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 every other Tuesday.
Hooray to the Seasoned Cast of The Boroughs!
Question: Can I give a shoutout to how much I liked The Boroughs? It’s a genre that doesn’t always grab me, and anything from Netflix these days makes me suspicious of scaled-down quality, but I just love how engaged the seasoned cast got to play in this fun and often touching series. I mean, Oscar winner Geena Davis and Alfre Woodard haven’t been given this much to do in decades, and the rest of the cast is excellent. I really dug the pairing of Davis with the equally charming Carlos Miranda. There are so many cameos of great actors sprinkled throughout, from Mary McDonnell, Jane Kaczmarek, and Ed Begley Jr., to name a couple. I really appreciated how the villains Blaine and Anneliese were not carbon-copy bad guys but had emotional layers, and the actors did a superb job. Sure, the script had hokey moments, but I loved what was a superb actor’s ensemble piece.
My only gripe was I didn’t totally find Sam, the lead, to be likable or interesting. I am a fan of the great Alfred Molina, but he seemed muted for what I wanted from our hero. Interestingly, I would have taken Bill Pullman in that spot. Having finished it, I am left with the feeling that I want to see more of these characters, but I also feel the story is done. What do you think? — Sean V
Matt Roush: You may get your wish to see more of The Boroughs, given that the creators have said they have a three-season game plan — and let’s hope if they get the chance, they stick to that and not stretch it out beyond the point of endurance the way the executive producers Duffer Brothers did with Stranger Things. As you can tell with my own positive review, I agree with most of Sean’s points, especially regarding the cast of veteran scene-stealers.
[Mild Spoilers follow] But I’ll defend Alfred Molina’s portrayal of Sam as essential to the show’s appeal. His flashback scenes with Jane Kaczmarek as his late wife showed how different Sam was before suffering his loss and why his grief, compounded with a resistance to be welcomed into the retirement community, gave depth to the curmudgeon stereotype and also brought a poignant undercurrent to the theme of marginalized elderly people who feel disposable and unseen. That said, the loss of Bill Pullman’s character so early on was a risky but inspired move, because his instant and immense likability left a noticeable and lingering hole in the community, giving them more than enough motivation to take on the monsters in their midst.
Home is Where the Ghosts Are
Question: What did you think of the Ghosts finale? The whole idea of Nancy (Betsy Sodaro) being a long-lost princess is so bizarre and absurd and felt like it came out of nowhere. But I also laughed, so I guess it worked. I don’t mean to complain — I laughed a lot during the episode, and I’m going to miss these characters as weekly companions in the fall — but it seems like the future of Woodstone is always in danger for some reason or other. I understand the need for conflict, but I hope that when the show comes back, they can move on from repeatedly putting Sam and Jay’s ownership of Woodstone at risk. It just feels like the show has played that card enough times now, and I would like to see them explore something else.
Because we are going to see Ghosts next for the annual Halloween episode, I’m assuming they will have to use it to resolve the issue of what happened to Pete. It doesn’t seem like they can come back and not address that; it’s too big, so that must be segueing into the Halloween episode. I also wondered if Sam being away for a few months for her movie shoot was going to explain a time jump when we finally do get to the full run of next season in 2027. — Jake
Matt Roush: I enjoyed the double episode, and the season overall, and agree that it’s time to put the fate of Woodstone Manor on the back burner for a while if not forever. Granting the estate protected historic-preservation status seems to have given everyone some security, so let’s hope they move on going forward. Ghosts is challenged by its homebound nature, in that most of the ghosts (who are, after all, the comedy engine) can’t leave the property, and the longer a situation comedy like this goes on, the harder it almost certainly is to continue breaking stories to fill a full season without repeating oneself. And while I’m averse to spoilers, I am aware that the show’s creators are planning a time jump between seasons to catch us up on the status of Pete’s (Richie Moriarty) disappearance several months later as well as Sam’s (Rose McIver) movie shoot.
Don’t Turn Tracker into a Stephen King Clone!
Question: I am writing to express my concerns regarding the recent shift in Tracker. Why have the writers changed the genre to include the overused trope of psychic children in peril, similar to shows like Emergence, The Institute, and Stranger Things? Tracker does not need a refresh, unless Colter is tired of running through the forests of British Columbia. If it isn’t broken, please don’t fix it. — Carol C
Matt Roush: Apparently Colter (Justin Hartley) won’t be stuck in Canada much longer, since production of Season 4 is moving to Los Angeles thanks to a hefty tax credit. But in terms of the show’s narrative, I can’t imagine it will abandon its nomadic format altogether, although the mystery involving his and Russell’s (Jensen Ackles) late father, and what he may have done to Colter as a child, will continue to linger and re-emerge at key points of the season. The fantastical nature of the Chrono Statis institute and its young subjects did feel like a tonal departure, but CBS shows aren’t known, especially lately, for blowing up a formula that works.
