Ask Matt: ‘Quantum Leap’ Cancellation, ‘Curb’ Finale & 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.
Quantum Leap’s Cancellation, and Hopes for a Movie Finale
Question: Why does NBC choose to air “high concept” shows, only to (unexpectedly IMO) cancel them? First Manifest, now Quantum Leap. At first glance, QL looked like a standard reboot, but was more of a sequel. The two-hour season finale was imaginative and impressive. So why cancel it? Were the ratings that bad? — Monica
Matt Roush: To answer the “why,” NBC is not alone in digging through their vaults to find “intellectual property” to bring back to life. Quantum Leap is a terrific concept, but like so much else in today’s fragmented TV landscape, it may not have sustained an audience the way NBC had hoped. (Ratings are just part of the equation, with performance on streaming and other platforms taken into consideration regarding its potential for growth.) I get why the networks are taking these big swings and wish they would take more. But the risk is considerable and the economics not particularly friendly.
Question: I was never a huge fan of the Quantum Leap remake. What I loved about the original series was the chemistry between Sam and Al, the way they played off each other. I never felt that same chemistry between Ben and Addison. I also didn’t like the show putting a lot of focus on the project personnel. I thought it took away from the leaper and his sidekick. I guess I kept watching the remake out of loyalty to the original show and the hope they might wrap up the fate of Dr. Samuel Beckett.
Anyway, I wasn’t surprised that the show didn’t get renewed for a third season. But it seemed like NBC took their time before finally bringing down the axe on this program. Why did it take so long to make the decision? Perhaps if the show’s producers had been told earlier about the plan to cancel, they could have wrapped up all the plotlines in a better way than leaving us hanging again as they did with the original series. Do you think it’s possible that the network might consider doing the same thing they did with its other time-travel show, Timeless, and put together a special finale that wraps up everything in a nice package, maybe even bringing back Scott Bakula to close out Sam’s fate as well? — Ron R.
Matt Roush: Ron’s criticisms of the reboot are fair, but I’ve also heard from fans who approved of the new elements and the development of the characters back at HQ. There’s no pleasing everyone. Regarding a movie finale or some other way to bring closure, that’s just wishful thinking for now. But this is NBCUniversal’s property to do with as it pleases, and such a gesture would do a lot to take the sting out of the cancellation. It’s happened before, but there’s no guarantee.
Curb’s Meta Finale
Question: Did Larry David redeem himself with Sunday’s finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm? The episode went just where I thought it would, as an almost exact courtroom replay of the polarizing Seinfeld finale, with Larry on trial for being Larry — until Jerry himself showed up and managed to get Larry out of prison, acknowledging that no one wants to see that. Do you think fans of both of these great comedians will now be satisfied? —Stanley
Matt Roush: The finale could hardly have been more meta and self-referential, including Leon (JB Smoove) exposing himself for the first time to Seinfeld the series throughout the hour, and the echoes of the Seinfeld trial among so many callbacks. Was it successful? For the most part, I’d say yes. (I could have done without Susie’s brief masquerade as Larry’s “sympathy” pretend disabled girlfriend. Even by Curb’s nonsensical farce standards, it was silly and strained.) The episode really took off with Jerry Seinfeld’s cameo — one of the few surprises, not that it was even all that surprising. Their classic banter was funny, and the realization at the end that “This is how we should have ended the (Seinfeld) finale” was just the button many fans probably hoped for. At the same time, the real point of the episode, and the series, was Larry’s retort to the kid who accidentally beaned him with a ball: “I’m 76 years old and I have never learned a lesson in my entire life.” While he may not care what Leon or the rest of us think of his creation, that doesn’t mean he’s beneath giving us what he thinks we may want.
A Reunion in Name Only?
Question: What did you think of Grey’s Anatomy bringing Arizona back? I liked seeing Jessica Capshaw again, but felt like it was weird that we didn’t hear anything about her life in New York. I knew Sara Ramirez was not coming back with her, but it felt very strange that not one of her former coworkers asked how Sofia or Callie are doing. It has been six years since we last saw her, and it feels really misguided not to follow up on that in any way at all. Even Addison’s return over the last couple of seasons made minor mention of her husband and son from Private Practice. — Jake
Matt Roush: I believe we’ll be Jeering this in the next issue of TV Guide Magazine if it makes the cut, but when I first saw this complaint, I didn’t really feel it. (May have something to do with watching so much TV, I can’t afford to be obsessive about much of it, and if you’d asked me how they left Arizona and Callie all those seasons ago, I’d have shrugged.) Given the way they reintroduced Arizona, already at the hospital and on the podium about to launch her miracle fetal surgery, I might have assumed they got all of the personal baggage out of the way before she even showed up. But given the affection fans had for Arizona, and the unceremonious way she was written out along with several other characters at the time, I will concede that even just a line or two of dialogue putting her personal life into context would have been helpful and appreciated.
Shows and Renewals in Limbo
Question: I cannot find any info regarding Season 2 of Fox’s riveting drama Accused. I believe it was renewed for a second season while the first was still airing. Am I mistaken? — Cindy
Matt Roush: No, you’re right, but the writers’ and actors’ strikes set back many shows’ production schedules this year. And with Accused being an anthology series with different stories and casts each week, that may have made it particularly difficult to rush back on the air this spring. (It’s not the only Fox drama to sit out the midseason. 9-1-1: Lone Star won’t return until the fall.) Look for Accused sometime next season.
Question: I’m wondering when we’ll hear that Wild Cards has been renewed for a second season? I just love this show. It’s got mystery, drama, humor and potential romance — a nice escape from the world. Reminds me a bit of Whiskey Cavalier, which was sadly not renewed for a second season (but definitely should have been). —Shelley
Matt Roush: I agree. This is a fun one. As of now, no timetable on when we’ll hear one way or the other. Because this series like several others is a co-production of Canada’s CBC and The CW, it’s unclear who’ll make the call and when. Stay hopeful. This feels like the kind of show that hits this transitioning network’s sweet spot.
And Finally …
Comment: I have a comment about the first episode that CBS gave us of Elsbeth upon its return last Thursday. The police detective’s original theory for how the co-op board president (Linda Lavin) was killed is really something. The president’s son is accused of shoving her off the balcony, but this makes zero sense because the entire balcony went with her to the ground. If the son truly murdered his mother, he would have either dropped with her or would have been clinging on for dear life. I know it’s just a TV show, but this reasoning really made me scratch my head — that a detective would actually believe that the son had enough time to get on the balcony, shove his mother off and rush into the apartment before said balcony collapsed. — Kyle
Matt Roush: There are shows I’m happy to nitpick, but I’m afraid Elsbeth is not likely to be one of them. This comedy-mystery is sheer fantasy, and that includes the over-the-top murders. You may be right about the physics of this supposed push, but the point was to send crabby Linda Lavin to her death in the most outrageous way possible. The best way to enjoy an escapist series like this is to suspend your disbelief and not sweat the details. That’s what Elsbeth is for. If she wasn’t going to be smarter than the authorities most if not every week, why would we watch?
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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