TV picks for July 12-14:  "The Newsroom," "The Talk," "The Haunted Hathaways," Minneapolis Sculpture Garden"

The women on "The Talk" (1 p.m. Friday, WCCO, Ch. 4) don't usually have a problem expressing their opinions, but they may have a hard time getting a word in edgewise when old pals Regis Philbin and Don Rickles join in to, inevitably, dominate the conversation with stories about Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford and several other people completely foreign to Sara Gilbert.

"The Haunted Hathaways" (7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nick), in which a family of ghosts befriends the new residents of their house, isn't going to give you nightmares. It's a G-rated sitcom with some admirable physical humor and a serious commitment to diversity.

Before taking a stroll through one of the Twin Cities' finest offerings, check out "Minneapolis Sculpture Garden" (noon Sunday, TPT Life), a documentary that celebrates the 25th anniversary of this artistic landmark. The film is also available for viewing in the Bazinet lobby of Walker Art Center.

A radical new haircut for associate producer Maggie Jordan (Alison Pill) is the setup for an emotional new story arc for "The Newsroom" (9 p.m. Sunday, HBO), which returns for a second season, despite the fact that many of the country's top TV critics despise the series. Why am I one of the show's biggest fans? Check out my column in Sunday's Variety section.

Neal Justin