In Network, what does Howard Beale demand that viewers say they are?

In Network, Howard Beale demands that viewers say they are “mad as hell.”

Beale, played by Peter Finch, is a television news anchor whose on-air breakdown becomes a ratings phenomenon. In his famous speech, he tells viewers to open their windows and shout that they are mad as hell and will not take it anymore.

The phrase expresses the film’s criticism of television sensationalism, corporate control, and public frustration. Beale’s genuine anger is packaged as entertainment by the network, creating a satire in which protest is converted into profitable programming.

The commonly quoted answer is “mad as hell,” although the full recurring sentence is “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” The film was written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet, and Finch won a posthumous Academy Award for the role.