Stream or Not to Stream
Question: I subscribed to the daily Worth Watching newsletter, because I don’t want to miss the shows I’ve been waiting for. I also like that you will include Turner Classic Movies sometimes. And I like the ratings you’ve included with your reviews; it helps to know your scale on what’s really good and what’s just average. My question: I’m thinking of canceling Netflix for July and August since there was nothing good last summer. Do you know if any good shows are coming? I suppose I should ask the same about the other services. — JL
Matt Roush: It’s hard to project too far into the future, and with Netflix in particular, given the volume of programming, you never know when the next gem (see The Boroughs, above) will emerge. But this question reminds me, since so many of us have come to terms with the streaming revolution, that I’ve noticed more and more anecdotal evidence of consumers juggling their many subscriptions, canceling them then re-subscribing later to catch up on what they missed. Netflix, because of the aforementioned volume, often seems to be a constant, though even that behemoth will readily welcome you back if you take a break. Among the late-summer Netflix premieres that are on my current radar (more no doubt forthcoming as they get announced): a remake of Little House on the Prairie, the Will Ferrell golf comedy The Hawk and Ricky Gervais‘ animated comedy Alley Cats, plus a movie finale for the Heartstopper franchise. I’ve also set my streaming calendar in July and August for new seasons of Silo and Ted Lasso (Apple TV), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+) and King of the Hill (Hulu), among others. As I like to say when discussing this beat, the fun never ends.
Are There Homes for Rejected Pilots?
Question: What’s the reason why none of the following shows, whose pilots were developed for NBC, were placed on Peacock: Key Witness, What the Dead Know and Puzzled? Since it seems to fit the cable channel’s signature blue-sky procedural format, I’m also curious if NBC and/or the show creators tried to have the USA Network pick up the broadcasting rights to Puzzled? — Alex, McDonough, Georgia
Matt Roush: At the moment, though there has been talk of shopping some of these projects around to other networks (which rarely goes anywhere), there’s no indication that they were ever seriously considered for the streaming platform or for USA Network, which is very slowly getting back in the scripted game. (Anna Pigeon premieres in August, and The Rainmaker is expected back in the fall. Not exactly a bustling slate.). Peacock and NBC develop series on separate tracks, and it would never occur to me, unless the buzz was deafening, for an NBC pilot to be shuffled to Peacock any more than I would expect an ABC series to end up as a Hulu exclusive or a CBS show go behind the Paramount+ paywall. There may be and possibly will be exceptions, but the reason NBC’s shows didn’t go forward, according to trade reports, had more to do with limited shelf space on the sports- and reality-heavy network than with their quality.
TV’s Forensic Files
Question: When will TV crime dramas start using advanced forensic tools? For example, forensic genealogy. — Ann B.
Matt Roush: Funny you should ask, because CBS is developing a series with that specific discipline in mind. While it hasn’t been ordered to series yet, so don’t get your hopes up too high, I Know Who You Are features a “brilliant forensic genealogist who gets pulled back into the police force she walked away from … using DNA technology to follow genetic breadcrumbs.” The network ordered two scripts beyond the pilot, which is a promising sign, but until more details are released, we won’t know if or when this will join the network’s robust slate of crime dramas. And it’s always possible that someone else will develop a series on similar lines.
And Finally …
Question: In my opinion, Watson was canceled way too soon. This show is excellent and has you on the edge of your seat. Any chance it will be picked up elsewhere or CBS will reconsider? — Audrey B.
Matt Roush: As we usually say when asked this question once the dust has settled on what’s returning and what isn’t, this cancellation is permanent. As is often the case, the network’s parent studio was an active participant in Watson‘s production and distribution, meaning there’s little incentive for another company to shoulder the burden with only two modestly rated seasons in its inventory. And CBS has moved on, with new shows in the pipeline for fall and midseason, with few openings to begin with on their successful schedule. This year I wasn’t asked this question as frequently as before, because with so few scripted series on the bubble anymore (and so few new shows premiering any given season), there weren’t that many shows given the heave-ho.
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.