When it comes to comedies in the workplace, there are few others that can top the genius of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. It’s the best Will Ferrell comedy according to IMDb, and the period and setting in which it takes place make it so unique in the genre.
However, when it comes to general movies that take place at a news network, there are so many interesting ways in which the industry is depicted. Not only are there comedies, but dramas too, as they often tackle deep subjects such as politics and the dirty secrets of what goes on in the media industry.
Anchorman: The Legend Continues (2013)
Following the success of the first movie, The Legend Continues was unique in that, just like it followed the original by almost 10 years, the movie was based a decade later, in the 1980s.
It was creative in that the gang of reclusive and seemingly socially inept news broadcasters had to tackle advancements in the industry, such as 24-hour news networks. And just like the original movie, and arguably more so, the inventive adlibs from the cast are what made the movie so great, but it’s also what made the blooper reel better than the actual movie.
Morning Glory (2010)
Possibly being the influence for The Morning Show, the Apple TV+ series that depicts news anchors and the struggle on reporting unbiased news, Morning Glory has a similar premise but is more of a comedy than anything.
The movie is incredibly underrated, as it features Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) hilariously locking horns with anybody that comes in his way. It’s a late-career highlight from Ford, though the true highlight is the lead performance from Rachel McAdams.
The Interview (2014)
Though he’s more of a talk show host than a news anchor, Dave Skylark (James Franco) dreams of being a broadcaster with serious news stories so he can be taken seriously in the world of news. This leads him and his producer (Seth Rogen) to interview the one and only Kim Jong-un.
The movie, unfortunately, doesn’t get the credit it deserves, as it’s more famous for being the catalyst of the Sony leaks in 2014 instead of being a hilarious on-the-nose comedy, and it’s one of the last collaborations between Rogen and Franco that there is.
Broadcast News (1987)
It’s a shame how Broadcast News is almost all but forgotten, as it’s one of the funniest films of the 1980s. It follows a news producer and all of the absurd characters she has to deal with in everyday life, including writers, reporters, and anchormen.
It is one of the most inventive ways in which a movie depicts real-life news networks, and possibly the most realistic and insightful too. Anchorman was clearly influenced by Broadcast News, not with its comedy, but with the way anchormen and reporters interact with the crew and the way in which networking greatly affects people’s success.
Newsfront (1978)
Newsfront is unique in the way it depicts news broadcasters, as the movie is set in the late '40s when television was first introduced to Australia. It’s very much like an origin story of how today’s news networks came to be, as it follows a cameraman and his production team as they shoot anything newsworthy in the midst of social and political changes in the country.
It’s another movie that’s dangerously close to being forgotten, but it’s one of the greatest Australian films ever made.
Bombshell (2019)
2019's Bombshell is one of the most prescient and most relevant movies of the lot, and it’s almost like the true story version of what Apple is doing with The Morning Show. The movie is all about the accounts of women at Fox News who attempted to expose the CEO of the company for sexual harassment.
Though there were some clear liberties taken with the real-life story, it’s a fascinating fly-on-the-wall type movie full of inspiring quotes. On top of that, it has an all-star cast unlike any other, and the make-up is some of the best, as the resemblance between the characters and their real-life counterparts is uncanny.
Bruce Almighty (2003)
Though he isn’t a broadcaster, which is a job he was competing for throughout the movie, Bruce (Jim Carey) is a TV reporter who focuses on ridiculous stories on location while being envious of the broadcasters at the studio.
Bruce Almighty is one of the funniest movies of the 2000s, and its best scenes arguably come from the bit players, including Evan Baxter (Steve Carrell), who is the broadcaster at the network. And the best moment comes when Bruce possesses Evan live on air while trying to read the teleprompter. Evan even got his own spin-off movie, Evan Almighty.
Nightcrawler (2014)
Though the news broadcaster isn’t front and center in Nightcrawler, they have a major role in the movie, as it depicts the dangerous and highly illegal ways in which networks collect their footage.
The movie follows Lou (Jake Gyllenhaal,) a stringer, which is somebody who drives around at night listening to police radios and trying to capture exciting shots for the newsreel. It’s an exciting movie where the lead character is the movie’s villain, as he sets up his own crimes just to send to the network, where the broadcaster talks over Lou’s scandalous footage.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
It might not be tackling social or political changes, and it might not be the deepest movie in the world, but it is by far the funniest, most iconic movie about a news broadcaster ever made. And though Anchorman isn’t remotely relatable in any way, shape, or form, it’s one of the funniest work-related comedies.
Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell,) along with the supporting characters who run the network, has become timeless, as their lines of dialogue are quoted tirelessly amongst fans, and it made everyone in the movie a certified star.
Network (1976)
Network is one of the most iconic movies of the '70s, as the broadcaster Max Schumacher (William Holden) declares that he’s going to shoot himself live on air after being told he only has two weeks left on the job due to declining ratings. It’s one of Sidney Lumet’s best movies mostly thanks to Holden’s riveting performance.
The movie ingeniously sheds a light on how broadcasters will do anything to get decent ratings, which is a theme that all the movies here share, but none are more provocative than Network.