THE NEWSREADER
DRAMA
AUSTRALIA
2021-2023
THE NEWSREADER is an Australian television drama series created by Michael Lucas and broadcast on ABC Television. Starring Anna Torv and Sam Reid, the series premiered on 15 August 2021. THE NEWSREADER consists of 18 episodes of 52 minutes.
STORY: Set in 1986, the show follows the unlikely bond between a young TV reporter Dale Jennings (Sam Reid) and a 'difficult' female newsreader Helen Norville (Anna Torv), as they cover events such as the shock of the Challenger explosion, the hype of Halley's Comet and complexities of the AIDS crisis.
GAY COUPLE STORYLINE: Dale Jennings (Sam Reid) is a mess of ambition and unfulfilled desire. He wants to report live and even get behind the studio news desk, but his initial attempts are close to farcical. Helen Norville (Anna Torv) is a judged public figure, whose own boss, head of news Lindsay Cunningham (William McInnes), is cavalier about her appearance in public and controlling to the point of sexual coercion in private. Dale Jennings is attracted to camera operator Tim Ahern (Chai Hansen), who is careful about who knows he’s gay, but Dale recoils after they share a moment of passion and chooses to pursue Helen.
Dale Jennings (Sam Reid) & Tim Ahern (Chai Hansen)
SAM REID (2021-2023) February 19, 1987, New South Wales, Australia
CHAI HANSEN (2021-2023) February 8, 1989, Koh Samui, Thailand
SPECIAL: Trauma is something that’s buried deep inside for the leads of The Newsreader, but if their jobs allow them to find personal satisfaction the bright spotlight their celebrity brings also threatens to expose their hidden lives. It’s a contemporary read, but there’s something about the jitteriness of Torv’s performance and Reid’s leading man chin that also suggests classic Hollywood melodrama.
AWARDS: 'THE NEWSREADER' 15 wins & 27 nominations
7.8 IMDB
