Ask Matt: When TV Shows Sing Out, Future of ‘Doctor Who’ & More

Matt Roush June 24, 2025, 9:00 am

Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor — 'Doctor Who' Season 2 Episode 7 'Wish World' — Maxine Howells / BBC Studios / Disney / Bad Wolf

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.

With a Song in Their Hearts

Question: I recently saw an episode of Star Trek: Voyager in which the Doctor (Robert Picardo) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) sang together. They sounded great. I remember seeing other shows, like Touched by an Angel, The Brady Bunch, Knots Landing, and other series, in which characters break out in song, and of course, I am aware of some shows that have musical episodes. In such cases, is it the performer who suggests they be allowed to sing, or does the TV producer get the idea, perhaps based on the performer’s resume? — Rob

Matt Roush: I imagine it depends on the individual show and the performer (especially those with hidden musical talents), but generally, I’d expect it’s the producer/writers who come up with the idea of a musical episode or interlude and then try to make it fit with the cast and characters they’re working with. If you liked that Voyager episode, let me direct you to the incredible musical extravaganza titled “Subspace Rhapsody” that played out on the Paramount+ series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in its second season. Of course, my all-time favorite musical episode is “Once More, With Feeling” from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which never gets old.

'Doctor Who' Showrunner Russell T Davies Weighs in on Show's Future

***Who*‘s in Limbo**

Question: When Doctor Who was broadcast in the U.S. on BBC America, I loved watching it, especially in cable TV’s glory days when it was paired with Orphan Black. But when the show stopped being broadcast on BBC America and became only available on Disney+, it fell off my radar because I don’t have a Disney+ subscription and wasn’t interested in shelling out money for one. Now I’m reading that the future of the show is in doubt and that viewership has dropped (though I don’t know if that is based on U.K. viewership). Do you think that will make the TV industry in the future reconsider switching an existing show that was previously available on linear TV to streaming exclusively, or has the TV industry changed so dramatically that this type of switch will become more frequent in the future? — Stanley A.

Matt Roush: That future is now, although there are instances of streaming shows getting extra exposure with a second run on broadcast/cable partners. The streamers’ deep pockets and the convenience of streaming shows at any time without having to time-shift are among the factors that have led some shows, especially those in danger of being canceled by their original network, to migrate to streaming. However, the BBC’s co-production deal with Disney+ for Doctor Who and its international streaming rights is a different situation altogether, and there’s a lot of speculation going around about why the ratings dropped. (Personally, I loved the two seasons with Ncuti Gatwa.) While a basic cable network like BBC America may have a larger reach than Disney+, that’s hardly a niche streamer. It’s still rather rare for a successful program to switch from broadcast/cable to streaming only, but I wouldn’t read too much into this reported “pause” in Doctor Who production. I’m sure we haven’t heard the last from the good Doctor.

**This Alien Feels Marginalized**

Question: Why in the world did USA Network bury Resident Alien on Friday nights at 11 pm/10c? Isn’t that the kiss of death? They should have left it on Syfy and paired it with the new show Revival. Or, since the first three seasons are on Netflix, why not just sell it to Netflix and let them carry it forward? — Kathy G.

Matt Roush: All excellent questions, but it should be noted that USA Network and Syfy are simulcasting Alien‘s new episodes on Fridays in that unfortunate time period. (It’s not like USA was going to interfere with its wrestling programming in prime time.) Whatever economic reasons were behind making Resident Alien a “USA Original” instead of a Syfy production, it’s likely they expect much of the viewership to be on streaming when the episodes drop on Peacock a week later. Such is the nature of the business. The logical move obviously would have been to keep Resident Alien on Syfy and pair it with another original during prime time on a weeknight, though I’m not sure Revival is the perfect fit, either. Basic-cable originals are a dying breed, and scheduling like this becomes something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. This situation appears to me like they’re just playing out this season with little hope of continuing, at least not on the so-called Versant cable properties. If there is a future for the show, Netflix would seem the perfect home, though deals of this sort can be quite complicated.

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Millionaires Playing Millionaire

Question: I saw that ABC posted the list of contestants on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire this summer, and it’s all celebrities again, playing in pairs. God forbid they actually let regular people play this format anymore. I love the Millionaire format when it’s well-executed, but since they rebooted it with Jimmy Kimmel, they seem to be bending over backwards to make it easier. The tension is what makes this show fun to watch, so lowering the stakes seems counterproductive. Also, Ken Jennings is listed as one of the celebrities, paired with Matt Damon. I’m a fan of Ken, and we know that he’s smart enough to compete favorably on Millionaire. That’s not in question. But it feels weird now. Michael Davies is the producer of Jeopardy! and Millionaire, so he’s using the host from one of the shows he produces as a contestant on another show he produces. It just feels kind of icky, like there’s sort of a conflict of interest there. I know it’s for charity, but still.

If they insist on doing it with celebrities, the one celebrity who I would really want to see on Millionaire is Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), and it’s such an obvious one that I’m surprised they’ve never gotten him before. Unless they ask, and he said no. But you’d think he’d have plenty of incentive to say yes. What do you think? — Jake

Matt Roush: I wouldn’t know if they’ve ever tried and failed to snag Dev Patel, but like some of the other pairings this summer, that would be a very promotable highlight, which is how I also see the pairing of Ken Jennings and Matt Damon (Kimmel’s most famous frenemy). The challenge for any show, especially on a broadcast network in the summer, is to make noise, and watching Ken Jennings play Millionaire qualifies. (Said noise has apparently come with some blowback, which is hardly unusual for anything involving Jeopardy!) Same with casting Damon, given his mock-antagonistic history with the host. I’d also like to see Millionaire return to the original format, more likely if it were to go back into daily syndication than on the prime-time version — or do something really fun like pairing a celebrity with a non-famous superfan. But for now, this is the Millionaire we’ve got.

‘America’s Open Door Policy

Question: Why do they call it America’s Got Talent when contestants come from all over the globe? — Mike

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Matt Roush: This question gets asked just about every season, but given the way things have been going lately here and elsewhere, it’s worth being reminded that from the start of the franchise, with Britain’s Got Talent, there has always been a wide-open tent for talent from around the world to participate (including acts who’ve participated in other Talent shows in other countries). NBC‘s show is the American version, which is where the show is produced and where it airs, which doesn’t mean the talent pool is limited to acts from within the 50 states. The idea is inclusiveness, which may not be popular in some quarters but only makes the show here and abroad more interesting.

And Finally …

Question: I guess it’s still early, but have you heard anything about a renewal for Dept. Q? I feel like it was really popular, and that Netflix is usually quicker on renewing shows. And the cast and creative team are willing to make more. What’s the holdup? Also: Sherlock & Daughter. I really enjoyed this, and it was The CW‘s most-watched show, but no news yet on if there will be a Season 2. — Caroline

Matt Roush: There is no rhyme or reason that I’m aware of regarding the timing of renewals, especially on streaming services. Sometimes the renewal comes even before the show premieres, and sometimes we and they just have to wait for deals to be hammered out. I’m fairly confident Dept. Q will get a pickup. It’s only been out there for about a month. Anecdotally, I’m hearing that more and more people are discovering and getting hooked on it, but Netflix can be its own worst enemy in burying product with more product, rarely giving their shows time to breathe. I’m sure the algorithm is working overtime. Given that this is based on a series of books, so there’s no shortage of material, I’d be surprised not to see Dept. Q return. As for Sherlock & Daughter, that’s the sort of international co-production that I’m sure The CW would love to keep going, though it might not entirely be up to them. I just hope that when and if it returns, and I think it will, they’ll be able to make more than eight episodes a season.

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.)