Ask Matt: Reflections on Series Finales, ‘Abbott’ Crossover & 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, 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 most Tuesdays.
The Undead Nailed Their Landing
Comment: I’ve recently experienced the finales of three shows I’ve watched since their beginnings. Blue Bloods and Yellowstone certainly left doors open for spinoffs, hopefully with guest appearances by beloved characters. Thankfully I can, and have, watched these shows on streaming channels, many times over. But my favorite finale of the three came from What We Do in the Shadows, which hit it out of the park, in my opinion. For six years I’ve laughed out loud at these beloved vampires from Staten Island, while also getting the feels for the humanity of the show. I was thrilled to read that the actors are open to revisiting these characters, perhaps in the form of a movie. But till we meet again, I’m satisfied with the series finale and will watch it many times over — heck, I watched it three times in a row the night it aired! — Adrienne, Winter Garden, Florida
Matt Roush: An ending about ending a show (with multiple endings, in the gag spoofing the endings of Rosemary’s Baby, The Usual Suspects, and Newhart, depending on which version you watched) was a brilliantly meta way for this comedy to go out. It’s always hard to say goodbye to a beloved series, and the last month of 2024 was unusually busy with series finales, but Shadows is the one I know I’ll remember for years to come.
If Only All Shows Got Advance Notice of Their Endgame
Question: It was a double whammy for me during December as two of my favorite series ended. I’ve gone on record as a big Blue Bloods fan, but I am also a Superman fan, and I was sad to see Superman & Lois come to an end. You’ve made it very clear in your columns why both series were ending, but it was still tough to watch them end. I have been watching Superman on TV since Adventures of Superman. I watched all the animated series, Smallville, and Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which was my favorite. It was a shame to see The CW end its affiliation with D.C. heroes, who helped make the network popular for years, but as you pointed out, this was all part of the network reinventing itself during its sale.
I was pleased to see both series come to a nice conclusion, especially the way they ended Superman. I admit, I got tears in my eyes. But it makes me wonder about so many other TV series that never got the chance to get a proper ending. Just how much advance notice does a series need to write a concluding episode and is that even possible? Some series seem to get canceled so quickly. I remember one series that was canceled so quickly that they never got the chance to show all the episodes that were filmed. Fortunately, those episodes were on the DVD set. It would have been nice to see the Robinsons no longer Lost in Space or to see Dr. Beckett back home from his Quantum Leap. I guess it’s a lot to ask for a series to end their run all wrapped up in a perfect bow. Maybe in the near future, shows will steer away from the cliffhanger series finales just in case they don’t make it back on the air. — Rob R.
Matt Roush: The best-case scenario almost always is for a show to have an entire season to plot out its endgame, and for the fans to be able to prepare themselves for the show coming to an end, hopefully on as satisfying a note as these. Obviously, that’s more the exception than the rule, because so many shows don’t know until it’s too late that they’re not coming back. That’s a sad fact of TV life, especially on weekly network shows (though premium cable and streamers aren’t immune from unexpected cancellations). And it’s also not uncommon when a show tanks for episodes to be left unseen (unless they’re made available online or on a DVD release, the latter also not as common an event in today’s marketplace). All of which is to say that we should be grateful whenever a long-running show gets to end on its own terms. Even when the results leave something to be desired.
In a contrarian post, Greg M. wrote in to disagree with the recent column in which a Blue Bloods fan gave the finale an A+ grade. “I thought it was a C+ at best. It was almost like paint-by-numbers for a finale. A death, a new potential relationship starting, someone getting married, and someone having a baby. Completely unnecessary and felt lazy. You want Danny to start a relationship? Maybe mix it up and have him knock on Callie Thorne’s character’s door and not start something with his partner. Is that the only way the Reagan boys find women? Erin didn’t have to ask Jack to get married, they could have just continued their relationship. And how about something different for Jamie and Eddie like they are looking to move out of their cramped apartment to a house to have room to start a family? I was hoping for a little more from the writers.”
