‘The Newsroom’ season 3 renewal official; Jeff Daniels, Olivia Munn, more returning

Let the following news be both celebratory and also bittersweet: “The Newsroom” is in fact coming back on HBO, but it will be the end. The network confirmed that production on season 3 is going to start up this spring, with the show premiering in the fall. Not only that, but everyone from Emmy-winner Jeff Daniels to Olivia Munn, Dev Patel, Emily Mortimer, and others will be back.

There are still some details about the run that have yet to be announced, including what the total episode count for the season will be. Season 1 ran for ten episodes, but the run this past summer was cut slightly shorter after some of the early episodes were re-shot due to Aaron Sorkin’s lack of enthusiasm over the initial viewing.

One notable change that is being made this year is behind the scenes, as Sorkin and fellow executive producers Alan Poul and Scott Rudin will be joined by Paul Lieberstein. Lieberstein was the showrunner of “The Office” for a good percentage of its run, but also is well-known for his on-camera role as Toby in HR.

The Hollywood Reporter was quick to scrounge up some more details about why this renewal took so long, and some of the complications that came along with it. In case you were wondering why in the world Jeff Daniels initially announced a renewal in the early fall when that wasn’t the case, it is because he and the other cast members locked in a deal to return at that point. The only real hang-up over the past few months has been Sorkin, who was very busy trying to tackle a script about Steve Jobs, and is one of the busiest creators in the world of entertainment. Given his schedule, it comes as a blessing that “The Newsroom” has another season at all.

The show is probably one of the most polarizing offerings for HBO when it comes to critical reception, but we insist that it is one of our favorites, and it brings such a different, positive sort of energy and spirit to proceedings.