Ask Matt: A ‘Ghost’s Passing, Miniseries Memories, ‘NCIS’ Wishlist & More

Matt Roush February 27, 2024, 9:00 am

Sheila Carrasco in 'Ghosts' — Bertrand Calmeau/CBS

*Ghosts*

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, but there’s always closed-captioning.)

One caution: This is a spoiler-free zone, so we won’t be addressing upcoming storylines or developments here unless it’s already common knowledge. Please send your questions and comments to [email protected]. Look for Ask Matt columns on most Tuesdays.

Bouquets for Flower (R.I.P.)

Question: What do you think of Flower being “sucked off” to heaven on Ghosts? I’ve seen a lot of people talking online since the episode aired and people seem to be mad about it. I’ve even seen a suggestion that Flower could be stuck retroactively in the vault the ghosts can’t walk through as an excuse to be able to bring her back. But I think it would be a cheat to do that. I love Sheila Carrasco as Flower and I will miss having her on the show. But that seems to be the whole point. Last May, when the cliffhanger aired, I felt like it had to be a character who the audience would miss in order to justify the storyline. The “just a basement ghost” storyline for Pete in this episode was hilarious, but I thought it was effective because that is how we view the peripheral characters as well. There wouldn’t have been a point to writing out a peripheral character because the cliffhanger would have no weight if they did that. I really respect that they followed through on this and made us miss her.

I kept waiting all the way through the episode to see if they would go back and show us Flower being sucked off from her perspective, so that we as the audience could have some closure with the character and understand what caused her to be sucked off at that particular moment. I had been hoping they would start the season like that ever since the cliffhanger aired. But in retrospect, I think what they did here actually works better than being more definitive would have. It is more emotional if we don’t have the closure of seeing it through Flower’s perspective. It rang true to me that we, the audience, wouldn’t get a final moment with Flower, because that’s just how life (or, in Flower’s case, afterlife) works sometimes. The fact that the audience is upset to see Flower leave is a testament to what an entertaining character she was, both in the writing and in how Shelia Carrasco brought her to (after)life. —Jake

Why 'Ghosts' Said Goodbye to [Spoiler] in Season 3 Premiere

Matt Roush: I’m with you. My criterion for killing off a character — even when the character has already passed — is that the event must have an impact on those left behind, as well as on the audience. If Ghosts had chosen a spirit outside the inner circle, it would have cheapened the entire series. And while I imagine we may see Flower again in flashbacks, or as suggested at the end of the second episode, bringing her back for a Halloween stunt or some such, I’ll miss that daffy hippie.

Maximum Love for Classic Miniseries

Comment: I thoroughly enjoyed your miniseries countdown, although I’d argue that Lonesome Dove deserved the #1 spot. One glaring omission was the star-studded 1983 three-night event of Chiefs. The TV adaptation of the novel was excellent and a lasting memory of my childhood. –Matt V.

Matt Roush: Lonesome Dove is a personal favorite of mine as well and could easily have topped the list. But you can’t deny the cultural (and industry) impact of Roots, which was a lasting memory of my youth. (My 18^th birthday fell on the night of the series finale, and no one in my earshot even suggested missing it for a party. This was, needless to say, before VHS and DVRs. Ah, the coming of age of a committed TV nerd.) And yes, Chiefs was another good one, a really gripping story. The list of great miniseries could go on and on. As you’re about to read …

Comment: I thoroughly enjoyed the latest miniseries issue of TV Guide Magazine. Your Top 10 was spot on! If you ever want to add to that ranking, here are some suggestions for honorable mentions: North and South (more campy than the others but loads of fun), V (different genre but an excellent sci-fi early ’80s miniseries), Salem’s Lot (1979), East of Eden (1981), Masada (1981). — Fred

10 Best Miniseries of the 1970s & 1980s: 'Shogun,' 'Roots' & More

Matt Roush: As it turns out, a longer version of this list that I compiled for our sister nostalgia magazine, ReMind, included North and South (also called out as campy), East of Eden and Salem’s Lot (my concession to genre). I felt Jesus of Nazareth was a good representation of drama from the Biblical era. Also on the ReMind list: Eleanor and Franklin (1976) and the adaptation of Leon Uris’ QB VII (1974).

