Little Fires Everywhere

Series premiere. Surviving the fallout from a meltdown, ACN 'News Night' anchor Will McAvoy returns to his job and finds that his executive producer and most of his entire staff are leaving his show. Will learns he's been assigned a new EP: MacKenzie McHale, a former girlfriend. Will and his overhauled staff face an immediate challenge when breaking news comes over the wire.

Mac asserts control over the new incarnation of News Night and enlists a beautiful and brainy on-air economist, Sloan Sabbith, to do a nightly segment. Jim takes the fall for a Maggie miscue; Charlie forbids Reese from continuing his furtive meetings with Will; a long-festering breakup secret gets out.

In an on-air editorial, Will apologizes for past newscasts and promises a new era of integrity for News Night. Will's new approach rankles CEO Leona Lansing, who warns Charlie that Will's stance will not be tolerated. Jim soothes Maggie during a panic attack; Don charges Elliot to get in the game; Will parades a string of arm-candy dates in front of Mac.

Will's 'mission to civilize' takes a hit when he finds himself in the tabloid spotlight. Wade approaches Will with info on the government's flagging ability to fight financial crime; Don gets Maggie to fix Jim up with her roommate, Lisa; Neal's 'Bigfoot is real' pitch falls on deaf ears. Will refuses to follow the media rumor mill and make a call on a breaking story.

In the midst of its coverage of the ouster of Egyptian President Mubarak, the 'News Night' team learns of a protest in Wisconsin condemning Gov. Scott Walker's bill to balance the budget by cutting teachers' jobs. As Maggie, Jim and Don hustle to get side-by-side views of the simultaneous uprisings on air, Neal tracks down an Egyptian insider, who can get on-the-ground updates.

A lingering bout with insomnia drives Will to keep a long-standing therapy appointment. Subbing for Elliot during the Japanese nuclear crisis, Sloan's strident interrogation of a Tokyo power-company spokesperson ends up jeopardizing her own career. After his rough handling of an interview subject, Will comes to recognize the causes and effects of being a bully.

An anonymous source contacts Charlie and provides advance details on an imminent story of national importance. When news breaks that the President will be making a televised speech that night, the 2.0 staff cuts short its one-year (and one week) anniversary party, and rushes back to the newsroom amidst a flurry of speculation as to what exactly happened.

News Night's refusal to lead with a pair of sensational stories causes ratings to plummet--and forces Will and Mac to abandon their principles in order to lure back viewers and shore up the network's bid to land a Republican debate. Meanwhile, Will auditions an unlikely scribe, Brian Brenner, to write an all-access profile; and Sloan chafes over a lack of air time on a story.

Will and the 'News Night' staff stage a mock debate for a pair of Republican Party officials. Mac has an epiphany during a power outage; Charlie vets the credibility of an NSA insider; Lisa goes off-script during an on-air interview; Neal goes undercover as an internet troll.

Season One Finale. Nina Howard surprises Mac with a damning revelation; Jim and Maggie reach a crossroad; Sloan weighs a new job offer; Neal uses his internet alter-ego to smoke out a threat. Will, Mac, and Charlie face off with Leona and Reese during a tension-filled lunch meeting.