Ask Matt: Ending ‘And Just Like That,’ Great Sci-Fi Moments, ‘Adults’ & 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.
Gone So Soon?
Question: And Just Like That … it’s over? With almost no advance warning that these episodes would be the last we’ll see (for now, at least) of Carrie Bradshaw and her glamorous besties? Why would HBO Max and Michael Patrick King deliver such a last-minute body blow? Whatever will we hate-watch now? — Edwina
Matt Roush: That announcement was a bit of a shock, given the high profile of the Sex and the City brand. But the way they explained it is that they didn’t want viewers to watch (or hate-watch as the case may be) the entire final season with a sense of imminent closure, and I get that, even if there were other reasons for the show ending that might have been more prosaic and business-oriented. “Final Season” hype can often influence the way we watch a favorite (or in this case, favorite love-to-hate-it) show throughout its last chapters, expecting more than a show should rightly be expected to deliver.
Looking back, storylines involving mortality — Harry’s surgery for prostate cancer, Lisa losing her father, and the death of Carrie and Aidan’s relationship — might have tipped us off that the end was nigh. I haven’t watched this week’s series finale yet, but this show had become so divorced from reality that I can’t really mourn the end of this bittersweet fairy tale. And I’m glad Cynthia Nixon can move on from the ever-more-exasperating Miranda to focus on The Gilded Age‘s maddeningly pious Ada Forte (née Brook), whom we can mock with a great deal more affection.
Great Moments in Sci-Fi TV
Comment: My wife and I finished watching the finale of Resident Alien this weekend, and both agreed that it was one of the best finales of any series ever! It was totally satisfying with great commentary about love, life, and humanity! Sad that it takes a series about an alien to deliver that beautiful message, but a wonderful, incredible ride that show has been. Never hit a false note!
And talk about another great message: Paul Giamatti in this season’s Black Mirror episode, “Eulogy!” What an understated and underappreciated actor he is! He almost carried the entire episode by himself. And what a wonderful message! This episode should be required viewing for everyone. It was so touching and sad, telling us we shouldn’t jump to conclusions or be too hasty in making drastic decisions, or we can miss an opportunity that haunts us for the rest of our lives! And so sad that he found that he had kept the letter from his lover and never read it over the years, the reading of which would have changed his life forever, and kept it from going into the 15-year downward spiral he experienced! Tears came to our eyes! So, kudos to not only that episode, but the entire series for being one of the most inventive and original shows on television. We’re already looking forward to the next season and despondent there will be no “next year” for Resident Alien. — John C., Valdese, N.C.
Matt Roush: These are all reminders of the value of great science fiction, whether comedic or poignant and dramatic, to deliver memorably humanistic messages, especially during such seemingly inhuman and challenging times. I was away recently, so I will catch up soon with the Resident Alien finale, but by all accounts, it was a sweet one. And your description of the “Eulogy” episode had all the feels. At its best, Black Mirror is the Twilight Zone for our technological times, and especially these days, I find myself retreating to vintage Zone episodes for some good-old-fashioned allegory.
Did Trek Pick the Right Episode to Stream for Free?
Question: Why would the producers of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds choose “A Space Adventure Hour” to be the episode that aired for free (through Aug. 6)? This is NOT the kind of episode that will attract new fans/subscribers. A lot of regular viewers hate this episode, let alone a new viewer getting the “inside” jokes/easter eggs. They should have chosen a regular episode to try to attract new people. — Russell
Matt Roush: This falls under the heading of “no good deed goes unpunished,” and while it’s possible that some people’s noses were put out of joint by the episode’s broad parody of vintage Star Trek, I’m not buying the generalization that “a lot of regular viewers” hated it. Why would they? And if they did, maybe they should lighten up. I felt this was a perfect breakout episode to show off Strange New Worlds’ penchant for breaking form, much like last season’s terrific musical episode, while having fun with the franchise’s legendary history. That’s no doubt why they chose this episode to screen for dedicated fans at this year’s Comic Con. A more “regular” episode wouldn’t reflect the show’s range as well, though I have nothing against the terrific stand-alone adventures this crew engages with on a weekly basis. As I’ve said regularly since it premiered, this is my favorite Trek series of the streaming era, in part because I rarely know what tone the next episode will take. Bring it on.
