A shortened final season of The Newsroom dramatically improved on its rocky beginnings.
Is it enough to save the show’s legacy?
Series creator and head writer Aaron Sorkin took the brunt of criticism.
Unless youre doing an anthology series, its hard to completely start over in television.
Three episodes into the season, looks like Sorkin and Daniels werent just giving the press lip service.
Sorkin still finds a way to romanticize the idea of reporters holding on to their integrity.
Didnt Jim Harper get the girl and win the respect and adoration of the Mitt Romney campaign?
Don and Maggie finally split up!
Sad things happened in Africa, but we recovered!
What else was there to prove, Sorkin?
You wrapped it up so neatly.
There really werent any threads left untied.
Both are valid when we get into the finer details ofThe Newsrooms star-crossed run.
The first season ofThe Newsroomaveraged 7.1 million gross viewers per episode across all HBO platforms and showings.
InThe Newsrooms second season, Sorkins big Genoa fallout plot fizzled and ratings began to sink.
To me, falling ratings are only one part of the problem.
That there was a good story to tell.
That everybody was still psyched about it.
And that this wasnt an obligation.
Sorkins final story is aided by a marked improvement in how he uses his characters.
Daniels doesnt have to do as much heavy lifting this time around.
Sorkin also seems to have a better grip of who the essential members of his newsroom are.
Dons screen time has been significantly reduced and when he does butt in, the stronger Sloane neutralizes him.
The only real downside to these changes is a lessor role for fan favorite Jim Harper.
*
*Im Jim Harpers biggest fan and Ill be eagerly awaiting his spinoff series.
Season three is a testament to that.
Just before the premiere,Sorkin told theLA Timesthat hes likely made his last foray into television.
Ive loved every minute Ive spent in television, he said.
And Ive had much more failure, as traditionally measured, than success in television.
Ive done four shows, and only one of them was theWest Wing.
But at least its final episodes remind us of a time when we thought it could be.
AndGoogle+, if thats your thing!
Rating:
3 out of 5
