Ask Matt: ‘High Potential’s Early Exit, Fandom for ‘Pitt’ and ‘St. Denis,’ Spinning Off ‘Blue Bloods’ & 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, it’s the most frequent complaint, but there’s always closed-captioning. Check out this story for more tips.)
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.
High Potential‘s Short Slate
Question: I am a super fan of ABC‘s High Potential. Never miss an episode. The February 4th episode in particular [“Partners,” where Keradec and his former partner, now with the FBI, worked together] was complex and full of great content. Having said all that, a “Season Finale” on Feb. 11?? Didn’t the show just return from the “Fall Finale?” Give me the good old days when a season started in September and continued until May/June. What’s going on? Please tell me they are returning for a Season 2. — Sharon
Matt Roush: Not to worry. Well before the February finale, ABC gave High Potential an early Season 2 renewal. And while most shows that pop the way this one did earn an automatic “back nine,” or whatever the equivalent of expanding a freshman season is nowadays, High Potential was only able to produce 13 episodes because of its star Kaitlin Olson‘s commitment to her other pre-existing series, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a situation that may also have been complicated because of residual fallout from the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes. The expectation is that the second season will have a larger episode order, but the reality is that many network series are producing shorter seasons for logistical and economic reasons. What’s odd about this early departure is that it appears ABC’s development shelf is so depleted that there’s nothing new to fill out the Tuesday night lineup at the moment. (Maybe they’ll import another drama from Hulu to plug the hole, though as long as they’re airing repeats of High Potential, it could bring even more new viewers into the tent.)
High Praise for a New Hospital Drama — and Comedy
Comment: I really hope people are watching The Pitt on Max. It is a fantastic follow-up to the legendary ER and is every bit as good. Noah Wyle leads a stellar ensemble cast. It not only deals with the day-to-day drama in a Pittsburgh emergency room but also touches on timely issues surrounding the healthcare industry today. It is outstanding. — Laurie T.
Matt Roush: Couldn’t agree more. (Here’s my review.) And the good news is that it’s doing well enough, with audiences and critics, that Max recently gave the show a green light for a second season. What also helps The Pitt stand out is the 24-like premise where each episode is an hour in an unusually busy shift for the overwhelmed doctors. This brings a propulsive urgency to subplots that develop hour by hour as we get caught up in the patients’ medical and emotional dilemmas in a compressed time period while becoming increasingly engaged in the healers’ lives and working relationships.
Comment: It is a TV-centric crime that the ratings for NBC‘s St. Denis Medical are so low. It’s such a rarity — a sitcom that is actually funny. One of the very few shows in the “vast wasteland” that actually elicits belly laughs in this grizzled and jaded old TV viewer. Allison Tolman, Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier are all at the top of their comedic games. Please help to get the word out. I need this show to be renewed! — Robert H.
Matt Roush: Here’s one bit of advice to enhance your enjoyment of the TV-watching experience: Don’t obsess on ratings, especially for real-time viewing. There are still some shows (especially on CBS) that do very well by that metric, but by and large, the ratings don’t tell the full story — and while the tune-in numbers might look small for a show like St. Denis, the demographics and multi-platform numbers were promising enough for NBC to renew the show back in January. (If it doesn’t grow somewhat in Season 2, though, I may start worrying that it could meet the unhappy fate of NBC’s similarly offbeat American Auto, which didn’t survive to a third year.) I’ve also become attached to St. Denis and hope it’s around for a while. (Here’s my review.)
Will the Blue Bloods Vibe Survive in Beantown?
Question: Am I the only one who thinks Boston Blue (working title), the spinoff of Blue Bloods, is likely to be a Joey-level debacle? Besides the fact that Danny Reagan (Donnie Wahlberg) as the lead instead of part of an ensemble would be a little too much, I can’t think of any legitimate reason the character would, in his 50s, as a lifelong New Yorker, suddenly move to Boston. I know Wahlberg is from Boston, but his character isn’t, and I don’t understand why CBS thinks this is a good idea. — Edward H.
Matt Roush: What CBS obviously thinks is a good idea is keeping the Blue Bloods franchise alive in some form, and moving the spinoff to another East Coast metropolitan giant with one of its most recognizable stars reduces the risk of the show just repeating itself (not that its fans would mind). If we’re to believe that economic factors kept Blue Bloods from continuing beyond a 14th season, a new start in a new locale was pretty much inevitable. The challenge for the producers will be to make Danny’s move credible, keeping the door open for visits from other Reagans along the way, I’m sure. It’s natural to be skeptical about projects like this — but Joey? That’s harsh.
The SAG Awards Got It Right
Comment: Finally, a very well done “In Memoriam” section at Sunday’s SAG Awards, with the screen devoted entirely to pictures of the departed. This is how they should always be done. One other impression is that it’s nice to see that The Bear is no longer being rewarded for pretending that it’s a comedy. Perhaps they should enter some of these shows in the Documentary or Animated categories for better chances of winning next time since there seems to be no criteria at all for selecting which category to enter. — D.P.
