Initially proposed and broadcast as a 13-episode series for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Ken Finkleman's The Newsroom (1996-2005) earned a televised resurrection roughly six years later and went out with a bang. Those familiar with hit shows like The Office (both the US and UK programs) and older favorites like The Larry Sanders Show will find The Newsroom's documentary-style format refreshing but pleasantly familiar...not to mention its dry, scathing portrayal of an office environment and the neurotic folks that work there. Revolving around the exploits of George Findlay (Finkleman) and his unfortunate staff, The Newsroom aims its razor-sharp eye at television production---or the lack thereof---in the same vein as Sidney Lumet's Network, so unsuspecting audiences will be all the better for it.

Though 2002's made-for-TV movie Escape from The Newsroom marked the official comeback of the series, it's the second proper season (2003-2004) that finds The Newsroom back on the right track. We're introduced to a slightly darker version of the original series this time around: right from the start, viewers will find much of the show's satire has been turned down a few notches. Creator Ken Finkleman writes that this second season "accepts the futility of change", and he's certainly got his bases covered: drenched more firmly in current events, the world of The Newsroom is still as cynical and biting as ever…if not more so.

Eight years have passed since we last left The Newsroom, so there are naturally many new (and a few familiar) faces that pop up as the season progresses. Returning, of course, is George Findlay, but he's not alone; we also get re-acquainted with vapid news anchor Jim Walcott (Peter Keleghan) and producer Karen Mitchell (Karen Hines). New faces in the crowd include newsroom producers Allen (played by Doug Bell) and Matt (Matt Watts), as well as assistant Claire (Holly Lewis); most of the new faces revive the "younger" nature of the supporting cast, but they're now seen in a slightly starker contrast to the aging Findlay. Like the first season, this second collection includes thirteen 23-minute episodes chock full of misery, self-loathing and fumbled decision-making. They are as follows:

The season opener---call it a second "series premiere", if you will---gets us back up to speed in a hurry. Though the change of scenery offers a welcome and surprising start to the show---which reveled in its close quarters, for the most part---we're brought back down to Earth by George's spiraling personal life. He remains the focus of the series overall, but it's great to see such a promising cast of supporting characters get their time to shine as well. Guest stars also pop up occasionally, including noted scholar Noam Chomsky and author Naomi Klein. Like the first season, these "special appearances" only add to the show's skillful blend of reality and dread-inducing fiction. All things considered, this is a reassuring season; after all, it's not often that a revived television show can stand up to the first incarnation.

Presented on DVD by Goldhill Entertainment, this two-disc set follows suit with the first season in most regards: it's filled to the brim with scathing comedy, reprehensible characters and stomach-churning situations…all in a good way, of course. The technical presentation is relatively strong---with only a few minor irritations---while the bonus features are light but interesting for fans of the series. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Presented in their original 1.78:1 aspect ratio, all 13 episodes look very good overall. There's only one strange drawback: only one of the episodes (#13, "The Second Coming") is anamorphically enhanced! Regardless of this, the natural color palette and documentary feel of the series translate well to DVD, while there aren't any major digital problems to speak of. The English Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo mix is roughly the same quality; it's a bit leaner than most television productions, but good enough to get the job done. No subtitles have been provided, but Closed Captioning is available.

To be fair, we do get a more balanced overview during "In the Newsroom" (21:39), a behind-the-scenes featurette much like the one from the first season. It's also a bit clip-heavy, but fans will enjoy seeing the show from an even more "realistic" perspective. Also included is an Alternate Ending for season finale "The Second Coming"---and without giving too much away, it presents a more "heavenly" conclusion than the original version. Closing things out are a trio of Music Videos for songs featured this season, including "Nighttime/Anytime" by The Constantines (4:27), "By Now" by Revenge of the Egg People (2:56) and "Something Beautiful" by NoAlternative (4:07).

While not quite as refreshing and unpredictable this time around, it's a safe bet that most fans of The Newsroom will thoroughly enjoy this second incarnation: as cynical and unrelenting as ever, it trades off some of the innocence and satire for a deeper, darker palette and great new characters. Goldhill Entertainment's DVD presentation is good, but not excellent: the odd anamorphic oversight of the first 12 episodes is disappointing, as is the strange disappearance of chapter breaks. Still, it's hard to complain with what we're getting here: plenty of pitch-black comedy and a few interesting bonus features for a very reasonable asking price. Overall, the second season of The Newsroom offers another potent dose of entertainment that makes this collection worth hunting down. Firmly Recommended.