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 askmatt@tvinsider.com). Look for Ask Matt columns on most Tuesdays.
Why Did They Bring Anna Back for the Dancing Finale?
Comment: I totally enjoyed this season of Dancing with the Stars. So many excellent participants. BUT I was appalled that they included the despicable Anna Delvey (a.k.a Anna Sorokin). She was so disrespectful on the show, plus a criminal that shouldn’t have been on the show to begin with. Then they have her return in the finale and remind us of her nasty words. So inappropriate and MANY think this. Doesn’t the network have any respect for their viewing audience? It took away some of the show’s joy by acknowledging her in any way. — Sandra R.
Matt Roush: It’s possible that the participants’ contracts oblige or at least allow them to return for the finale, even the most lead-footed typically do. But as good as this season was — and I agree, it was an unusually entertaining season (I didn’t even mind when a Bachelor contestant won, Joey really rose above, and who wouldn’t root for Jenna) — the initial casting of Anna Delvey was a turnoff and her return in the finale did her and the show no favors. I’m not sure it soured the entire celebration, but I hope it’s a warning sign to the Dancing producers that they don’t need to generate controversy with casting like this. The show has proved it can stand on its own as long as the casting has the right mix, which it mostly did this season. What it doesn’t need is a poseur grifter with the charisma of a Target bag.
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So Many Easter Eggs in A Man on the Inside
Question: I recently read an article pointing out that Ted Danson’s new Netflix series, A Man on the Inside, had several connections to his previous series on NBC, The Good Place. For example: The Memory Care Unit at the Pacific View retirement home is called “The Neighborhood,” which is similar to “Neighborhood 12358W” created by Danson’s Good Place character Michael. Several Good Place actors also have cameos on Inside (Eugene Cordero, Marc Evan Jackson, D’Arcy Carden, and a hidden reference to Kristen Bell’s Eleanor Shellstrop). And Danson’s room number on Inside, 322, is the exact number of residents in Good Place’s “Neighborhood 12358W”, and apparently the exact number of residents in ALL Good Place “Neighborhoods.” As I never watched The Good Place (I guess I should stream it), all of these “Easter Eggs” went unnoticed by me.
However, what I DID notice in the pilot of A Man on the Inside were several connections to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 classic Vertigo. Both are set in San Francisco. The building used as the exterior of Inside’s Pacific View Retirement Home is the Brockelbank Apartments on Nob Hill, the same building that Kim Novak’s first character, Madeleine Elster, lives in. And the necklace that was stolen from one of the Pacific View residents, which kicks off Inside’s undercover detective plot, is very similar to the necklace that was seen on the portrait of Carlotta that Kim Novak repeatedly stared at in Vertigo, and which Novak (as character #2, Judy Barton), kept as one of her “souvenirs of a killing.” To my eyes, identical necklaces.
Am I crazy, or does A Man on the Inside connect to BOTH The Good Place and Vertigo? — Carl B.
Matt Roush: As you might have noticed from my own rave review, I loved A Man on the Inside even without dwelling on all of the connections. The “inside” references to The Good Place make sense not just because of Ted Danson, but because both shows were created by the gifted Mike Schur. I’m more intrigued by the Vertigo shoutouts, and I’d like to assume Schur or someone on the writing staff is as big a Hitchcock fan as Carl and I. The necklace reference alone convinces me that it’s more than a coincidence, also given that Ted’s character of Charles is pretending to be someone he isn’t, that also ties into Kim Novak’s doomed Judy character. Thankfully, Charles has a much happier ending. And yes, you should definitely stream The Good Place.
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A Blue Christmas for Blue Bloods Fans
Comment: It’s going to be a “Blue” Christmas for me and probably a lot of other fans of Blue Bloods. I was hoping for a Christmas miracle with CBS reversing their decision to cancel just like they did, not once, but twice, for S.W.A.T. However, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen. I know you’ve explained in the past that this is all about economics and the expense associated with continuing this series. I guess the bottom line is more important than the wishes of the fans and even the cast members who wanted to see another season. Here is why I am so dedicated to this series. I am a civilian clerk for a police department. Years ago, one of the sweetest and dearest ladies I worked with introduced me to this show. I always enjoyed talking with her about the episodes. A few years back, she passed away and I continue to watch in her memory.
For me, Blue Bloods is more than a police show, it’s a family drama, a genre of TV series that seems to be going the way of the dinosaur. Just look at the Reagan family dinner scenes where the family is actually talking. So often, when I am out at a restaurant, I see families with their noses stuck in their devices instead of chatting. This program promoted good family values, unlike a program like Matlock, where you have a woman perpetuating a deception and involving her minor grandson.
I haven’t heard any more talk about a spinoff. Was CBS just blowing smoke? They seem more interested in developing more NCIS programs. What next, NCIS: Timbuktu? Tell CBS I’m done. I’ll turn to the other networks or maybe pick up a good book. Maybe somebody will write a series of books on Blue Bloods like they do with Star Trek. Happy Holidays to you! — Rob R.
