Ask Matt: ABC’s High-Profile Thursday Lineup, ‘Todd’ on CBS, the Subtitle Debate & 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, 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.
How Will ABC Fill the Station 19 Hole on Thursdays?
Question: Since ABC is letting go of Station 19, a high Thursday performer, after this season, does that mean the Thursday lineup for primetime will consist of only 9-1-1 and Grey’s Anatomy? They don’t have any more first responder/medical dramas on their network, and the upcoming new series High Potential doesn’t seem like it fits in with those shows, it seems like a Tuesday show. But then again, Big Sky and Alaska Daily took that 10/9c slot in years prior so you never know. Could it be The Rookie that takes the 10 pm/9c slot? That would make Thursdays include a first responder drama, medical drama, and then a police procedural. Seems like the most logical option. What do you think? — Shirley
Matt Roush: We are getting a bit ahead of ourselves here, but it’s always fun to play amateur programmer and try to predict how networks will schedule their biggest nights, and few things on ABC have higher stakes than how to protect and preserve its longest-running hit, Grey’s Anatomy. (Yes, many of us watch this and other network shows on time delay or on streaming, but there’s still an art and a need for smart linear scheduling.) Assuming 9-1-1’s move to ABC will be successful — which is hard to imagine otherwise — that will leave a big hole after Grey’s in the fall, once Station 19 closes shop. ABC could play it safe by relocating another of its legacy hits, The Rookie, to Thursday, and that would likely also succeed, but wouldn’t ABC be better off keeping Rookie as a Tuesday anchor on another important night where it’s already established?
I haven’t seen High Potential, but it sounds like a high-concept procedural with appealing stars (Kaitlin Olson, Daniel Sunjata) and might not be the worse fit with Grey’s, and it might make sense for ABC to try to launch a new show out of a proven hit. We’ll have to wait until at least May to see if anything else in development, or possibly another ongoing show like Will Trent, might make the move to Thursdays. (This is also contingent on ABC renewing Grey’s for a 21st season, which again is hard to imagine the alternative.)
Is Anyone Having More Fun Than Todd?
Question: So Help Me Todd on CBS has been ABLAZE so far in Season 2. The premiere was pitch perfect, and I especially liked the second episode, set entirely in the courthouse. You really get the sense that throughout the strikes, the writers and actors were just itching to hit the ground running when they finally got to come back, and boy does it show. My question is: Who is having more fun, the cast and crew or the audience that gets to have a total blast watching them have a total blast???!? — Matthew
Matt Roush: I am a big fan of this new trend of light mystery as an alternative to the by-the-books formula procedural franchises that otherwise dominate the network lineups. Having Todd follow Ghosts, leading into the delightful Elsbeth, makes for one of the week’s best (and too few) comedy nights. Todd does seem to have raised its game this season, with Todd himself (the charming Skylar Astin) back in business as a licensed (though still underdog) P.I. and mom Margaret (Marcia Gay Harden) now a stressed-out name partner of the law firm. I agree it looks like they’ve all having a jolly team, and that tends to be infectious for viewers.
Same goes for Elsbeth, led by the intoxicating Carrie Preston. An early response arrived from Fred, who wrote: “The promos were annoying, so I didn’t think I would like Elsbeth, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It reminds me of Columbo, my all-time favorite. I predict CBS has another hit on its hands.” I hope so. The Columbo format — introducing the crime and the criminal, then letting the unorthodox lead character figure it out—is also used to an equally if not more clever degree on Peacock’s Poker Face. The colorful guest stars are key to both shows’ success, as it often was with Columbo.
Will Natalie Morales Be a Keeper on Grey’s Anatomy?
Question: I heard about Natalie Morales joining Grey’s Anatomy as a guest star for Season 20. Is there any info on her character? Will she be open for more appearances? I loved her on NBC’s Abby’s, so this is awesome news! Also, why was Abby’s canceled? I thought it performed well. – Shirley M.
