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'The Newsroom' begins to close By Jay Bobbin © Zap2it The end is near for At- lantis Cable News, but its creator intends to send it out with a bang. The HBO drama series "The Newsroom" has been polarizing, to say the least. An Emmy winner in its first year for star Jeff Daniels as opinionated anchorman Will McAvoy, the show begins its third and final season Sunday, Nov. 9. Though it runs only six episodes, writer-pro- ducer Aaron Sorkin has aimed to pack a lot in. Last year's bombing at the Boston Marathon fac- tors into the new stories, which also involve ACN's debate — particularly after Season 2's Operation Ge- noa misreporting scandal — over becoming involved with a whistleblower on al- leged government involve- ment in overseas rioting. "Once I knew how I wanted to end it, it really started to get fun," Sorkin claims. "I think this sea- son is, in fact, the best of the three. I didn't want to come back and do the third season unless there was a good story to tell, and we were able to come up with one." Daniels says, "Whether Aaron writes 10 or six episodes, they're all full. They're all rich and tex- tured, and this season feels as complex and intri- cate as the others did." Also considered is Will's engagement to news pro- ducer MacKenzie McHale (Emily Mortimer). "She's got 27 bridesmaids, and Will doesn't have seven friends)," muses Daniels, whose comedy-movie se- quel "Dumb and Dumber To" is about to open. "He tells her, 'You're making a requirement of me that Emmy winner Jeff Daniels stars in the HBO drama series "The Newsroom," which starts its third and fi nal season Sunday. I'm not going to be able to fulfill.' The battle that Will and Mac had over the decline of the newsroom in Season 1 seems to pick up with the planning of the wedding." Sam Waterston, Alison Pill, John Gallagher Jr., Olivia Munn, Thomas Sa- doski, Dev Patel, Marcia Gay Harden and (recur- ring as the network's mother-and-son chiefs) Jane Fonda and Chris Messina also return for the last round. Kat Den- nings ("2 Broke Girls"), B.J. Novak ("The Office") and Mary McCormack — who also was on "The West Wing," but after Sorkin had left that show — are among the new guest stars. A multiple Emmy win- ner who also owns an Oscar for his script for "The Social Network," Sor- kin also brought "Sports Night" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" to televi- sion. As "The Newsroom" winds down, he doesn't rule out applying his dia- logue-dense style to se- ries work again someday. "I have a lot of respect for anyone who does any series television," Sorkin notes. "Often as a viewer, you find that the thing you were supposed to be look- ing at was hidden behind something bigger ... so it's fun putting it together." 2 The Goshen News • TV Spotlight • November 3 - 9, 2014 On or Off-Site Catering All Occasions Dine under the glow of gas lanterns Breakfast and Lunch Meals also available Open Tuesday through Saturday T sd thr gh Sat da T sd thr gh Sat www.goshennews.com

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