Ask Matt: The Future of Late Night, Netflix’s ‘Rabbit’ Hole & 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.

Can Late Night Comedy Survive?

Question: Are we seeing the beginning of the end of late-night TV comedy? I was shocked and saddened when CBS canceled The Late Show with Stephen Colbert when his contract is up, citing “financial reasons,” and then ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live because of even more overt political fallout. Is free speech that endangered in this current climate? I suppose I can always turn to Friends repeats for a good laugh before bedtime, but it’s not the same. — Trevor

Matt Roush: This question, sent during Jimmy Kimmel’s weeklong suspension, is no longer quite as urgent, given ABC’s announcement Monday that he would return to the air tonight. But it’s a dark time for sure, when the head of a federal agency like the FCC can implicitly pressure a network and its affiliates to pull off a show because they don’t like what they hear. Certainly, Jimmy Kimmel’s clumsy statement generalizing about the assassin was ill-advised during such a traumatic moment, but it would likely have blown over if not for this sort of government interference, which sets a dangerous precedent. Comedians putting their foot in their mouth is hardly new, and whether you like his brand of satire or not, censorship is never the answer. Dissent, be it comedic or of a more serious nature, is the American way, and while the economics of much broadcast TV are challenging, including in late night, I’m glad Jimmy Kimmel will be back on TV tonight, and I’d like to think at least a few other independent voices (hello, Seth Meyers) will survive and not be relegated to the unregulated world of pay cable and streaming.

While waiting to see how this would play out, I began thinking back to a similar situation when CBS canceled The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour in a case of extreme self-censorship in the late 1960s during another time of political polarization over the Vietnam War. In David Bianculli’s excellent book Dangerously Funny, he quotes from a letter that then-President Lyndon B. Johnson wrote to the comedians during the furor: “It is part of the price of leadership of this great and free nation to be the target of clever satirists. You have given the gift of laughter to our people. May we never grow so somber or self-important that we fail to appreciate the humor in our lives.”

Let Sleeping Rabbits Lie

Question: Black Rabbit is very good, but the main thing I want to say about it is that I hope that its success will not tempt the producers and Netflix to feel required to do a Season 2. If ever a show cried out to be a “one and done,” this is it. But these days I’m prepared to be disappointed. What are the odds? — D.P.

Matt Roush: In this case, you shouldn’t worry. In all of Netflix’s publicity, Black Rabbit (which I would characterize more as a “good try”) has been designated a “limited series,” and given how it ended, it’s hard to imagine what a second season would look like, unless under entirely new management. Though I suppose we might have felt the same way about Big Little Lies or The White Lotus before they were renewed, I think there’s little danger of this joint’s doors opening again.

Mornings Are Better with a Full House

Question: Is it only me? I find it frustrating when I turn on Good Morning America every morning and someone is always missing. George, Robin, and Michael are almost never together. It seems they are gone more than they’re working. With what Disney is paying these three, shouldn’t they be on the air more together?  Not only that, shouldn’t they be just on the air more in general? It weakens the program IMO. What do you think? — Scott Y.

Matt Roush: If you watch the promos, you’d get the idea this big, happy TV “family” is never apart. But each of these hosts juggles a very busy schedule, with side projects they’re producing as well as other obligations in sports and/or news. It’s a given that morning shows are more enjoyable when the entire team is in place, but that’s the price of success.

Voting on Dancing

Question: Why is it that if Dancing with the Stars is filmed in Los Angeles, that California voting opens at 5 pm, yet they don’t start dancing on TV until 8 pm local time? How can we possibly vote when we haven’t seen them perform? Another voting issue for Cali? — Terri G., Simi Valley

Matt Roush: This is not a new issue, but it remains a nagging one for these competition shows that, over time, have had to scale back from producing a following-night results show and now stage their eliminations during the same live episode. As has been the case in recent years, the only way for West Coast viewers to participate fairly is to watch the simulcast (at 5 pm/PT) on Disney+, because by the time the show airs on ABC in local prime time, it will already have been decided.

And Finally …

Question: What happened to The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday nights? It was great to watch the show, see the great performers, and hear their music from many years gone by. VERY NOSGALGIC for my generation. Very disappointed to see that it appears to be off the air. To those responsible, try to BRING IT BACK PLEASE! — Toni H.

Matt Roush: When I initially saw this question, I thought, “What year are we talking about?” Because Sunday night was when the original Ed Sullivan Show aired from 1948 to 1971 on CBS. But of course, you’re talking about the licensing of the show’s syndicated highlights that were airing most recently on MeTV. These deals don’t last forever, and nostalgia channels tend to shake up their lineups from time to time. The good news: There’s a multitude of Sullivan Show goodness on the show’s YouTube channel as well as episodes on free streamers, including Pluto TV and The Roku Channel.

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.)