Matt Roush: All that’s been reported so far is that Natalie will appear as Monica Beltran, “a pediatric surgeon whose pragmatism and level-headedness have made her one of the best in her field.” Monica’s boundary-pushing “can be admirable and aggravating, but it’s always aimed at providing top-quality care to her patients,” the character description adds. The show hasn’t elaborated beyond that, and I’m not in the spoiler business, but the way it typically works on shows like Grey’s is that if the character makes a strong first impression, they tend to stick around, and it’s hard to imagine Natalie Morales not fitting in with this ensemble, which is always in search of new blood. So unless there’s a reason for her to do a one-off, it would make sense that she’d recur. Regarding NBC’s Abby’s, notable for being filmed largely on an outdoor set, the show’s short run in 2019 was explained at the time by the show coming in “dead last” among all NBC sitcoms that season.
To Subtitle or Not to Subtitle
Comment: [Editor’s note: The discussion in last week’s Ask Matt column about subtitles on TV shows involving characters speaking in other languages set off a mini-debate. Here are two sides.] As someone who shows weekly films at our local seniors’ center, I’m used to and appreciative of subtitles and captioning. Especially when showing foreign films. I’m so enamored of subtitles I often turn them on at home for regular series. Easier on the dialogue! Tokyo Vice on Max uses subtitles for much Japanese dialogue, and I love it. I believe it adds to the authenticity of the program. And I love that series, too! — Mark D., Whitewater, WI
Matt Roush: I’m with you, especially on the authenticity issue. But it’s not always a popular decision.
Here’s JC’s reaction: “I totally agree with Deej and disagree with you about the use of too many subtitles in TV shows. I don’t mind a few here and there, but continuous subtitles are just too much. Adding to Deej’s complaints, it is also hard to keep up because the subtitles flash on and off too fast to follow. I have to keep pausing the show to read everything so I know what’s going on. I would have liked to watch Shogun but not if I have to keep stopping to read the show. Authenticity is one thing, but this goes way too far.”
Matt Roush: Your loss. Shogun is terrific by any standard, and I’d hope even those who resist subtitles would give it a look and see if the subtitles (often more eloquent and clever than the norm) add rather than detract from the enjoyment of the series.
Tournament Fatigue on Jeopardy!
Question: What’s up with Jeopardy! and these ongoing, never-ending tournaments of past champions? Why do past players, winners and losers, get a second and third chance to become another champion? Can’t they find enough qualified people to play regular Jeopardy! and then move on? I haven’t seen a game with new players for months. This seems really gimmicky to me. — Christine B.
Matt Roush: And the gimmicks just keep coming. We’ve covered this ground before, but it’s still an acute issue. As we recently reported, once the current Tournament of Champions wraps next week or thereabouts — the finals are a best-of-seven starting next Tuesday — a new Invitational Tournament will begin, featuring all-time top players vying for a spot in ABC’s prime-time Jeopardy! Masters tournament in May. New contestants, who’ve been locked out all season (in part because of the writers’ strike), aren’t expected to start appearing until mid-April. This really is ridiculous, and one of the unfortunate side effects of Jeopardy!’s all-tournament mindset is burnout among fans, diminishing what should be excitement regarding the tournament that truly matters: the Tournament of Champions, which from what I’ve seen so far has been very exciting, with great game play and some significant upsets. I can’t remember seeing contestants hug each other after a match with the affectionate fervor of this current ToC. Even so, how can a tournament feel special when a show is airing nothing but tournaments of past players?
And Finally …
Question: Is there a possible renewal headed for Prime Video’s Upload? I loved it and the show ended on such a cliffhanger I can’t let it go! — Guinevere
Matt Roush: It’s hard to predict how and when the winds will blow with these streaming platforms, but Prime Video has already invested three seasons with this fantastical and fun series, so I’d be surprised if they don’t give Upload some sort of ending, should the fourth season even be the last one. As so often is the case, we’ll just have to wait and see and hope for the best. [Editor’s note: In what’s becoming a trend, one day after this column dropped, Prime Video announced a Season 4 renewal. Yay!]
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.)
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