Matt Roush: Agreed about the In Memoriam segment, and a lesson to producers that booking a major talent to perform live during these tributes is an invitation to dissatisfaction because they’re a distraction at best and an active annoyance whenever the camera moves away from the faces of the departed to showcase a singer (or worse, dancers). I was surprisingly pleased by the entire SAG Awards production, from Kristen Bell‘s opening number and tone throughout to the deftly produced montage packages — I especially enjoyed the Law & Order clips — and a minimum of forced banter (though still too much) among presenters. And I appreciated the occasional upset, not just in Only Murders in the Building‘s and Martin Short‘s wins, but in the movie categories, making Sunday’s Oscar show more unpredictable than I would have expected, with no clear front-runner in several major categories.
TV’s Quirkiest Snoop Isn’t Going Anywhere
Comment: I just learned Elsbeth has been renewed for Season 3. What delightful news! If there is a broadcast show more entertaining than this, I haven’t watched it. The acting is always superb. Not just the main cast, but the guests. Hopefully, this very well-done comedy/mystery can score some guest acting nods (Michael Emerson, Matthew Broderick) or perhaps one for Carrie Preston! Also: Ben Levi Ross, who plays Elsbeth’s son, is such a likable character. The perfect actor for the role. I would love it if he was featured more often. And the Valentine’s episode was so special! The murder being witnessed halfway across the globe was a unique twist, and the romantic ending gives hope the appealing Ioan Gruffudd will return. — Fred
Matt Roush: Others, including Lori T., wrote in after the Valentine episode to enquire, “Any chance Ioan Gruffudd will have a recurring role?” The answer for now: probably not, at least not for now, though I enjoyed Elsbeth addressing the Scottish elephant in the room when she announced in the following episode, “We’ll see each other again when the time’s right.” Also seconding the love for Ben Levi Ross as Teddy, all signs that Elsbeth is successfully expanding its world while also playing around with formula, which I heartily approve. I wouldn’t count on the Emmy voters taking notice, given their avoidance of most network series (though Kathy Bates in Matlock could be an exception), but you can always hope.
And Finally…
Question: In the same February week, NBC’s The Irrational and The CW‘s Wild Cards both had a story about killing a valuable stud horse for insurance money. Do you think the producers were mad when they discovered the similarity, or did they just shrug? Do writers steal ideas from each other? Or is this plot just an overused trope that turns up periodically? Just wondering. — Allison W.
Matt Roush: Coincidences happen. I’m not aware of horse murders being an overused trope, and I can’t imagine this being a case of narrative equine larceny. These are very different shows from different studios, though both are filmed in Vancouver, Canada, so maybe something’s in the water that brought ill-fated horses to mind in their writers’ rooms. (Or maybe they were separately inspired by the high-profile deaths of animals in horse-racing circles and thought it would make a good story.) If a third instance of this plot shows up anytime soon, that would constitute a mini-trend. Otherwise, I’d shrug it off.
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]. (Please include a first name with your question.)
Conversation23 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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I love St. Denis! I just want a break from reality. I love the stupid, funny antics. I miss the sitcom, too much reality tv!
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I couldn't make it through the first episode of St Denis and am sad at the waste of such good actors in a show that I found un-funny and forced. But I am LOVING The Pit. Noah Wyle was a GREAT intern on ER and has really come into his own as the chief of the ER now.
Will try the new Boston Blue, but I have the same reservations as others, why would Danny leave NYC?
Elsbeth has become a favorite and the recurring role with Michael Emerson is yummy!!
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I also only watched the first episode, but maybe i should give it another chance
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It took a couple of episodes for me to get into it, but now it’s working for me.
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I'm glad I'm not the only one rolling my eyes about Danny Reagan suddenly moving to Boston, out of the blue. Unless there's a really, really good explanation or reason, it will not work for me. NYC was practically a character in Blue Bloods.
I don't watch Elsbeth, she's much too quirky for me. (As I've said before, she annoyed me on The Good Wife; she can only be more annoying as a main character.)
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I have an idea to save money on an actor... have Ioan come over and guest on both FBI as Isobel's husband ... Forever reunion.. and Elsbeth... both CBS filmed in NYC..
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why are you people Why are you people knocking? Those shows off of good take off the one with the nurse that sucks that nice jumping up and down whoever she is sucks. Put the good shows back on.
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It's OK to look at the ratings, but you need to look at them only in relation to the other shows on the network. For instance, St Denis Medical is fifth in this season's scripted show ratings for NBC in the 18-49 demo. That's going to get you renewed almost all the time unless you've been on many seasons and the cost gets too high.
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I just can't get into St. Denis Medical.
