And that's the way it was

I know I'm in the minority on this, but I'm going to miss "The Newsroom." The series, which signs off this weekend, has been under the fire all three seasons for everything from the lack of intelligence in its female characters to a recent episode that revolved around campus rape and journalism ethics. Fair enough. Creator Aaron Sorkin can sometimes let his lofty idealism and romantic yearnings get in the way of credible storytelling. But a misguided Sorkin is still more interesting than 95 percent of Hollywood writers at full strength. The finale, which deals with the death of a major character, is a fitting capper to a series that challenged fans to think about a world in which journalism is noble more often than not. 8 p.m. Sunday, HBO

Polo grounds

Reports say that Netflix spent about $90 million for 10 episodes of "Marco Polo," a hefty price even for an organization that's on a winning streak. Shot in Italy, Malaysia and Kazakhstan, this lavish production will really test just how much viewers want to visit Kublai Khan. Now streaming at Netflix.com

Santa's little helper

"Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas" is an animated version of the Will Ferrell film with Jim Parsons stepping into the floppy shoes of the overly enthusiastic hero. The witty songs are the big difference here, most notably a slapstick number performed by bitter department-store Santas. Mark Hamill, Jay Leno, Matt Lauer and Ed Asner are among those providing voices. 7 p.m. Tuesday, KARE, Ch. 11

The final report

When Stephen Colbert introduced his self-centered conservative character on "The Colbert Report," I thought it was a clever bit that would quickly run out of ideas. That was nine years ago. The show, which wraps up its run so the host can take over for David Letterman next year, has been a pop-culture wonder with spectacular writing and sharp commentary. The fake Colbert will be missed. 10:30 p.m. Thursday, Comedy Central

Neal Justin