HBO Renews ‘Treme’ For a Fourth and Final Half-Season

Good news, fans of 'Treme'! Well, half-good news anyway. While HBO's acclaimed post-Katrina New Orleans drama 'Treme' kicked off its third season last night (going against the Emmys, ouch), HBO has officially renewed the series for a fourth season. Only, the fourth season is set to be the last, and to recieve a reduced order, at that! So exactly how many episodes will the reduced season be, and what are the creators saying?

'Treme' may have premiered its hotly-anticipated third season last night, but it's the beginning of the end as we've learned that the fourth season will in fact be the show's last. Moreover, 'Treme' season 4 won't have the same 10-11 episode structure as its predecessor, taking on a shortened run. But according to series creator David Simon, how short will the season be?

“HBO, upon viewing the 10 [Season 3 episodes] that we gave them [said] they want to see the end of the story," says Simon. "They fought very hard to give us half a loaf. We’re going to take it and run.” Simon later told Hitfix that the amount provided by HBO would likely entail between four and six episodes for a final season, depending on how the sum can be stretched.

TVLine also notes that the cast isn't contractually obligated for a fourth season, though "to a person" they had agreed to the truncated swan song.

What say you? Are you sad to see 'Treme' come to a close after a final fourth season? Did the HBO drama have years of life in it yet? Give us your reaction in the comments!