Love High Potential and Elsbeth
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I love High Potential and hope it comes back soon. I agree with comments what happened to September to May season. 13 weeks is barely over 2 months out of 12. Live to hear Boston Blue spin-off and obviously people relocate. I know this from experience
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13 weeks is 3 months.
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The funny thing about the13 weeks note is that -- in TV circles in the late 60s and through the 70s -- 13 weeks was the standard length of a show that got cancelled. Remember the story about the fabulous Tim Conway -- who had numerous TV shows of his own flop and not get a second season. He made note of that by getting a personalized license plate in California that read "13 WKS." Leave it to Conway to come up with an idea like that.
TV, like the rest of the world, has changed drastically. Sometimes I wish we could go back to the old ways, especially if it meant seeing incredible comedians like Conway on a weekly basis (his bits on the Carol Burnett Show are among the funniest scene I have ever witnessed).
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so it looks like high potential is going to have a red john character like the mentalist. I think that's a bad idea. made that show go off the air
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Try "The Cleaning Lady" to sub temporarily for High Potential. It's starting it's 4th season of around 13 episodes and it starts in mid-March(ish). Good show even though one of its main stars unfortunately died IRL at the end of Season 2.
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Sorry I'm one of the watchers that does not like Elsbeth or High Potential. I really tried St Denis Medical for 4 episodes but I agree with TXCharley that the cast is wasted on the program. Cannot understand why they would move Danny Reagan to Boston. Why not Philly, Rochester NY or even DC? Should have left him in NYC with his family and Blue Bloods. They gripe about the cost of some shows, cancel them and then bring very similar ones back in a new location. It had to cost to set up the new location(s) when they could just as easily have left them in the original location.
Now to some other shows: I enjoy The Irrational and Found but apparently not many other watchers do. They are good shows if you really give them a chance. You have to watch more than one episode to really get the feel of a program. Poppa's House is a very good sitcom with the Wayans in great form. The NAACP Awards proved that the Wayans are great comedians, actors, writers, directors, producers and so forth.
I watch a lot of television and a variety of programs. Of course my DVR is utilized quite a bit so I get to watch a lot. Sometimes you just have to go outside your comfort zone and watch something different.
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the horse murder question is funny to me, because while haven't seen either of those episodes, I did JUST watch an episode of Law & Order on hulu where a horse was murdered for insurance. S6E11 Corpus Delicti
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Regarding:Matt Roush: Others, including Lori T., wrote in after the Valentine episode to enquire, “Any chance Ioan Gruffudd will have a recurring role?” The answer for now: probably not, at least not for now, though I enjoyed Elsbeth addressing the Scottish elephant in the room when she announced in the following episode, “We’ll see each other again when the time’s right.”Following the Valentine's day episode, "Tiny Town,"
in the season finale episode, "Foiled Again,"
Lt. Connor (Daniel K. Isaac) and Elsbeth exchange another pair of lines that could hint at a future Angus sighting:
[ELSBETH] It was a whirlwind romance, but... he had to go back to his life in Scotland. We'll see each other again when the time's right.
[LT. CONNOR] Like Brigadoon.
[ELSBETH] Yes.
Brigadoon's plot (wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigadoon#Plot) is not like Same Time, Next Year.
Nevertheless, it could be very romantic for Elsbeth to meet up with Angus next Valentine's Day.
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Danny moved to there himself! We do watch Elsbeth find her quite enchanting! As for the Pitt would watch but can’t afford Max along with all other streaming services! Not enough to offer like others! I’m sorry Blue Bloods ended but guess it’s what was decided so glad they did bring Boston Blue we enjoy. St Dennis isn’t my cup of tea but hubby likes it so I endure! High Potential I love but don’t enjoy the new captain for my part they can keep him dead. He’s no chemistry with Morgan like some think. In this role he’s terrible he’s better suited for comedy. I do enjoy Matlock but if it doesn’t last hopefully they replace it something worthwhile not stupid like a game show!
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high potential,Yes! Watched 3 times.Ending season 2 shocker. The rookies, watched over and over. Lucy could disappear to another precinct,annoying.Optomism is good in small doses,Lucy is too much..
Tracker excellent.Travels all over not just cities.Help his friend see how much she is hurting.Really like the computer guy,keep him.That new office girl is trouble,too helpful.
Blue bloods should have been kept on,new blue Boston’s copy cat doesn’t quite work.
like his new son has more depth.
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I’ve seen the horse plot many, many times over the last several decades. It’s sop for any long running show, like the High School reunion plot. It’s all in the execution if it’s worth seeing it again.
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Same Time, Next Year. One of my favorite movies of all time. Best rom com twist at the end. Love the Johnny Mathis song too.
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I love Elsbeth, that is until they brought in her gay son.
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Can't stand Elsbeth and High Potential. Did not care for Elsbeth's character on the Good Wife and I find High Potential very low brow and unappealing.
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