Review: BBC's Hour of Power, and More Wednesday TV

Memo to HBO’s The Newsroom: This is how it’s done.

In its second season, BBC America’s The Hour (Wednesdays at 9/8c) is the very model of a smart, sleek, witty and sexy drama about the inner workings of a high-profile TV news operation. Set in the late ’50s, but feeling quite contemporary in its depiction of media celebrity, with political and competitive pressures assailing journalistic ideals, this first-class entertainment avoids the pitfalls of preachiness and extreme silliness that often derailed Aaron Sorkin‘s TV comeback.