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Season 2 of The Newsroom was announced on Monday, July 2, 2012 and aired from July 14, 2013 to September 15, 2013.

Synopsis[]

Aaron Sorkin's Golden Globe-nominated drama set at the fictional Atlantis Cable News (ACN) flashes back to September 2011 as the second season opens, but an on-air remark by anchor Will McAvoy (Jeff Daniels) gets him KO'd from coverage of the 9/11 anniversary. Meanwhile, Jim (John Gallagher Jr.) volunteers to fill in for a reporter covering the Mitt Romney presidential campaign in New Hampshire; and Neal (Dev Patel) investigates the beginnings of Occupy Wall Street. But there's a ticking time bomb that threatens the reputation and existence of "News Night" in a controversial report about U.S. soldiers using chemical weapons in the Middle East, and the show's attack-dog lawyer, Rebecca Halliday (Marcia Gay Harden), comes down hard on the staff, especially Maggie (Allison Pill), whose integrity is questioned after a life-changing experience while on assignment in Africa. Also starring in Season 2 are Hamish Linklater as Jerry Dantana, Jim's temporary replacement; Grace Gummer as Hallie Shea, another reporter on the Romney campaign; and Constance Zimmer as Taylor Warren, a Romney spokesperson who is unhappy with the candidate's treatment by the press.

Starring[]

Jeff Daniels as Will McAvoy (9 episodes)
Emily Mortimer as MacKenzie McHale (9 episodes)
John Gallagher, Jr. as Jim Harper (9 episodes)
Alison Pill as Maggie Jordan (9 episodes)
Thomas Sadoski as Don Keefer (9 episodes)
Dev Patel as Neal Sampat (9 episodes)
Olivia Munn as Sloan Sabbith (9 episodes)
and Sam Waterston as Charlie Skinner (9 episodes)

Recurring cast

Hamish Linklater as Jerry Dantana (6 episodes)
David Harbour as Elliot Hirsch (5 episodes)
Constance Zimmer as Taylor Warren (5 episodes)
Marcia Gay Harden as Rebecca Halliday (5 episodes)
Grace Gummer as Hallie Shea (5 episodes)
Riley Voelkel as Jennifer Johnson (5 episodes)

Guest starring

Joel Johnstone as Cameron (4 episodes)
Kelen Coleman as Lisa Lambert (2 episodes)

About[]

The season will span Aug. 23, 2011 (the day Muammar Gaddafi’s Tripoli compound was captured by rebel forces) to Election Day 2012, and will include one episode that’s “an absolute” love letter to journalists. Sorkin also revealed in March that the season will cover events including “the Tea Party/American Taliban, the general election including the primaries and conventions, Trayvon Martin, the Affordable Care Act, and drones.”

Sorkin revealed he got off to a "false start" with season 2, creating two episodes that were eventually scrapped in an effort to make the season structurally sound. Sorkin has also said that viewers starting with the second season shouldn't have any trouble following the story.

Episodes[]

EP # AIRDATE #

First Thing We Do, Let’s Kill All the Lawyers
1 July 14, 2013 11
Season 2 Episode 1 Will and the "News Night" staff are questioned by their lawyer about a story they've aired that's become a network crisis. An on-air remark by Will has him pulled from 9/11 anniversary coverage. Jim volunteers to cover for an embed reporter on the Romney campaign and Neal investigates the beginnings of Occupy Wall Street.

The Genoa Tip
2 July 21, 2013 12
Season 2 Episode 2 A tip on a story that will ultimately cripple the network starts to become more real. Mackenzie and Sloan continue to push Will on drones as Don urges Will to advocate for Troy Davis. Maggie is un-friended by her roommate, but gets the assignment she's been begging for. Neal gets arrested on Wall Street.

Willie Pete
3 July 28, 2013 13
203nina Will continues his mission to civilize by telling Nina Howard (Hope Davis) the truth. A new witness to the Genoa story emerges on Twitter, and in New Hampshire, Jim's efforts to have his questions answered continue to fall on deaf ears.

Unintended Consequences
4 August 4, 2013 14
Season 2 Episode 4 Maggie tries to convince Rebecca that she's fine following her shattering trip to Africa with Gary. An Occupy Wall Street protester with a Black Op lead refuses to cooperate with Neal and Jerry after an on-air interview with Will goes poorly. Jim lands Hallie a one-on-one, but gets heat from Mac as a result.

News Night with Will McAvoy
5 August 11, 2013 15
Season 2 Episode 5 Will is distracted during his telecast by a phone call and an unflattering Twitter post. Charlie gets a visit from a longtime friend at the Office of Naval Intelligence, who has knowledge of Operation Genoa. Sloan phases from humiliation to rage following a revenge posting. The newsroom traverses the slippery slope separating fact from fiction.

One Step Too Many
6 August 18, 2013 16
Season 2 Episode 6 Mac and Charlie score a key witness, a retired Marine general, in their attempt to corroborate Jerry's Operation Genoa story. Will follows Nina's lead to soften his image by making an impromptu appearance on a morning talk show. Jim gets unexpected company during his reunion with Hallie, who's in town to cover a Romney rally.

Red Team III
7 August 25, 2013 17
Season 2 Episode 7 Through depositions with the newsroom staff, Rebecca pieces together the events that led to ACN's fateful decision to go forward with Jerry's special report on Operation Genoa - as well as the post-air revelations that undermined its credibility. The repercussions threaten to ruin "News Night" while eclipsing breaking news during another 9/11 anniversary.

Election Night, Part I
8 September 8, 2013 18
Season 2 Episode 8 In the wake of Leona's refusal to accept the resignations of three top ACN talents, "News Night" goes forward with its 2012 election night coverage, featuring Will in the unlikely role of director of morale. Sloan is perturbed that her book was auctioned off with a forged signature, while Mac tasks Neal to fix a faulty Wikipedia page. Mindful that Charlie wants a screw-up-free evening, Jim weighs the cons of retracting a call he made too soon. The team deliberates whether to hold off on a story that might affect a tight Senate race.

Election Night, Part II
9 September 15, 2013 19
Season 2 Episode 9 As election night 2012 winds down, Will and Charlie await a decision from Reese that may impact their future at ACN, and that of the entire senior staff. Sloan learns the identity of the anonymous winning bidder for her book; Don discusses a countersuit against Jerry with Rebecca; Neal turns to Hallie for help giving Mac a parting gift; Jim tries to make peace with Lisa, encouraging Maggie to do the same; Will has a revelation while Charlie is sharing his.
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