Matt Roush again: There are two ways to approach series finales creatively, with big game-changing surprises or with small yet meaningful scenes that leave us feeling good about where the characters are headed. Blue Bloods took the second route for the most part, and while it may feel like they were playing it safe, the stakes for episodes like this are very high, and given the nature of Blue Bloods, it felt entirely appropriate.
Will the Philly Crossover Be Confusing?
Question: I’ve heard of but never watched It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Do I need to know anything about it in order to understand this week’s crossover with Abbott Elementary? I’m sure it will work well for those who are fans of both shows. But I hope I won’t be confused. — Jake
Matt Roush: The only thing you need to know about It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is that these hopelessly irredeemable characters have no business being within a mile of an elementary school. It’s hardly a spoiler that when the Sunny cast shows up at Abbott as volunteers, they’re not doing it willingly or without an agenda. The fun is in watching these miscreants play off the teachers and staff. I’m almost more curious how Sunny aficionados who’ve never visited Abbott will react.
Landman’s Woman Problem
Comment: I love Billy Bob Thornton, I’ll watch anything he’s in, BUT they do need to do something about his ex-wife’s storyline on Landman. Clean up her act a bit. I get that his infatuation with her is part of the show, but she’s way too old to be acting like that. Otherwise, the show is GREAT. — Carole O.
Matt Roush: As I wrote when Landman premiered, the women in this show are largely laughable caricatures — or in the case of Demi Moore as Jon Hamm’s wife, mostly invisible. (Caveat: The glut of new shows in January has put me behind on this one, so maybe they’ve fleshed these roles out a bit. Not betting on it.)
There Was More Than One Anti-Hero in Jackal
Comment: In your review of The Day of the Jackal, you were right to say that it’s hard sometimes to know which character should be rooted for. Eddie Redmayne was magnificent as the title assassin, but I felt irritated throughout the series by the character of MI6 agent Bianca (Lashana Lynch). It was acted well enough, but as written she is a perfect example of unbridled power in the hands of government and law enforcement, not caring how many deaths they themselves cause in pursuit of whatever their current project is. Frankly, Bianca, directly and indirectly, caused the deaths of more people during the short time of her pursuit of the Jackal than the Jackal likely did in his entire career. I don’t know if that was the point they were trying to make, but it was a sore spot and constant irritation to me throughout the show. — D.P.
Matt Roush: How funny, by the way, was Golden Globes host Nikki Glaser’s crack about Eddie Redmayne playing “a top-secret elite sniper that no one can find — because he’s on Peacock.” In another time, with just a few tweaks, this could have been a hit on NBC or even USA Network. But to address this comment, it feels quite intentional that Bianca’s manhunt crusade often seems just as nihilistic and ruthless as the Jackal’s vocation, ditto the parallel storylines regarding their choices between duty and family. Given the conspiracy angle revealed late in the series, the spies turn out not to be much more heroic than their prey in this cynical world.
Sanitizing Language Defies Reality
Comment: In reference to the comment from your December 17 column about a viewer not watching The Diplomat or Poker Face because of foul language, it seems to me that the freedom afforded to shows on streaming services to reflect how people actually speak is refreshing. A quick Internet search reveals that Keri Russell consulted with diplomats when creating her character, and I would guess that she was told that in the high-pressure environment of international diplomacy, “sentence enhancers” are used quite extensively to express frustration or to drive home a point in closed-door conversations. Yes, you wouldn’t expect an ambassador to curse during a high-profile visit with a head of state (at least when the cameras are rolling), but people from all walks of life do talk that way. And you were spot on in your response about Poker Face. Why wouldn’t she use foul language to communicate her thoughts and feelings?
Personally, nothing is more annoying than when my wife and I are watching some British mystery on PBS and the “sentence enhancers” are deleted. They’re a legitimate part of the dialogue and clearly the Brits don’t have a problem hearing them. I know there are FCC rules about broadcast television, but this is one more example of why broadcast television is lagging behind cable and streaming platforms. — Tony
Matt Roush: The phrase “sentence enhancers” is new to me, but the point remains that while I’m not encouraging profane language when it’s not warranted, I rarely object to it when it fits the character and the setting. The phrase “swear like a sailor” exists for a reason, no shade intended on sailors.
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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