HBO's Newsroom Ratings Down For Second Episode, Weeds And Episodes Premieres Also Down 
 
 Sunday night was a big night for pay-cable. Not only did Showtime bringandback with new seasons, but HBO'spremiered its second episode. Series premieres are big, the second episode probably tells us much more about the the direction the series might be taking as far as its ratings go, and unfortunately for, the news isn't great. According to TV Line (and Vulture ), Episode 2 of Aaron Sorkin's cable news-focused drama seriestook in 1.7 million total viewers on Sunday night. That's a 19% drop from its premiere, and the ratings decreased 30% among adults 18-49. Fortunately for those of us who have decided to stick with the show, HBO has already renewed it for Season 2. And being on HBO, with the advantage of frequent encore airings and HBO Go to help people get caught up, there's always the chance more viewers will board the series as Season 1 progresses.The news wasn't great for Showtime'sandeither.returned for its eighth season, providing some resolution to the major Season 7 cliffhanger, to an audience of 1.1 million total viewers. That's apparently up from last season's average but down from the Season 7 premiere. Maybe Monday nights are better for the series? Or interest is just waning. It's the last season though, so the fate of the show is set regardless. But the situation is also not great for, which premiered to 486,000 total viewers for its second season opener, a 37% decrease from the series premiere last year. Hopefully more will givea shot. Season 2 has a lot going for it.Check out ourSeason 2 review here ||||| HBO has renewed " The Newsroom" for a second season, shortly after the second episode of the debut season aired. 
 
 "The Newsroom" (Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on HBO) centers on a cable news anchor (Jeff Daniels), his new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), his newsroom staff (John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel and Olivia Munn) and their boss (Sam Waterston). The team sets out to do the news well in the face of corporate and commercial obstacles and their own personal relationships.
– It seems HBO isn't sweating the mostly terrible reviews The Newsroom has garnered so far. The network has already renewed Aaron Sorkin's polarizing media drama for another season, the Huffington Post reports. Newsroom had decent ratings for its premiere, drawing 2.1 million viewers, though that figure dropped 19% for the second episode, according to Cinema Blend. If nothing else, the show certainly has people talking, and it has even earned some high-profile admirers.