Sorkin's 'Newsroom' recalls Finkleman's 'Newsroom'

News that the title of Aaron Sorkin's upcoming HBO series will be "Newsroom" (per Alex Weprin at TV Newser) makes me wonder if those folks have forgotten about Ken Finkleman's great Canadian program "The Newsroom," shown in the U.S. on PBS, or if they just don't care about recycling the moniker. Perhaps it's an homage. I'd hate to think Sorkin has never heard of it.

Finkleman starred in and exec produced the series, which ran in periodic installments beginning in the late 1990s and became a cult favorite in these parts for its sharp humor and storytelling.

Sample line, after word spreads that the show's news anchor has received a death threat: "I’m not going to nickel and dime my anchor over his life. But the fact is (bulletproof) vests are expensive, and I don’t know if I can justify it."