12 Most Epic Character Introductions In TV History
4. Will McAvoy - The Newsroom
It was the moment that played out across all the trailers for The Newsroom and had audiences still lamenting the end of The West Wing ready for more Aaron Sorkin-y goodness. A guest speaker in a lecture, we discover that Will McAvoy is a 'celebrity' journalist who has found himself conforming to the views of the network and general public.
As the chair suggests, he's popular because he doesn't bother anyone. He isn't edgy anymore and nothing he says is ground-breaking. He is a man who has adapted to the industry around him and judging by his reaction to the passionate debate raging between the other two guests, he's defeated. Which is what makes his introduction to the show so great; just as the characters of the West Wing were the (slightly unbelievable) ideals of what we thought politicians should be, so does Will McAvoy (and indeed the show) transform into the ideal of what we think real news journalism should be.
His turning point, the rant against the student who asks why the United States Of America is the greatest country in the world, is epic. The speed in which he rattles down how far down the lists the US is in terms of literacy, science, life expectancy and infant mortality is staggering. His sheer intelligence and passion stuns the crowd and us the audience and sets him on the path to become the revitalised news anchor he becomes. In one scene we know where he has come from and where he is going and that was terribly exciting to watch.