Aaron Sorkin Fires Writing Staff From ‘The Newsroom’

Aaron Sorkin has reportedly fired all writing staff from The Newsroom, the new drama series which only debuted four weeks ago. The Daily reports how Sorkin spared only one writer: ex-girlfriend Corinne Kinsbury.

Yet a statement from a HBO spokesperson has played down the severity of the firings, telling Entertainment Weekly:

“Every year each show reassesses the needs of its writing staffs. This process is nothing out of the ordinary.”

The show, which has already been renewed for a second season, follows the behind-the-scenes events at the fictional Atlantis Cable News (ACN) channel. The first few episodes have met with a mixed critical response, and Sorkin has been criticized for not using his writing staff for, well, writing, In a recent interview, Sorkin confessed to hogging writing duties for season one:

“I create these shows so that I can write them. I’m not an empire builder. I’m not interested in just producing. All I want to do is write. I came up as a playwright — writing is something you do by yourself in a room. That said, I couldn’t possibly write the show without that room full of people. I go in there, and we kick around ideas. I’m writing about all kinds of things I don’t know anything about. So they do research for me.”

Have you caught The Newsroom yet, and if so, do you think this sudden culling could benefit the show?