Will Adults Get a Chance to Grow Up?
Question: Have you heard anything about FX renewing their comedy Adults, for a second season? I think they’ve captured lightning in a bottle with that cast. The characters are genuinely funny and charming, and that cliffhanger finale was one of the best I’ve seen this year! I really hope they get a chance to continue. — Matt G.
Matt Roush: Haven’t heard anything one way or the other, and it’s getting harder in this fragmented marketplace to gauge the likelihood of survival for modestly produced shows like this funky comedy. It could be one-and-done, which would be a shame, but if they nurture it, they could have another long-running sleeper like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on their hands. The show’s future may depend on how well it’s doing on streaming, because these wacky episodes would bear up well with rewatching. It’s impossible to predict.
Give Network Shows a Place at the Emmys Table!
Question: I have had this simmering for years. I believe that there should be a separate category in the Emmy Awards for broadcast TV. I think it’s a shame that shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox are all but ignored when the Emmy nominations are announced. The streamers have so much more leeway in dialogue, time, and no-ad constraints. I find it difficult to believe that just one network drama and a few comedy nominations from the broadcasters are represented. It doesn’t seem like an even playing field.
You can’t tell me that there aren’t some outstanding shows and performances on broadcast TV in addition to Matlock and Abbott Elementary. There is the now-finished Blue Bloods (Donnie Wahlberg, Tom Selleck), Law & Order (Hugh Dancy), Law & Order: SVU (Mariska Hargitay), Chicago PD (Jason Beghe), Fire and Med, Ghosts, Going Dutch, Accused, and NCIS. There are others, I’m sure, that I failed to mention. But the Emmys would definitely benefit from this separation. Not to mention the possible ratings bump for the show with nominated programs seen weekly by millions more viewers. — Dan R.
Matt Roush: I’m going to let a commentor from a recent Ask Matt column address this subject, which comes up at least once every year during awards season. Here’s Jena H: “When will people finally understand that standard TV procedurals (NCIS, the Chicago shows, FBI, etc.) DO NOT WIN EMMY AWARDS??? Just like Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Burger King don’t win restaurant awards. They all have a formula (menu?) and stick with it, and satisfy millions of people every year. But they won’t win any awards.”
Back in the day, when network TV was the only game in town, this obviously wasn’t the case, and exceptional procedurals including the Law & Order shows in their early prime, groundbreakers like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue — which if they existed now, would probably be on streaming platforms — Cagney & Lacey, hospital dramas like ER and many others would be nominated and often win. Premium cable and later streaming changed all of that with their higher budgets and more creative freedom — and typically shorter seasons, emphasizing quality over quantity, but even then, some network shows are occasionally able to break through. While I may not go as far as Jena to liken today’s broadcast-network shows to fast-food franchises, most scripted series on the networks (an ever-dwindling species) are designed first and foremost as mass-market entertainments, and many do their job exceptionally well. But that’s not what the Emmy voters are looking for, if they’re even watching these shows. (Same argument applies to the Oscars, by and large.) I would single out Ghosts, though, as a show with such vivid characters and clever writing that it deserves some Emmy love, but given that it has been ignored this long, that’s an almost insurmountable long shot.
While there’s no doubt that some of these shows produce episodes and big character moments that deserve recognition, the notion of setting up categories segregating broadcast TV from cable/streaming is a pipe dream and will remain so. If broadcast shows were only able to compete with each other, that would diminish the value of those awards (except maybe to fans), and when a rare, high-aiming breakout hit like Abbott Elementary or This Is Us comes along, shouldn’t they be allowed to compete with the big guns?
And Finally …
Question: My husband and I are big fans of This Old House and Ask This Old House, but all of their shows are reruns right now. Do you know if they have plans to do new shows in the future? — Carolyn
Matt Roush: There’s no indication this longtime PBS staple is going anywhere. We’re still in summer mode, and seasons of This Old House typically run (like much of regular network TV) from September to May. Look for the 47th season of This Old House to start in most markets on Sept. 25.
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.)
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