Could We See More of Tony?

Question: I was pleased to see Michael Weatherly’s cameo as Tony on the NCIS farewell episode for David McCallum’s Ducky. So it begs me to ask, with NCIS spreading into international markets with spin-offs like NCIS: Sydney and now Weatherly’s cameo, does this pave the way for something like an NCIS: Paris or NCIS: London about Tony and Ziva running a team together? Both Weatherly and Cote de Pablo don’t really have any upcoming projects listed on IMDb and I vaguely remember them either co-owning a production company together or having a development deal together. Something like that. —Sam F.

Matt Roush: Don’t really know much about the actors’ current portfolios, but for the moment, your suggestion falls under wishful thinking. Still, the reality is that the sky’s the limit when it comes to networks maximizing their popular franchises. So keep dreaming. [Editor’s note: What a difference a day makes. A day after this was posted, Paramount+ announced just such a European spinoff for Tony and Ziva.]

Good to the Last Leap

Question: I know there’s no word yet of renewal of Quantum Leap, but what do you think the odds are of it being renewed? It’s such a good show, and surprisingly, I prefer the scenes with the team more than the leaps. Also, do you know if Eliza Taylor is only slated for Season 2, or is there a possibility of her returning for a 3rd season? — Mark

5 Ways 'NCIS' Could Bring Back Past Characters

Matt Roush: It’s getting harder to read the tea leaves, given the precarious economic state of the network TV business and their parent companies, but I’d be surprised if they didn’t stick with the Quantum Leap reboot or at least give it some runway for an endgame. It’s too good a franchise to cut loose this abruptly. (But then again: Magnum P.I.) Regarding Eliza Taylor, judging from the recent TV Insider interview with the show’s executive producer, it looks like her arc was for this season only, but they’re keeping the door open for possible future appearances.

Scene Stealing in the Dark

Comment: I just finished bingeing True Detective: Night Country and wanted to comment on the great performances all around, but I was particularly struck by Finn Bennett‘s performance. He always seemed to have layers and layers of stuff going on under the surface and expressed so much just with his face. I suspect that this may be a case of an actor making a lot more of a character than the writers originally envisioned. — D.P.

Matt Roush: I wouldn’t sell the writers, or showrunner Issa López, short, but I agree that with so much star talent to play against, Finn Bennett as deputy Pete made quite an impression. I imagine we’ll be seeing him again in even more prominent roles.

And Finally …

Question: I wanted to like AMC’s Monsieur Spade. The first episode was okay, but subsequent episodes contained so much subtitling, I’m done. When shows/movies do this, I find I don’t get much out of them. I’m concentrating on the words, trying to get the right pace, so I miss out on screen action and facial expressions. More and more shows seem to be doing this. Is it just me? — Deej

'True Detective: Night Country' Saved the Franchise

Matt Roush: I’ll have to disagree with you when it comes to subtitles. Because of the increasingly global nature of TV, especially in this streaming era, it’s quite possible you are seeing more instances of mainstream TV with subtitled dialogue. For me, it adds an authenticity to not have characters speaking stilted English with a forced German or French or Asian accent. Monsieur Spade was a nice surprise, in part because the characters often spoke in their actual dialect. All I can add to this is that if subtitles are your third rail, you should stay far away from FX’s magnificent remake of Shogun, which leans heavily into Japanese characters speaking Japanese, and you need to watch the screen or you’ll have no idea what’s going on. In this case, it’s worth it.

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] or shoot me a line on X (formerly) Twitter @TVGMMattRoush. (Please include a first name with your question.)