The Hungry Truth"

• Season: 2
• Episode: 4
• Directed by: Emma Freeman
• Written by: Adrian Russell Wills
• Premiere: 1 October 2023

4–16 December 1987. With the Bicentennial celebrations around the corner, the network's preparations are beginning to warm up; when Geoff's coverage is unexpectedly interrupted by a brash, suave activist group leader, Lynus Preston, determined to get his message across on the suffering of the Aborigines and how the celebrations will worsen it, Helen is keen to obtain a narrative-challenging interview. Lindsay's opposition is quelled by Dale and Noelene's revelation they have a ratings-rocketing story on the state of Prince Charles and Diana's marriage, and in return Helen and Lynus get their spot - although he is more-than-happy to string her along, Helen already unsettled by the reappearance of Tim with another interested crew. Inspired by her erstwhile enthusiasm and happiness, Dale resolves to prepare another surprise and spectacle of his own: a lavish, yet low-key, proposal; his efforts, however, are undermined by unneeded blowback on the royal story from different directions - that end up upsetting both Helen and Lynus for very contrasting reasons. Kay is left broken by her parents' reaction to their inclusion in her recovery - a dismissive, blasé Evelyn and obstinate Geoff refusing to acknowledge their part in her years-long pain - while Noelene is disappointed by Rob's facetious treatment of what racism is and discussions about it.

"A Model Daughter"

• Season: 2
• Episode: 5
• Directed by: Emma Freeman
• Written by: Niki Aken
• Premiere: 8 October 2023

17–21 December 1987. Carrying on as normal proves increasingly fraught for Dale and Helen, their close working relationship hiding how emotionally and romantically distant they are. Their impasse is punctuated by Kay Walters' request for a tell-all interview on her addiction and her family's involvement - enthusing Lindsay, wanting a huge scoop to end the year on, but prompting an eruptive Geoff. Jealousy causes Dale's grasp on his relationship to crumble further, as drowning his spirits at the camera crew's infamously ribald Christmas party - a surprise appearance by Tim and Gerry encouraging him to follow them on to an underground gay bar - dismantles any obstacle to loosening his self-imposed shackles, shocking them both as he becomes incongruously uninhibited. Noelene's apprehension over impressing Rob's family at a Christmas lunch worsens as Kay calls, demanding the interview be held immediately; her forthright answers resonate with both her and Helen, while a hungover Dale nurses the night before by reasserting himself as the caricature of the unflawed man - which includes agreeing with critique of the lack of sensationalism in Helen's report... compounding her already tentative thoughts on her regret as to her drifting moral compass, and leading to a staggering decision matching Dale's in impulsiveness.

"Fireworks"

• Season: 2
• Episode: 6
• Directed by: Emma Freeman
• Written by: Michael Lucas
• Premiere: 15 October 2023

21–27 January 1988. The Six team all encounter threats to their future with constantly fluctuating levels of hope, ambition, and danger. Dale and Helen start their lives apart, their ostensibly buoyant moods, are immediately upended; Gerry pleads with Dale for support after his arrest for cottaging, and Helen is informed tenacious newspaper columnist Donna has learned of Dale's tryst with Tim. Rushing to protect him, she demolishes her relationship with Charlie, and becomes crestfallen with her newfound sense of freedom as Seven News' US election correspondent shattered by Lindsay's malicious gossip about her tendency for caprice. Dale attempts to fight Gerry being excised from their coverage of Australia Day - the First Fleet re-enactment and a royal visit converging to engender the biggest news day of the year, helped by Geoff stepping away from his show in light of family turmoil - but in desperation to save himself and his position reneges on his loyalty to someone who is also hiding who they are, inspiration striking last-minute to secure his potential for good. Noelene is wracked with indecision after being offered a position with Helen abroad, compounded when Rob unexpectedly proposes and she begins to wonder about her place in the world as the path forward bifurcates, with Dennis also finding himself in a relatable position.