Ask Matt: Yearning for ‘Dance,’ a ‘Heart’-broken Fan, ‘Daily Show’ Drama & 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.
Will TV’s Best Dancing Show Ever Return?
Question: I have been waiting patiently for my favorite reality show to come back on the air. I love So You Think You Can Dance. Cat Deeley is such a breath of fresh air to the reality — TV landscape. Though I was saddened to hear about tWitch’s suicide, I still thought they had enough alumni dancers to call on to fill in as a judge. Now that the fall season has started, I was starved enough for a dancing show I actually was bored enough to tune in to the premiere of Dancing with the Stars. There was hardly any dancing, mostly a light show in the background to distract from the slow-motion footwork. Shuffling with the D- List Stars should be the actual moniker. In a nutshell, I really miss So You Think You Can Dance. The choreography at times is so beautiful it brings tears to my eyes. Is it weird to say I miss crying at art that is beautiful to watch? Even if it is weird, there I said it anyway. Any hope for its return? —Jamie H.
Matt Roush: I get it, and there’s no question that at its peak So You Think You Can Dance was the best of its sort, and certainly had the most inventive choreographed routines for its versatile contestants who had to make weekly pivots from styles including ballroom, contemporary and hip-hop. I’ll join you in confessing that some of the dances were truly tear-jerkers, and I miss it as well. While the show sat out this summer — which is when Dance traditionally airs — following 2022’s Covid-delayed transitional season with new judges and format, and the tragedy of former dancer-turned-judge Stephen “tWitch” Boss’s passing, there’s no telling just yet when or if we might see Dance return. The network hasn’t officially canceled or renewed the show, and it’s too bad Fox didn’t put it back into production this year, when it would have been most welcome this fall with the void created by the strikes.
Calling Out Heart’s Latest Romantic Complication
Question: I wonder what made the When Calls the Heart writers think that making all of Season 9 feel like an utter waste was a good idea? This week’s episode [Season 10’s penultimate episode] was completely awful. It turned Elizabeth into a wishy-washy fool who has no idea what she really wants! And she broke a good man’s (Lucas) heart because she clearly hasn’t gotten over losing her husband, even though that was years ago. If this was all so she could go rushing into Nathan’s arms in the season finale, I’m done with this show for good. Because there is absolutely zero excuse for ruining a perfectly good relationship just to repeat a love story that ended with Season 5! –Maria
Matt Roush: This is an extreme, though perhaps widely shared, reaction to Elizabeth (Erin Krakow) choosing to stay in Hope Valley while her fiancé Lucas (Chris McNally) leaves town, and Elizabeth, to run for Governor in his crusade to save the town from the current corrupt officeholder. This after last season’s drawn-out “who will she pick” triangle between Lucas and Mountie Nathan (Kevin McGarry), which appears to have been reignited yet again by her decision to let Lucas go. My take is to look at it as a classic romance triangle in a time-honored genre, and I can see why the show’s writers and producers, looking long-term, may have wanted to shake things up again for their heroine instead of playing it safe. They throw in these season-ending twists at the risk of alienating their loyal audience, but it also tends to keep just as many hooked.
Resident Alien, Phone Home!
Question: What do you know about Resident Alien’s Season 3 return? — Vee
Matt Roush: About as much as you do. Though it has been more than a year since Season 2 of the sci-fi comedy concluded in September 2022, this hasn’t been a normal year for TV production. And given Alien Resident’s post-production challenges in a year of industry strikes and production shutdowns, I’d expect we’ll see this return sometime in early 2024. (The first two seasons premiered in January.)
The Consequences of The Daily Show’s Dilly-Dallying
Question: I was so sorry to learn that “correspondent” Roy Wood Jr. is leaving The Daily Show. Then I got angry when I realized how long it has taken Comedy Central to name a replacement for Trevor Noah, and this foot-dragging has cost them one of their best talents, who by all rights could or should have been chosen by now to take over the anchor chair. Or not. In either case, keeping someone like Roy (who was great when he filled in as guest host) in limbo is unfathomable. Am I wrong? —Sylvia
Matt Roush: You’re more than justified to voice your frustration, and it is kind of dispiriting to be faced with another round of guest hosts when The Daily Show returns from strike hiatus next week. It’s not like they haven’t had time to figure this transition out, and losing Wood is a huge blow. I wouldn’t necessarily compare this to the Jeopardy! debacle that ensued when a bunch of celebrities of varying appeal filled in following Alex Trebek’s untimely death, but it’s getting there.
Waiting for Strike Resolution
Question: What is the latest on the strikes and when we might see new episodes? —Charles S.
Matt Roush: As of Monday, when I’m compiling this column, TV’s writers are largely back to work, preparing scripts for the day when SAG-AFTRA representing actors reaches an agreement with the studios, and that process resumes again this week with hopes that it can be resolved soon. If shows are able to begin production in the next few weeks, consensus is that many scripted series could be back on the air by early 2024. (I wouldn’t expect much of anything to premiere during the holiday weeks of December.) How many episodes any given show will be able to produce for this truncated season is anyone’s guess, with 10-13 being the current ballpark figure.
And Finally …
Question: We watch CBS most of the time and now they’ve scheduled too many game and reality shows which we don’t like. Why? Also, why is Jeopardy! on twice a day on our CBS station at 3 pm and 6 pm? —Karen
Matt Roush: A reminder that for many viewers who don’t stay current with industry news, this patchwork fall season is as confusing as it is frustrating. Obviously, if networks could be airing their regular schedule, they wouldn’t be falling back on shows like Buddy Games and Lotería Loca. As for doubling up on Jeopardy!, I’ve received several questions about that this fall — leading me to conclude that more markets are introducing what’s known as Daytime Jeopardy! into their syndicated lineup. In addition to the first-run episodes that air in their regular time periods, Jeopardy! provides repeat episodes from recent seasons to run in earlier — or, in my market, overnight — hours. Don’t confuse the two.
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.)
When Calls the Heart (2014) where to stream
