Ask Matt: ‘Boston Blue’ Follows the Formula, ‘Pluribus’ & 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.

Haven’t We Seen This Before?

Question: Am I the only one rolling my eyes over the “reboot” of Blue Bloods, except in a new city and with a different religion? Boston Blue has the same family drama, cop dynamics, and family dinners, but with different prayers. It’s like the network decided to diversify dinnertime conversations. Did they really think no one would notice that it’s literally the same premise with different holidays? If they were trying to recreate its success, why cancel Blue Bloods and replace it with something that feels so far below its standard? — Grace

Matt Roush: This is why they call it formula TV, and no one is more proficient, or at least prolific, in the practice than CBS. I’m not going to rehash the long and tortured debate in this column and elsewhere over the financial reasons why CBS ended Blue Bloods after 14 seasons, but they’re not trying to “fool” anyone with its successor. It’s hardly subtle in how the show so quickly introduced, through Danny’s new partner, a new family (the Silvers) who are remarkably like the Reagans in holding key positions in Boston law enforcement, from rookie patrol officer to district attorney, and who gather for weekly family dinner.

Hewing so transparently to formula carries risks, mostly because of the tendency of those still and unsurprisingly unforgiving of Blue Bloods’ departure to unfavorably compare the two. But it’s paid off for now, at least according to the network, which recently touted the series as the #1 new drama of the fall season — not that there was a lot of competition, given broadcast TV’s depleted state. Averaging a respectable 8 million viewers in multiplatform 7-day viewing, it ranks only behind Tracker, Matlock, NCIS, and Elsbeth among CBS’s hourlong shows, and those air on nights with far wider viewership. Will it ever generate the fan loyalty and love of Blue Bloods? Probably not, but when that show premiered, network TV was a very different place.

Feeding on Pluribus

Question: I just watched the first two episodes of Pluribus on Apple TV and spotted a contradiction which I hoped you might explain. At the gathering, it was explained that “they” did not believe in killing, and so did not serve meat, fowl, fish, etc. However, the next morning, Carol was offered bacon & eggs! I’m sure the pig didn’t kill itself. Was this a mistake, or just a sign that “they” are liars? I know this might seem like a small point, but it bothers me. — Pegasus

Matt Roush: Isn’t this show fascinating? It’s my current new favorite, although as often happens with this sort of speculative sci-fi mind game, I don’t always sweat the details or pretend to understand them. Not knowing where Pluribus is headed past the episodes I’ve seen in advance, and curious how it will sustain a second season and beyond, I’ll answer this as simply as possible. The collective can serve Carol meat and other such carnivorous treats as long as they’re handling food that was already dead. They’re feeding her from a stock of animals that were killed before the “joining,” but what happens after they run out of supplies remains to be seen. The basic thing to remember is that they’re trying to do what they can to make her happy, because her rage is their worst nightmare. What a wonderfully bizarre premise.

The Sorry State of Broadcast Network Comedy

Question: Has the quality of broadcast comedy diminished somewhat? I have finally given up on CBS’s DMV, a show which, on paper, was perfectly suited to my tastes, but it was really awful. I tried because every show similar to it before has been among some of my all-time favs, and I love a good workplace comedy. But man, apart from Tim Meadows, the cast is just disastrously unlikable. The stories are cringe, too. I wonder how anyone thinks they’re funny or appropriate. If I were CBS, I would beg The Neighborhood to keep going to fill this time slot.

Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage feels like it’s written for 10-year-olds, and I am not getting if we’re seeing some of the Young Sheldon cast as much as we do (the mom and daughter), why didn’t we just do a show on them? They’re more fun to watch than what we have. It’s all feeling super forced, although Emily Osment is always doing her best. One of my favs from the last few years, Ghosts, is also frustrating me a bit. Not the two leads but the actual ghosts, who are performing as if they are in a play — shouting lines. There’s something disjointed about the writing, and there are too many characters for 19 minutes each week (we don’t need so many extra characters). Shifting Gears and Abbott Elementary are not that fantastic either. I will never understand the hype for the latter. Funny, I went to a taping of Shifting Gears recently and laughed hard, but then I watched the actual episode, and it felt watered down and nothing like being there for that taping.

I think it’s me, but then I am reminded of such great comedies like English Teacher (I am not ready to admit this one is done) or Mid-Century Modern (I’ll never forgive this cancellation), or even Only Murders in the Building or Hacks, so I know when it’s done right, it can be done exceptionally right. Is broadcast just simplifying it for mainstream audiences? — Liam C.

