Welcome to the Q&A with TV critic — additionally recognized to some TV followers as their “TV therapist” — Matt Roush, who’ll attempt to tackle no matter you like, detest, are confused or annoyed or thrilled by in right now’s huge TV panorama. (We all know background music is simply too loud, it’s essentially the most frequent criticism, however there’s at all times closed-captioning. Try this story for extra ideas.)
One warning: This can be a spoiler-free zone, so we gained’t be addressing upcoming storylines right here until it’s already frequent data. Please ship your questions and feedback to [email protected]. Search for Ask Matt columns on most Tuesdays.
[Editor’s note: I’m still sifting through the responses from readers weighing in on shows that were canceled too soon and which they’d love to see revived. We’ll revisit the topic soon in a future column. — Matt]
Does Alan Cumming Have an Benefit within the Emmy Race?
Query: I’m an enormous fan of The Traitors and having fun with Season 3 (Go Boston Rob!). But once more, host Alan Cumming does an unimaginable job enjoying the over-the-top, extravagant host. This made me mirror on his 2024 Emmy win for “Excellent Host for a Actuality or Competitors Program.” Initially, I believed it was well-deserved. Nevertheless, on second thought I ponder if it’s even honest that he’s included within the class. Not like his opponents (Jeff Probst, Kristen Kish, RuPaul, and the Shark Tank sharks), Cummings is clearly appearing in The Traitors. He does an impressive job, however there’s little doubt he’s enjoying a personality on the present whereas different actuality present hosts are being themselves as they host their present. It’s like voting for Roy Hobbs or Ricky “Wild Factor” Vaughn for baseball MVP. Ideas?— Joe
Matt Roush: I wouldn’t second-guess this win for a second. Not simply because I’m an excellent fan of Alan Cumming and what he’s doing on The Traitors, however aren’t all of those hosts (or sharks) performing a job in a method or one other? They’re all showing as heightened variations of themselves, enjoying to the digicam in a structured format. Cumming might have a bonus (not in contrast to RuPaul, who beforehand gained the Emmy eight instances in a row) as a result of the position he’s enjoying is so flamboyant and theatrical, however that shouldn’t negate his accomplishment. This can be a class that’s all about persona, and Cumming has a surplus of that.
A Franchise With out a Franchise
Query: I didn’t begin watching HBO’s The Franchise when it began, and once I began watching, I didn’t wish to cease. I believed for positive it could be renewed. Sadly, I simply discovered it’s been canceled. Why?? —Marci G
Matt Roush: Because the playwright George S. Kaufman was famously quoted as saying, “Satire is what closes on Saturday evening.” (Or Sundays on HBO, maybe.) Exhibits about present enterprise are additionally historically powerful sells, on this case, a behind-the-scenes sendup of a fictional superhero film in a Marvel-like cinematic universe. For no matter motive, The Franchise didn’t draw a large enough viewers for HBO to order a second season. Which is a disgrace. I appreciated it, too.
No Likelihood of an Emergency Crossover
Query: Relating to final week’s hypothesis on Tuesday evening crossovers of Will Trent, Excessive Potential, and The Rookie, the latter’s govt producer Alexi Hawley was not too long ago requested about the potential of a crossover with 9-1-1, one other L.A. based mostly present on ABC. He was dismissive of that concept, saying principally that one stunt crossover would have the viewers anticipating extra. And if 9-1-1 and The Rookie are in the identical universe, they need to be stumbling over one another on a regular basis. I believe he’s overthinking issues. Different exhibits in the identical universes co-exist with out characters crossing paths. Regulation & Order’s Detectives Riley and Shaw by no means run throughout SVU’s Benson and Tutuola. These exhibits are undoubtedly in the identical universe and the viewers doesn’t appear confused in regards to the lack of interplay. If Hawley doesn’t wish to do a crossover, effective, however blaming viewers expectations appears sort of weak. — Lizzie
Matt Roush: First off, the Regulation & Order exhibits have an extended historical past of crossovers with one another, perhaps not because the newest iteration, I’ve misplaced observe, but it surely’s not all that uncommon. What’s uncommon is for exhibits with totally totally different manufacturing crews like The Rookie and 9-1-1 to cross over into one another’s worlds, the place it’s already a problem to crank out a season’s value of episodes. Sounds to me just like the Rookie producer was making an attempt to handle expectations and never give false hope, greater than placing the onus on viewers. 9-1-1 particularly is prone to be spinning off once more subsequent season, so if there are any crossovers in its future, it will likely be inside its personal franchise, I’d wager.
