The first installment in the Anchorman series , the film is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the s, particularly the new Action News format.
It was met with lukewarm reviews from critics upon release but has undergone a gradual critical reassessment since then. It was ranked at number on Bravo 's funniest movies, number 6 on Time Out 's top comedy films of all time and on Empire 's Greatest Movies of All Time.
He works alongside his lifelong friends on the news team: lead field reporter Brian Fantana, sportscaster Champ Kind, and meteorologist Brick Tamland. Station director Ed Harken informs the team that they have retained their long-held status as the highest-rated news program in San Diego, leading them to throw a wild party, where Burgundy unsuccessfully attempts to pick up a beautiful blonde woman, Veronica Corningstone.
Harken later informs the team that they have been forced to hire Corningstone. After a series of unsuccessful attempts by the team to seduce her, she finally agrees to a "professional tour" of the city with Burgundy, culminating in a sexual relationship. Despite agreeing to keep the relationship discreet, Burgundy announces it on air. After a dispute with a motorcyclist ends in Burgundy's beloved dog Baxter being punted off the San DiegoβCoronado Bridge , Burgundy is late to work.
Corningstone fills in for him on-air, receiving higher ratings than Burgundy usually receives, and the couple break up when he bemoans her success. Corningstone is promoted to co-anchor, to the disgust of the team. The co-anchors become fierce rivals off-air while maintaining a phony facade of cordiality on-air. Depressed, the team barring Corningstone decide to buy new suits, but Tamland, leading the way, gets them lost in a shady part of town. Confronted by main competitor Wes Mantooth and his news team, Burgundy challenges them to a fight.