Matt Roush: As I’ve often noted in this column, nothing is more subjective than what people find funny. The arrival this week of the Everybody Loves Raymond 30^th-anniversary special (how time flies!) got me thinking how long it’s been since a show that felt like an instant and enduring classic appeared on network TV, which collectively is airing fewer and fewer comedies each season. I won’t argue that many of today’s broadcast comedies leave much to be desired, though I’ve long been a champion of the Abbott Elementary and Ghosts ensembles, even if neither is having its best season (which is not unexpected in their fifth years). The cracks are showing in Abbott’s mockumentary format and in Ghosts‘ Greek-chorus repartee, but they’re still capable of strong episodes — I especially liked last week’s Ghosts, when the spirits contrived to get a babysitter when Sam went on a trip. And I find much to like in NBC‘s mockumentaries St. Denis Medical, The Paper, and Stumble, though as we’ve discussed before, we may be hitting the limit on how many shows should be breaking that fourth wall.

I’d love to see another megahit comedy performed “live in front of a studio audience” in the tradition of Raymond and, more recently, The Big Bang Theory. But even when they’re great, I know I’ll hear complaints about the “laugh track.” (And I was fascinated to read Liam’s take on attending a live taping and having a much different reaction watching at home. Maybe you had to be there.) Obviously, there’s no pleasing everyone, but I’d like to see the networks take more swings away from procedurals and toward the prospect of laughter and joy.

When Fair Is Foul

Question: From the first time I heard about All’s Fair, I never intended to watch it, and haven’t changed my mind, but I thought you’d be interested in hearing that the “The Rest is Entertainment” podcast devoted half an episode recently to the premise that it is the worst show ever on TV. Do you agree? — Paul T.

Matt Roush: Not sure it’s the worst show ever, but Hulu‘s All’s Fair (from the campy arm of Ryan Murphy‘s camp) is certainly the worst and trashiest show of 2025, and the saddest waste of talent: Glenn Close, Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Sarah Paulson. And then there’s Kim Kardashian, for whom even a deep breath appears to be a challenge. I’ve seen sock puppets with more expression than she musters as (get this) Allura Grant. The most laughable aspect of this would-be legal drama is the weekly warning that it’s intended for “mature audiences.” Yes, the profanity is as constant as the sex is raunchy, but every element of the show is aggressively childish in its garish vulgarity. I did laugh when Nash-Betts, as investigator Emerald Greene (what tawdry paperback did they pull these names from?) declared, “Being betrayed by men has a specific smell.” So does terrible writing. All’s Fair makes last season’s Doctor Odyssey (also from Murphy) feel like a maritime documentary. The critics are pretty much united on this one, with the current Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score at 0%. (The audience score is at 65%, indicating that, as I predicted, most are seeing this at best as a guilty pleasure, though guilty of what I’d rather not know.)

Could Grey’s Spin Off Again?

Question: Grey’s Anatomy is still hugely popular on Hulu, sometimes ranking #1. Do you predict Disney/ABC will order another spinoff? They had some success with Private Practice and especially Station 19. A spinoff would be a cost-effective way of continuing the franchise, and I’m not sure how much longer Grey’s can last. The cast is still the largest I’ve seen in the dramas I watch. The fall finale was absolutely the strongest episode in my memory. Everything just worked. I didn’t want it to end. Now I will go through withdrawal while this super-addicting drama is on break. — Fred

Matt Roush: At the moment, I don’t see this happening. But given the nature of the network-TV business, I wouldn’t count it out altogether, although it might be more likely should the day arrive that Grey’s Anatomy finally decides to sign off, that the network would try to find a replacement series from the same universe, the way CBS did with the aforementioned Boston Blue. As always, for better or worse. With ABC currently doubling down on the 9-1-1 franchise, it seems unlikely we’ll see two shows from the world of Grey’s once again occupying the same night. At least for now.

And Finally …

Question: When Law & Order: Organized Crime premiered, I really loved it. Especially Stabler’s family drama. Then it moved to Peacock! I was really mad as I don’t have Peacock. Now it’s back on NBC, and I’ve been taping the episodes. I haven’t watched any because I don’t want to get hooked again, only to have it go back to Peacock. Is it going back to Peacock or staying on NBC? — Yvonne C.

Matt Roush: As of this moment, Organized Crime isn’t going anywhere. It hasn’t been renewed yet for a sixth season. My advice: Watch the episodes now if it’s a show you like. Whatever happens next, you’ll have seen them, and even if a future season airs first on Peacock, NBC has shown a tendency (with this and, more recently, the comedy The Paper) to share certain streaming assets with the network, so maybe you won’t be disappointed in the long run.

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.) And before we go, I wish everyone a most happy and healthy Thanksgiving!