Matt Roush: I hope the Dec. 13 series finale won’t ruin your entire holiday season, but I get it. When a show you feel a deep connection with goes away, even after a deservedly long run, it can feel like a personal loss. (I recently came across a memento from This Is Us and its absence hit me hard, even after more than two years, and that series only lasted six seasons. I agree with Rob that the quality family drama is an endangered species.) I won’t belabor the judgment call CBS made to end the show after 14 seasons (the last one split between last spring and this fall), and I have no information regarding a potential spinoff except to note that there are worse ideas, especially given Blue Bloods’ fervent fandom. But once again, I’ll argue against comparisons with global franchises like NCIS, which travel much better than more parochial series like this. The real point of all of this is that it hurts to see a beloved series of any sort end, and as fragmented as our TV habits have become in recent years, that still hasn’t changed.
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Grey’s Anatomy’s Successful Exit Strategies
Question: What did you think of how Grey’s Anatomy ended its fall finale? The whole thing with Owen being triggered by Sophia Bush‘s character in that elevator scene with Teddy just made me groan. But otherwise, this was a great episode. I expected Mika to die in the previous episode. The news about Midori Francis (Mika) leaving the show was already out there, and the writers were able to subvert those expectations by putting her in a life-threatening situation and having her live. After that, it was not hard to guess that Mika would find it too painful to work where her sister died, but the episode was no less effective for playing out that way. Mika’s exit was written beautifully, and Francis played it so well.
I also felt that Schmidt’s exit arc felt satisfying and complete. I didn’t feel that way with Mika because I feel like there is still a lot they could have done with her character. But if Francis leaving the show was a given, I doubt she could have had a better exit. I’ve enjoyed her character among this intern class before, but she really rose to the challenge of a meaty storyline this season. I’m sure Grey’s Anatomy will continue to chug along as it inevitably does, but her exit does feel like a loss to the show, which is a credit to her talent. I would not have expected to miss somebody who has only been there for something like 30 episodes.
I did wonder why Grey’s would do a heat wave episode so soon after the cancellation of Station 19. Of course, Grey’s has a large ensemble anyway, but I did wonder how the firefighters we spent the last seven seasons watching were handling the heat wave. This would have been a natural plot to use for a crossover if that show still existed. — Jake
Matt Roush: My eyes rolled when Owen caught Teddy and Dr. Cass (Sophia Bush) sharing a moment in (what else) the elevator and I hated the hokey cliffhanger of the convenience store gunman threatening pregnant Jo and intern Lucas. But give credit where it’s due, and the exit storylines for both Mika and especially the much more established Schmidt (who got both the new job and the guy in a rare happy ending) were more emotionally satisfying than we’ve been conditioned to expect when a character leaves this show (or in the case of Meredith, is often neither here nor there). And not to be cruel to a canceled show, but I don’t miss the Station 19 crossovers one bit. One of these shows is plenty.
Is This the Same Jill Wagner?
Question: I’m a fan of many network TV shows including the new Matlock and High Potential. They get 5 stars each in my book. Great new concepts. On another topic, I do like the teasers (usually one season) that the streamers put on network TV and find some pretty interesting (Tulsa King Season 1). I just saw a couple of episodes of Lioness and noticed that Jill Wagner, for a long time a Hallmark Channel actor, is in the Lioness cast. Quite the change from a nice gal on Hallmark movies to the rough soldier she plays on Lioness! I noticed another Hallmark vet, Daniel Lissing, on The Rookie. Is there something going on at Hallmark, or the actors just stretching their reach to other audiences/genres? — Jane
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Matt Roush: Actors are actors, and if they’re lucky enough, they can dabble in the Hallmark world and also pursue roles of a very different temperament, as Daniel Lissing (formerly of When Calls the Heart) did with his arc on The Rookie. But I’ll be honest, I had to look it up to convince myself that the Jill Wagner who once hosted Wipeout and who has spent her time under the idyllic Hallmark halo is the same person as the gruff action hero of the unflinching action series Lioness. Not only that, but she’s also one of the executive producers. Now that’s range!
Is Elsbeth Pushing the Quirkiness Too Hard?
Question: To paraphrase the saying: “Who are you and what did you do with Elsbeth?” While I found the Oct. 31 “Devils’ Night” episode the best so far, I’m finding it hard to stay with Elsbeth. I was excited when I heard they were giving Carrie Preston’s character her own show, but this is not the Elsbeth I recall. She went from being unique to just plain strange. I think they have changed her, and it feels so different. I also understand it is supposed to be like Columbo? If so, I need to go back and watch that show. The murderer always appears in front of her and basically screams, “It’s me!!?” Solving a case is one thing, but all of it seems contrived, including the deductions. I hope it improves. — George K.
Matt Roush: There is a fine line between eccentric and just plain goofy, and sometimes this version of Elsbeth Tascioni crosses it. But the best way to approach Elsbeth, unlike when she brought a dose of wacky unpredictability to The Good Wife and The Good Fight, is as a broad mystery-comedy, less sophisticated in many ways than the classic Columbo but also following the formula that a very recognizable guest star is almost always going to be the killer, obvious to us and eventually to the title sleuth. Watching them interact is the fun, at least that’s the idea. I think my favorite episode so far this season was with Nathan Lane as the opera buff who did away with an annoying guy who sat right in front of him. (Having just seen the movie version of Wicked, where a person down front refused to put away their glowing phone, I know exactly how he felt.)
That’s all for now. We can’t do this without your participation, so please keep sending questions and comments about TV to askmatt@tvinsider.com. (Please include a first name with your question.)
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