Ask Matt: Oscars’ Repeat Host, Shows in Limbo, ‘Suits’ Reboot & 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]. Look for Ask Matt columns on most Tuesdays.
Will Fourth Time Be a Charm, or a Curse?
Question: Why did ABC and the Oscars hire Jimmy Kimmel to host the Oscars yet again? Why couldn’t they hire somebody else to host instead of someone who hosted it last year, and back in 2017 and 2018? I can’t stand Kimmel since that lame comedy bit he pulled at the Primetime Emmys back in 2022! Why couldn’t they hire the fabulous trio and the stars of the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, or someone who hasn’t hosted a second time yet like Hugh Jackman, who I thought did a great job when he hosted the show back in 2009? Any of these choices would be better than Jimmy Kimmel hosting the show for the fourth time! — Chris B.
Matt Roush: Are you maybe referring to the lame stunt when he brought tourists into the theater during his first Oscar gig in 2017 (also the infamous year with the Moonlight–La La Land snafu)? That tiresome bit for me was the low point of Kimmel’s tenure as Oscar host, but it seemed he rebounded last year with a very funny monologue and a relatively well-received (and Emmy-nominated) production — albeit there was that questionable moment with Malala Yousafzai during a labored audience Q&A (which she handled with grace). Jimmy Kimmel may not be everyone’s idea of a perfect Oscar host — and I like the suggestion of the Murders trio (or even just the comedy masters Steve Martin and Martin Short), not to mention them also being part of the Disney corporate family — but he is the network’s marquee comedy star, so that addresses the “why” part of your question/rant, if not the wisdom of returning to him for a fourth time. Networks often turn to in-house talent as hosts — case in point: Anthony Anderson hosting Fox’s Emmys show — and given the nature of this traditionally no-win assignment, I imagine it’s hard to convince even the most confident comedy, stand-up and/or movie stars to take the gig more than once. (I think we can all agree we miss Billy Crystal.)
So Many Shows in Limbo
Question: Have you heard anything about a new season of the excellent PBS series Vienna Blood? Regarding another excellent series, I saw a story that says the fourth season of Slow Horses (on Apple TV+) has been filmed, but we won’t see it until the fall. Why the long wait, especially since I think it’s already been renewed for a 5th season? — Gwen
Matt Roush: Vienna Blood has been renewed for a fourth season, but no word yet from PBS on when they’ll air it. (I assume they eventually will.) As for the wonderful Slow Horses, while the streamers’ scheduling strategies are often puzzling, given the brevity of Horses’ seasons at a mere six episodes, I’m not surprised Apple would choose to space them out. (Season 3 just finished airing in late December.)
Question: Has there been any word on if we are going to get another season of The Chase on ABC? I can’t find anything on ABC’s website. — Natalie C.
Matt Roush: No word yet, though it’s nowhere to be seen in the midseason lineup, which is mostly about welcoming back the scripted shows that have been on hiatus during the writers’ and actors’ strikes. It may be too early which shows will be part of ABC’s annual summer “Fun and Games” lineup, but I’d be encouraged by the fact that The Chase still shows up on ABC’s press website as an active series. It hasn’t officially been renewed or canceled, so currently in limbo.
Question: My husband and I got very involved with Northern Rescue and were very sad to see it went on hiatus right before COVID with a cliffhanger. Now it appears it is not returning. Do you have any knowledge if there might be a return? It’s very frustrating that so many shows were left with multiple cliffhangers then canceled either from the strikes or because of COVID. — Jodi R.
Matt Roush: I’ll be honest, I had to look this one up. (Can’t keep track of every Canadian import, and Netflix rarely promotes shows like this in its monthly roundups.) Given that the series, starring William Baldwin as a widowed search and rescue commander who relocates his family to Ontario, only produced one season, and those episodes dropped (in Canada and on Netflix) back in 2019 with no movement since, I wouldn’t count on there being new episodes. But from what I can tell, there hasn’t been an official notice one way or the other, so anything’s possible.
A Jumbo-Sized Fan Letter
Comment: Just a quick note of thanks for your review of Criminal Record on Apple TV+, which I started watching as a result. So far I’m really enjoying it. I think Cush Jumbo is an actor worthy of much greater recognition. She was a standout on The Good Fight, and she has what I’d call the Tom Hanks factor in her style and demeanor. She’s trustable, likable, believable in everything she does. I think that’s star power. — Cary
Matt Roush: Couldn’t agree more. I’ve yet to witness her make a false note in anything I’ve seen her in. Besides her breakthrough role as Lucca Quinn in The Good Wife and The Good Fight, I’ve especially enjoyed her in the British crime dramas Deadwater Fell (Acorn TV) and The Beast Must Die (AMC+), and I’ll be first in line if she ever finds her way back to the Broadway stage.
And Finally …
Question: How do we tell people that we were little when Suits originally aired on USA? (Just kidding.) I know you and I were watching all the USA Network shows at the time. Seems we couldn’t get others back then to see the light. I’m sure you’re just happy others are finally seeing what we saw. I think Suits ended on a high note and I don’t really care for a reunion movie. What are your thoughts? — Teresa
Matt Roush: My memory is that the shows that represented USA Network at its “blue sky” height — starting with Monk, and including White Collar, Suits, Psych, Burn Notice, Covert Affairs, Royal Pains among others — mostly did fairly well and got a decent amount of media attention (especially by TV Guide Magazine). That said, watching a show like Suits experience a resurgence of popularity on Netflix (possibly fueled by Meghan Markle’s notoriety) is an interesting phenomenon, and even more interesting are the recent reports that USA might be developing more shows of this sort for the near future in a reversal of basic-cable trends away from scripted TV during the streaming revolution. Personally, I’m experiencing a bit of reboot fatigue, so the idea of an all-out Suits reunion doesn’t excite me. But if the plan still is to revive the franchise with a new setting in L.A. (with, no doubt, return visits from some of the original cast), I’d approach it with an open mind.
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 X (formerly) Twitter @TVGMMattRoush. (Please include a first name with your question.)
