Ask Matt: Will ‘The Pitt’ Inspire Copycats? Plus ‘Ghosts,’ Lester Holt’s Exit & 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.

All in a Day’s Work

Question: Now that we’ve had time to digest how big a success The Pitt was both artistically and ratings-wise, and knowing what a copycat the entertainment industry is, what do you think about how upcoming shows are going to react to the success of The Pitt? Are we going to see some sort of season-long “22 hours in the life of Will Trent” or “10 Hours of a Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” adventure? — Tom F.

Matt Roush: Let’s hope not. If I had any objection to The Pitt, and it’s a minor one, is that way too much happened in that single 15-hour shift, though within each hour, the action was so riveting, and the characters so vividly portrayed, I didn’t really care. It’s great TV, my top show so far this year. The best example before this of a ticking-clock show where all of the action took place within a day is, of course, 24, which stretched credibility even further most seasons as it packed in so many twists (and injuries!) within a 24-hour span that it eventually felt ludicrous and trapped by its formula, which may be why it took so long (not counting the first season of The Purge in 2018) for someone to try it again. (And when 24 was revived several times, they reduced the season to 12 episodes, akin to The Pitt‘s grueling 15.) A limited series can get away with this compressed-time format, but I’d be surprised and dismayed to see more shows try to copy The Pitt‘s ambitious and mostly rewarding approach.

Hidden Talents

Question: My sister and I watched the movie Pitch Perfect, and we were surprised to see a younger Utkarsh Ambudkar, who plays Jay on Ghosts, singing! We both agree that the writers of Ghosts should find a way to make a duet between Jay and Alberta. What are the chances? — Annie

Matt Roush: Isn’t it fun to discover someone’s hidden talents when you’ve only known them in a different sort of role? Utkarsh’s rapping and singing talents are fairly well established and landed him on Broadway a while back as part of the Freestyle Love Supreme improv ensemble, so it seems natural that they might someday give Jay a chance to rap or sing. He’d have to be able to see the ghosts again, as he only did temporarily, to be able to harmonize with Alberta, but we can dream. And considering the show has been renewed for two more seasons, they’re going to need to come up with a bunch of new ideas, and a musical episode isn’t out of the question, I’m sure.

Question: Over the past season of Ghosts, I noticed that occasionally there’s a character missing from the ghost ensemble. It seems it’s sometimes Flower, sometimes Thor, sometimes Sass. Do you know the reason for the absences? — Judy R., Mentor on the Lake, Ohio

Matt Roush: When this question has come up before, the show’s creators have typically explained that with so many characters to service each week, there will be episodes when one or another ghost may not be featured. The actors could also be written out if there’s a personal reason or other work conflict for them to be absent on a given week. This reasoning also applies to recurring characters like the basement ghosts and the headless guy, who’s rarely seen and almost never heard.

Will We See an American Paradise?

Question: With the numerous seasons, a spinoff series following a beloved character, and an Australian version, has there ever been any discussion about an American version of Death in Paradise, following the recent news of an American version of Doc Martin? With America having more than one territory or state in “paradise,” I’ve always thought that an American version with the concept of a federal agent being transplanted to a place like Hawaii or Puerto Rico is viable. — Sam F.

Matt Roush: Given how dependent the networks currently are on pre-existing IP (intellectual property), and that Death in Paradise has become something of a global brand, it wouldn’t surprise me. But at present, I’m not aware of anything in active development. Give it time.

Court Cancellation, and Fond Farewell to Lester Holt

Question: I saw that NBC canceled its Tuesday night sitcom Night Court, which sadly was on for only 2½ seasons. I’m assuming it was the ratings, right? I thought it was a good show. Most of the character roles were good with a few minor changes, especially the D.A. role, which went south. However, the lead-in of St. Denis was not good, and they could have at least changed Night Court to another night. I’m disappointed in NBC for taking it off the air.

On another topic, I would like to say “Thank You” to Lester Holt of NBC Nightly News. I’m sorry to see him leaving the newscast, but he is staying on with Dateline. I used to watch another newscast, however, they always seem to focus on mostly negative news and sensationalistic reports. But after watching Lester on NBC for many years, he too reported some negative reports, but did not dwell on it. His reporting seemed to be more honest, with less negativity, and overall was a lot better to see and listen to. In addition, we liked his closing at the end of his broadcasts: “Please take care of yourself and each other.” Thank you, Lester, for your reporting during your career, as it was greatly appreciated. — Mike M.

Matt Roush: Night Court‘s cancellation was partly due to middling ratings but also, and possibly mostly, a result, as we’ve recently discussed, of NBC reducing the number of time slots available for scripted programming in the fall, most notably with Tuesdays being turned over to NBA games. Regarding Lester Holt: I agree. He assumed the anchor role during a tough moment and handled the transition with grace, as he did most of his assignments.

Is Inside Edition on the Outs?

Question: Now that Deborah Norville has left Inside Edition after 30 years of anchoring the newsmagazine program, do you think the show might be on the chopping block? To my knowledge, a permanent successor has yet to be named. Inside Edition is distributed by CBS Media Ventures, and there is a pending merger between its parent company Paramount Global and Skydance Media. Knowledgeable people are aware that Paramount Global has been struggling as of late. Bill O’Reilly, who anchored Inside Edition for several years himself, recently indicated that the show is now irrelevant. — Chris S.

Matt Roush: I imagine O’Reilly considers anything he’s not a part of irrelevant, but I’ll concede that syndicated magazine shows like this don’t have the impact they used to have, given the fragmented nature of the marketplace in today’s streaming and social-media era. Still, there are no signs that I’m aware of that stations have canceled their contracts or vice versa with the show, so it appears Inside Edition will carry on at least for the immediate future, evolving without its longtime host.

And Finally …

Question: I’ve been watching American Idol since the beginning and have an observation. Is the network or Idol itself using commercials the night before to influence who is going to win? This year, it seemed to me, in these Idol spots, that the voted winner was featured singing more often than the other two finalists. I thought any one of the three was talented enough to win, but I certainly felt I was being manipulated in the ads. Please tell me I’m way off! — Cynthia

Matt Roush: I hope you’re way off, and this minor conspiracy theory seems improbable to me because 1) who pays that much attention to commercials, and 2) these promos tend to use the most dramatic performance clips, which might translate to more votes anyway from those who are still watching Idol. It’s hard to fathom why the producers or network would want to tip the scales in anyone’s favor. But I suppose if you’re rooting for a contestant who isn’t as heavily featured in a promo, it would seem unfair.

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.)