Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004) is a satirical American comedy film marking Adam McKay’s directorial debut. Set in 1974, the story centres around Ron Burgundy, the charming and well-known anchorman for fictional TV station KVWN channel 4 in San Diego. Alongside his childhood friends, including lead field reporter Brian Fantana, sportscaster Champ Kind, and meteorologist Brick Tamland, Burgundy makes up the local news team. Station director Ed Harken delivers exciting news that they have maintained their top spot as San Diego’s highest-rated news program. In celebration, the team throws a wild party where Burgundy strikes out with a beautiful blonde woman named Veronica Corningstone. However, their joy is short-lived when Harken reveals that they are forced to hire Corningstone.

Despite their best efforts to woo her, she eventually agrees to go on a ‘professional tour’ of the city with Burgundy which turns into a sexual relationship. Although they promised to keep things private, Burgundy can’t help but announce it on air. Following a disagreement with a motorcyclist resulting in the unfortunate incident of Burgundy’s treasured dog Baxter being kicked off the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, Burgundy arrives late to work. In his absence, Corningstone takes on his role as anchor and receives surprisingly high ratings. However, this leads to turmoil in their relationship when Burgundy expresses resentment towards her success. As a result, Corningstone is offered the position of co-anchor, much to the displeasure of their team. Despite maintaining a façade of friendliness on-air, the co-anchors become intense rivals behind the scenes.