Ask Matt: Doing Double Duty, Peacock’s ‘Ponies’ & More
Welcome to the Q&A with longtime 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 occasional Tuesdays.
Will We Be Seeing Speedman Times Two?
Question: It was a little jarring last week watching Scott Speedman as Nick opposite Ellen Pompeo in one of his occasional appearances on Grey’s Anatomy and then seeing him in a promo as a totally different character for the upcoming new ABC show RJ Decker. Does this mean he won’t be seen again on Grey’s once the new series begins? And is it rare for someone to juggle two series on the same network? — Meg
Matt Roush: By all accounts, Scott will be able to do both. Like Ellen Pompeo’s Meredith, he’s barely in Grey’s Anatomy anymore — I was actually startled to see a storyline about them, I tend to forget they exist anymore (outside Meredith’s voiceovers). So it’s possible that when they need him, they’ll have access to him, although RJ Decker is currently filming on the East Coast (reportedly based in North Carolina, with location filming in South Florida) while Grey’s films in L.A., and Decker will be his first priority. I imagine we won’t see a lot of Nick for the time being, but the couple was already marginalized after their move to Boston. And his scruffy look will apparently carry over to his new character on Decker, based on a Carl Hiaasen novel. (I can only hope it’s nearly as much fun as the Apple TV series Bad Monkey starring Vince Vaughn, also based on a Hiaasen book.)
This is a fairly rare occurrence, but not unheard of. For a while in the 1980s, Heather Locklear was doing double duty on Dynasty (as Sammy Jo) and T.J. Hooker (as Stacy Sheridan) on ABC, and in the ’90s, Lisa Kudrow continued her recurring role on NBC‘s Mad About You as Ursula for a while after hitting it big on Friends as Phoebe (Ursula’s twin).
Two Cheers for Ponies
Question: Wow! I wasn’t going to watch Ponies on Peacock. The teasers looked rather dumb. Glad I changed my mind. I enjoyed the humor mixing with the dark material. Especially love love love the music! What are the odds for a season 2? — Cathi
Matt Roush: Isn’t it fun to have your expectations exceeded? I’m especially fond of the buddy spy dramedy’s 1970s period setting and its appropriately pulpy tone. Given the way the first season ended, hopes are high for a second, but it’s hard to predict streamers’ behavior anymore. (I’m still stunned that Netflix didn’t give Boots a second season.) The reviews I’ve seen were generally positive, and there seems to be more buzz around this than Peacock sometimes generates, so let’s stay positive.
Comment: I’m enjoying Ponies more than I expected to, but my comment is how much Haley Lu Richardson reminds me of Natasha Lyonne. The voice may be different, but otherwise it’s like she developed the character in homage to Lyonne, or maybe she’s always been that similar. I don’t recall her from anything else. — D.P.
Matt Roush: Haley Lu Richardson first showed up on my radar in the second season of The White Lotus, and she’s making the most of this opportunity in Ponies. I’m not sure if her performance or the Ponies character of Twila were influenced by Natasha Lyonne (who made a splash on Peacock with Poker Face, for a while), but what they have in common is attitude, a fearless irreverence that is awfully fun to watch. I hope we see more of Twila, but I’m sure we’ll see more of Haley Lu.
Surviving Jason Voorhees
Question: As far as Crystal Lake, the upcoming Friday the 13th prequel series for Peacock, is concerned, do you think it’s even remotely possible that any of the surviving actresses who played “final girls” in the 1980s’ Friday the 13th feature films (Kimberly Beck, et al.) could make cameo appearances? — Chris
Matt Roush: What a cool idea. I can’t think of a better or more promotable homage than to feature veterans of the Friday the 13th franchise, survivors or victims — Kevin Bacon, probably the best known — although I could also understand if the producers want to establish the show before pulling focus this way. Bring on the scream queens!
An NCIS Flashback
Question: The Heroes & Icons network has recently been running NCIS episodes from the beginning of the series, and since I missed the early seasons, I started watching them with great interest. Yet I can hardly get through a single episode without cringing at a certain characterization. I can tolerate Gibbs’ laconic communication, Abby’s eccentric behavior, Ducky’s stream of consciousness ramblings and McGee being a wuss. But I’m frankly floored at what a smarmy, snide, sarcastic, sexual-predator-masquerading-as-a-ladies-man Tony DiNozzo is (or rather was at the time). His constant sexual innuendos aimed at every woman he encounters comes close to sexual harassment. And his constant belittling of McGee borders on bullying.
NCIS co-creator Donald Bellisario previously created JAG, a series that he said he took pride in, ensuring that even the smallest detail was accurate. That series had several episodes that focused on sexual harassment of women in the military and introduced the “Traffic Light” system for communication, useful in touchy, iffy, interpersonal and romantic moments: saying GREEN means “Go Ahead”; YELLOW means “Slow Down” and RED means “Stop.” (I’m surprised that the system didn’t go viral and become popular in real life). So I’m stunned that he allowed Tony’s character to be so disrespectful, especially to females. An NCIS episode that included a sexual harassment seminar subplot even had the main characters joking around, not taking it seriously. The series is still alive and popular, and yes, Tony and Ziva are now a couple. But if NCIS were released today as new, I’m sure Tony’s obnoxious behavior would get immediate disapproval and pushback. What do you think? — Maurice
Matt Roush: Obviously, NCIS premiered before the #MeToo movement came into existence (and the more recent anti-“woke” backlash), but were we really that much less sensitive in the early 2000s? An interesting question. It always seemed to me that the character of Tony was modeled on Michael Weatherly‘s natural charisma, which theoretically took the sting out of his teasing and innuendos. Even then, though, some no doubt found him more irritating than endearing. In the wake of the charges and multi-million-dollar settlement on the set of Bull (Weatherly’s later series) involving Eliza Dushku‘s charges of sexual harassment on the set by the star, this no longer feels quite so innocent in retrospect. Maybe Ziva really was the best thing to ever happen to this character.
And Finally …
Question: The first five seasons of The Beverly Hillbillies are out on DVD. Do you know if seasons 6 through 9 or the complete series will be on DVD in the future? — Philip R.
Matt Roush: I’m not an expert on the afterlife of shows in syndication or especially on home video/DVD, but after some cursory research, it appears those final seasons never were released commercially on DVD, and a complete official boxed set of The Beverly Hillbillies has yet to happen. (There may be other ways of obtaining this material, but I’m not going there.) Licensing series can be complicated for a variety of reasons, and the DVD market pretty much collapsed after the streaming revolution (and some of these episodes may be available on the FAST platforms featuring the classic sitcom), so until or unless some enterprising company ponies up to produce a complete set, the waiting game continues. And you’ll have to settle for some homemade possum stew.
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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