Ask Matt: Dog Days on ‘Will Trent,’ Lifeguard Logjam & More

Matt Roush March 11, 2025, 9:00 am

Ramon Rodriguez and Bluebell in 'Will Trent' Season 3 — Wilford Harewood / Disney

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.

Good Old Same Old Betty

Question: Please settle a disagreement. I say that Betty on Will Trent is a different dog from the one that started the show. She seems bigger and less perky than the original (Bluebell). My friend says it’s the same dog. Who is right? — Bonnie

Matt Roush: I hope this doesn’t land you in the doghouse, but I’ve seen nothing to suggest that Bluebell has been replaced as Will’s beloved Chihuahua. In fact, there were headlines before January’s Season 3 premiere reassuring fans that Bluebell was back. The dog is a year older, though, so maybe that accounts for your confusion?

How Many TV Lifeguards Is Too Many?

Question: I’m so confused about Fox‘s strategy concerning Rescue: Hi-Surf and the new potential Baywatch series. I don’t like Rescue: Hi-Surf. It’s severely underdeveloped and poorly written in my opinion and I would love to see it not return next season. Imagine my surprise when I found out about the Baywatch script from Matt Nix in contention for next year at Fox. Is Fox trying to give Rescue a companion? Or replace it? Because we do not need two lifeguard shows, and I feel like that’s obvious. Do you think this is something for them to replace Rescue with, or will I be skipping a full night of Fox programming? — Shirley

Matt Roush: I’d be the last person to argue for more lifeguard shows, but look at network trends: three FBI shows on one night (at least for now), three Chicago procedurals another night, two Law & Orders (with a third on streaming), and multiple spinoffs of various series in the hopper, plus the ongoing reboot craze. Originality is not the point, if it ever was, and while I don’t know what Fox has in store for either the rebooted Baywatch or renewal for Rescue: Hi-Surf, nothing would surprise me. Dismay me? Goes without saying. The Baywatch revival has been kicking around for at least a year, with Rescue getting on air first. Whether they’d share a night or share a time period, with one replacing the other, remains to be seen, and I’ve also seen speculation that Baywatch could be a summer series. But if Rescue hasn’t grabbed you by now — and why should it — sounds to me like you’ll be getting your night free.

'9-1-1' & 'Doctor Odyssey' Crossover: 6 Things We Need to See

That Ship Has Sailed

Question: I was wondering your thoughts on Doctor Odyssey‘s chance for renewal? I am unfortunately hoping for a cancellation. I know, I know, if you don’t like something then stop watching, which I did. I tried so hard to like this show, but it was just so cheesy and unrealistic — and adding the throuple storyline into the mix just pushed it over the edge in campiness. I was hoping this show would be more leaning towards a Love Boat/Chicago Med-type mashup. What are your thoughts? — Angela G.

Matt Roush: I’ve gone on record that I regard Odyssey as the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, with “pleasure” perhaps taking it too far. I also don’t advocate for many if any shows’ cancellation, adhering to the trusty “to each their own” philosophy but also acknowledging the perilous state of scripted network TV drama in general these days. Though given that it’s sandwiched between two bona fide hits, 9-1-1 and the eternal Grey’s Anatomy, this is one of those shows that’s annoyingly hard to ignore. As for Odyssey‘s renewal chances, it really depends on if ABC decides to put the two 9-1-1 shows (including the new 9-1-1: Nashville) back-to-back and keep them on Thursday, but with Ryan Murphy behind all of these shows, I’ll be surprised if they don’t at least give this watery melodrama a fairly long leash.

An Uneven Target

Question: I really enjoyed most of the Apple TV+ series Prime Target: the original storyline, the expensive locales, special effects, and actors, particularly Leo Woodall as Edward. He has a magnetic personality. But as the series wore on, it seemed to become tedious, ending in a completely unsatisfying and stupefying conclusion. If there is a second season (doubtful?) what’s the point? Will Edward Brooks become Richard Kimble? [Spoiler Alert] Was his killing of Professor Alderman (Stephen Rea) somehow justifiable? I must say I was hooked, though! — Mark in Whitewater, WI

Matt Roush: Were you, though? Or were you, like me, just slogging through to see how it ended, such as it was, because the premise initially grabbed you as did the star — who’s having quite a moment with this and the Bridget Jones movie dropping at the same time. When someone uses the words “tedious,” “completely unsatisfying,” and “stupefying” to describe a show, I don’t take that as a rave. Like so many streaming series, Prime Target felt to me like a pretty good idea for a movie stretched beyond the limits of one’s patience. I’d be surprised (though not exactly shocked) if they try to wring a second season out of it, and I’m not sure it would add up (so to speak) to something I’d be able to make time for.

'Good Cop/Bad Cop' Interview: Leighton Meester Previews Small Town Mystery Series

Anything But a Cop-Out

Comment: I was super-intrigued to read descriptions of the CW‘s Good Cop/Bad Cop as a mash-up of Twin Peaks and Gilmore Girls, and boy, is this show delivering! Smart, quirky, hilarious: It’s the whole package! I love the big sister/very tall younger brother vibe between Lou (Leighton Meester) and Henry (Luke Cook) and their relationship with their father, Big Hank (Clancy Brown), plus the whole supporting cast at the police station. For favorite moments, so far, I’m torn between everyone applauding Szczepkowksi (William McKenna) for finding a clue and Bradley (Scott Lee) and the pizza guy struggling to get Big Hank’s “table-sized pizza” through the door. I hope this show gets the same level of love as High Potential! It’s wholesome, quirky, acerbic, and quirky, in all the best ways! — Matthew

Matt Roush: Quite the endorsement, and while I need to catch up (it’s been a busy March), I shared the same first impression that this was one of the nicest surprises of the midseason. Light but smart entertainment is a necessary balm during these turbulent times, and comedy-skewing procedurals like Good Cop/Bad Cop, High Potential, Elsbeth, and (sometime later this year) the return of Peacock‘s Poker Face are among the happier trends of the moment.

And Finally …

Question: Just curious, but how does a show like Elsbeth get all those guest stars? Also, I can’t be the only one who felt Hulu‘s Paradise had too many holes, plot openings, and unexplained characters. I watched because of all the talk about it but just kept saying “Who, what, where, and how?” and not in a good way. It just wasn’t enough to bring me back for a second season. — Teresa

Why Oliver Stark Wants '9-1-1's Buck to Cross Over to 'Will Trent'

Matt Roush: Maybe we can reach a consensus that Paradise was (and is) a good, well-cast but uneven and derivative series. The feedback I’ve seen in my mailbag (not much) has been mixed to be sure, and I’m curious if the show will gain traction when ABC begins airing the episodes next month.

As for Elsbeth, which is so much in the tradition of classics like Columbo (the reruns of which are so much fun to watch to see great character actors and stars of the time playing in Peter Falk’s sandbox), I’m sure there are many stars who are just chomping at the bit to jump in as a colorful guest villain and share scenes with Carrie Preston in a series with a great pedigree (Robert and Michelle King as executive producers, spinning off a character first seen in The Good Wife and The Good Fight). It doesn’t hurt that the show is filmed in New York City, where there’s a very deep pool of available, recognizable and hugely talented actors.

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.)