"What was a biting black comedy when it premiered in 2016 is now an accessible, easygoing pseudo-comedy," says Ben Travers of the HBO comedy returning tonight for its third and final season. "The players remain the same, but Frances (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Robert (Thomas Haden Church) are coasting through their post-divorce lives just as the season coasts to a less-than-fulfilling conclusion. No longer an insightful examination of a failed marriage, Season 3 is a shoulder-shrug emoji expanded over six uneventful half-hour episodes. How little happens cannot be emphasized enough, and with that in mind, HBO’s Monday confirmation that the third season would be the series’ last should be a welcome announcement. Instead, knowing what happens this season (or doesn’t happen) only amplifies a growing concern. As the age of Peak TV pivots into the era of the Streaming Wars, marking an increased pressure on content providers to provide even more content, some shows will exist just to fill the void — even if they’re a void in and of themselves."
TOPICS: Divorce, HBO, Sarah Jessica Parker