The Actuality of Reruns
Query: I keep in mind that when TV exhibits returned after the writers’ and actors’ strikes, many like Elsbeth would air three episodes, break for 3 weeks and and so on. I discovered this to be irritating and ended up banking episodes and ready till close to the top of every present’s run to complete viewing them. Are you aware if this can occur once more? I hope not as a result of it was exasperating! — Judy
Matt Roush: We don’t get community schedules months prematurely, but when this season is like each different TV season I’ve coated for longer than I care to say, there’ll inevitably be breaks within the community schedule — perhaps not so many for CBS, which delayed the return of its lineup longer than regular, utilizing the AFC Championship sport as a launching pad (as they did the Tremendous Bowl final 12 months within the strike-delayed season). Although I get mail complaining about this on a regular basis, the community TV manufacturing mannequin continues to be locked principally right into a fall-to-spring framework, and given the difficult economics of broadcast TV leading to usually shorter seasons, we’re prone to nonetheless must put up with a number of weeks of repeats on and off in March and/or April if there’s to be any authentic product in Could. Some exhibits will finish their runs early, and ABC is hedging its bets by preserving its Thursday evening exhibits (9-1-1, Gray’s Anatomy, and the ridiculous Physician Odyssey) off the air till March, which is able to imply few if any repeats, although I’m positive the followers of these exhibits are aggravated about their lengthy hiatus. There’s no good resolution, and even the streaming mannequin of dropping a whole season without delay, or airing weekly with out interruption, has the disadvantage of painfully lengthy breaks between seasons.
Is Community Scheduling a Streaming Technique in Disguise?
Query: Inform me you don’t agree that the native channels (networks) are colluding with one another. They ensure that their programming is reverse the most-watched program on one other channel on the identical time, thus forcing individuals to enroll in their streaming service. It’s blackmail in essentially the most fundamental type. Having to choose shouldn’t be simple. They know that and are assured the cash will come proper on schedule like they deliberate. With so some ways to view issues by trendy know-how, they’ll’t miss. I’m an older particular person with out all of the bells and whistles obtainable to me. Consider it or not, not all individuals can afford the numerous streaming providers wanted to meet the void. Properly, I’ve had my say and do really feel a bit higher to have somebody to specific my anger to. — Jackie, South Carolina
Matt Roush: That’s what we’re right here for. However on the danger of undermining this conspiracy concept, I ought to level out that aggressive counterprogramming on community TV has been a part of the sport since even earlier than I began masking this beat. As a result of Fridays (besides on CBS) and Saturdays are at the moment useless zones, and Sundays are sometimes dominated by sports activities and occasion TV, there aren’t that many obtainable time durations left for networks to schedule their hottest dramas and comedies, and it’s inevitable that some viewers favorites will air reverse others. I can bear in mind the furor when NBC moved Frasier reverse Dwelling Enchancment within the mid-Nineteen Nineties (sure, I used to be masking TV then), and each managed to outlive. Most viewers ought to be capable of report a program or playback On Demand, however for many who can’t, that’s the fantastic thing about reruns (though these days, aside from standard procedurals and sitcoms, even these could be scarce in the course of the summer season).
And Lastly …
Query: As an 85-year-old gearhead, the thought of Tim Allen in Shifting Gears had nice attraction. However the loud, raucous, pretend snicker observe simply ruins it for my spouse and me. I don’t wish to be advised what’s humorous and when to snicker — I’m an enormous boy now, I can determine it out for myself. Different sitcoms have dropped the snicker observe; why not Shifting Gears? — Dave A.
Matt Roush: Right here’s an project. Return and discover an outdated episode of Tim Allen’s breakthrough present, Dwelling Enchancment, which was additionally filmed in entrance of a reside viewers (therefore, the laughter), and see if that annoys you as a lot. Shifting Gears is a a lot much less hilarious collection, which is why the souped-up laughter most likely annoys you extra. (Producers hate the time period “snicker observe,” which solely really applies to exhibits filmed with out an viewers however including laughter to the soundtrack.) To complain about laughter on a present filmed in entrance of an viewers ignores a historical past that dates again to I Love Lucy and, as I’ve mentioned many instances on this area, is the type of sit-comedy that has historically been the preferred (as not too long ago as The Huge Bang Principle). What I can’t think about is a present like Shifting Gears as a single-camera filmed comedy. That may simply be bleak.
That’s all for now. We will’t do that with out your participation, so please preserve sending questions and feedback about TV to [email protected]. (Please embrace a primary identify together with your query.)