Ask Matt: Renewal Suspense, Summer Reruns, ‘S.W.A.T.’ Un-Canceled & More
Welcome to the Q&A with TV critic — also known to some TV fans as their “TV therapist” — Matt Roush, who’ll try to address whatever you love, loathe, are confused or frustrated or thrilled by in today’s vast TV landscape. (We know background music is too loud, but there’s always closed-captioning.)
One caution: This is a spoiler-free zone, so we won’t be addressing upcoming storylines here unless it’s already common knowledge. Please send your questions and comments to [email protected] and follow me on Twitter (@TVGMMattRoush). Look for Ask Matt columns on most Tuesdays and very occasional Fridays.
Keeping More Company?
Question: I love ABC’s The Company You Keep. It is filled with family cons, twists and turns, sex, politics, secrets — and even love. Will the show be renewed? — Alice, Ft. Meyers, FL
Matt Roush: We should know by this time next week, if not sooner, as ABC is nearing the point where they’ll be announcing what’s returning and what’s not next season. This feels like one of those too-close-to-call situations, of which there are many at a time when so few shows look like runaway hits. Company got decent reviews, which could help, and I was intrigued by how quickly they moved the story this season. They could have played out the subterfuge much longer, with Charlie the conman and Emma the covert CIA agent unaware of each other’s real identity, so it was refreshing that they crossed that bridge as soon as they did, even though the series wasn’t quite as much fun once they were working ops together.
This is one of those shows that tries to do something different from the usual crime/spy drama, and while I could have done without the political subplots in Emma’s family, I loved everything about Charlie’s gang of thieves (Polly Draper and William Fichtner as his parents, Sarah Wayne Callies as his sister, Geoff Stults as her ex). I’ll be pleasantly surprised if ABC renews it, but I’m also accustomed to heavily serialized shows that tweak the formula not making the cut.
A Second Chance to Get to Know Will Trent
Question: Please tell me if or when ABC will show reruns of Will Trent’s first season. I watched it and couldn’t wait till the next episode to play. I’ve recommended it to family members who missed out viewing from the first episode but don’t have access to Hulu. — Marquita
Matt Roush: The entire first season should be available On Demand, and I looked online and found all of the Will Trent episodes on abc.com, should watching on computer be an option. I wouldn’t count on the full first season being repeated over the summer, though. ABC tends to fill those time periods with unscripted programming, even favoring repeats of game shows over reruns of scripted shows. But should the writers’ strike go on as long as some fear, ABC may have no choice but to repeat some of these series. And I’ve often argued that rerunning certain shows during the off-season, especially for something like Will that’s still finding its audience, has strategic merit, and can help promote the next season, whenever that may be.
S.W.A.T.-ting at Bad Network Decisions
Question: I was so disappointed to read that S.W.A.T. was not renewed. It seems that all these really good shows are being canceled. I don’t have cable or even a smart TV and more and more shows are being canceled or moving to streaming channels. Why is that? I loved the show SEAL Team and was upset when it moved to Paramount+. I had to wait for the library to get Season 5 so I could watch it and am still waiting for the library to get Season 6. With today’s economy, you would think the regular channels would have more to offer instead of dumb reality or game shows. I use an antenna to watch TV like so many others that are on a strict budget. — A.P.
Matt Roush: Amid new reports that the show has since been un-canceled, it’s helpful to note that from all accounts, the news late last week that S.W.A.T. might not have returned had nothing to do with ratings (which by Friday standards were just fine) but was all about the economics of license fees and such, things about which I can’t pretend to be an expert. When these things happen, it hurts, but it’s part of the reality of the industry, and I imagine it’s only going to get worse for advertiser-reliant media like the broadcast networks, whose hold on the audience has slipped in our digital era, making it harder to make these decisions that have little to do with a show’s popularity and everything to do with the tenuous bottom line. For those who can’t or won’t graduate to streaming, let alone cable, this kind of pain and uncertainty is inevitable.
How Will the Strike Affect Series Renewals?
Question: Do you feel the writers’ strike has increased the chances of survival for not-yet-renewed shows? It might be easier sticking with what they have than starting fresh with hiring writers and heavy promotion for new shows once the strike ends. Here are the shows not yet renewed that I’m most anticipating to return: From ABC, Big Sky, Rookie: Feds, Alaska Daily, The Company You Keep, The Conners, Home Economics; from Fox, Fantasy Island, Welcome to Flatch, Call Me Kat, Animal Control; from NBC, American Auto and Lopez vs. Lopez. — Fred
Matt Roush: That’s a lot of rooting for network TV. (And since this arrived in my mailbag, Fox has officially canceled Call Me Kat.) There is a theory that a network might be better off sticking with a known quantity than trying to launch too many new shows at once, but I’m thinking the strike, especially if it goes on a while, will make it easier for the networks to jettison some of its more marginal series. I worry that even some series that earned early renewals might suffer a reversal if next season is cut too short.
A Not-So-Golden Finale
Comment: I hadn’t watched The Goldbergs regularly in years but tuned back in for the finale. It didn’t feel like it was a series finale at all. It just felt like another boring episode. They threw in the semi-cliffhanger with Barry not telling Beverly he got married, and I’d be willing to bet the final off-screen “Barry Goldberg, you did what?!” was ADR that was added after they found out the show wasn’t coming back. It feels weird to gripe about a series not getting a proper ending when they should have voluntarily ended it several years ago. But I can’t understand why the writers wouldn’t see the writing on the wall and design something that could provide more closure. That this went out with a whimper is just more proof it was dragged out. If I was on the writing staff and it managed to get renewed for Season 10 without Jeff Garlin or George Segal, I would have looked at that as a sign to craft a meaningful final season, which apparently was beyond their grasp. I can’t say I’m really disappointed because I bailed years ago, but perhaps the finale’s anti-climactic nature suggests why ABC wouldn’t supersize the finale. — Jake
Matt Roush: Can’t say any of this surprises me. The only series finale that registered with me that night was A Million Little Things.
And Finally …
Question: I love Young Sheldon, or at least I used to when Sheldon was young. The teenage Sheldon is missing something. The cuteness of the Young Sheldon doesn’t cross over to Teenage Sheldon, as seen by the other characters on the show getting more air time. Couldn’t the executives help Iain Armitage develop his character as a teenager? — Joan
Matt Roush: We’ve dealt with this topic before, but I am intrigued at the challenge the producer/writers face in keeping Sheldon’s story interesting when the novelty has long worn off because Sheldon, though clearly not of university age, isn’t quite as startling a prodigy as he was when the series began. It’s always tricky in the latter years of a family comedy when the kids grow out of their initial cute phase, and this is an extreme case of that.
That’s all for now. We can’t do this without your participation, so please keep sending questions and comments about TV to [email protected] or shoot me a line on Twitter @TVGMMattRoush. (Please include a first name with your question.)
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