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.
Let Us Back on the Inside, Man!
Question: I have been an avid TV watcher for over 50 years. I have so many favorites, but Netflix’s A Man on the Inside is now a new favorite. I watched all of it and wanted more. I love the cast and characters. I found myself laughing and a few tears as well. Do you think that the show could be picked up for more seasons? The show has so much humor and heart. — Laurie
Matt Roush: It’s often hard to predict what streamers will do, but if Michael Schur and Ted Danson want to do more, I’d expect they’ll get the chance. (Especially after the show made the cut of the American Film Institute’s Top 10 TV programs of 2024, which gratified me personally as an AFI jury member.) My only worry is that this season was so well done and well-cast and the arc of Danson’s character was so specific, as he emerged from his widower’s grief to be welcomed into the retirement home’s community that he entered under false pretenses, that it may be difficult to duplicate with the same blend of comedy and poignancy without feeling like a retread. Still, if they choose to go back for another inside job, I’d certainly follow.
Related‘A Man on the Inside’: Ted Danson and Team Tease Hopes for That Season 2 Set Up
Is Pop Culture One Jeopardy! Too Many?
Question: Serious question: How much Jeopardy! is too much Jeopardy? I love the show, and I never miss it. But I feel like we’re getting to a saturation point. There’s the regular daily show, of course. Now, they’ve taped 40 episodes of Pop Culture Jeopardy! for Amazon Prime Video, dropping in batches of three on Wednesdays. And ABC has also scheduled the new season of Celebrity Jeopardy! for Wednesdays in January after Abbott Elementary. So that means that on some Wednesdays, we’ll have three hours of Jeopardy (regular + hourlong Celebrity Jeopardy! + 3 Pop Culture episodes at a time.) Even as a huge fan, I feel like this is probably pushing it. I worry they’re going to dilute the brand. The daily version is a ritual that is part of my day, and I love that half hour, but there can be too much of a good thing. – Jake
Matt Roush: This reminds me of our many discussions in this space about last year’s tournament mania. It’s a fair concern that too many Jeopardy! offshoots could weaken what makes the daily version so special to so many millions. I’m not sure we’re there yet. The streaming Pop Culture spinoff and the prime-time celebrity version are quite different in tone from the daily, and if you’re sensing burnout, it’s not that hard to limit yourself to the one you like best. (I skipped most of the last season of Celebrity Jeopardy! because of time limitations, and I didn’t miss it.)
And What’s the Reaction?
Question: I can’t wait to see some of the mail you will get about Pop Culture Jeopardy! I have nothing against Jeopardy! but I’ve never been particularly interested in watching it. I watched Episode 1 of this one and might watch more, if only because I like to watch Colin Jost at work. I generally like game shows only if there are interesting comedians participating, so most game shows I watch are from the U.K. I know that you and a large number of your readers are addicted to Jeopardy! and some of them are very defensive about any changes, so the response should be interesting to read. All I can say is that it’s fine. — D.P.
Matt Roush: Although I grew up with game shows and panel shows featuring celebrities and comedians (most notably Hollywood Squares, which is staging a comeback on CBS next month), the reason I value Jeopardy! so highly is that it showcases and celebrates intelligence and quick thinking, often featuring the sort of everyday contestants you don’t typically find on TV. Very few shows can pull off this sort of thing with the pace and positive energy you find on Jeopardy!, and that’s something I found weirdly lacking in the Pop Culture version, which even with nine contestants playing often fell flat in those first episodes — and while I enjoy Colin Jost on Weekend Update, his delivery comes off snarky even when he’s being sincere. It will take some getting used to.
Related‘Jeopardy!’ Fans Give Verdict on ‘Pop Culture’ Host Colin Jost
But as D.P suggested, the comments so far have not been ambivalent. Including an e-mail from a co-worker, who labeled this “The Worst Show on TV” and declared, “I turned it off after 10 minutes. Embarrassing. I heard Johnny Gilbert at the beginning and thought that was a good sign. It wasn’t.”
From Jake, who penned the earlier “too much Jeopardy!” question, he weighed in after viewing the first episode to conclude “I’m not really a big fan of this. It just feels overly busy. I’m not sure what purpose the team format serves because most of the time they are not really working together on stuff and have to make decisions on their own the same as they would in regular Jeopardy! It feels like with nine contestants at once, it is even more challenging for the personalities of the individual contestants to come through. The more laid-back, jokey tone didn’t really work for me either. It seems unfair to judge Colin Jost on a single episode of hosting with a new format, but it just felt like he was trying too hard.”
Flying High with Black Doves
Comment: Wow, I just binged Black Doves on Netflix. That’s the kind of show which is perfect in my view. A good, exciting story, well written and directed, and an amazing and quite large ensemble cast, at least a dozen of whom turned in award-worthy performances: Ben Whishaw, of course, but also the lady assassins stole all of their scenes. Black Doves is the epitome of an ensemble performance. — Paul T.
Matt Roush: I also enjoyed it, as noted in my review that also touched on the more cerebral spy thriller The Agency. We’re in quite a good moment for spy shows on TV, with the Emmy-winning Slow Horses on Apple TV+ and the riveting reinvention of The Day of the Jackal concluding its season on Peacock on Thursday. Of this batch, Black Doves is second only to Slow Horses in mining humor from suspense, always one of my favorite combinations.
It’s Awful, But I Can’t Stop Watching!
Comment: Doctor Odyssey is probably the worst new show on TV. And I can take it further, it’s likely the worst overall show on TV. (I watch a lot of shows.) I still watch it every Thursday night and it makes me appreciate the still high-quality Grey’s Anatomy. What keeps me watching Doctor Odyssey? The tiny, very attractive cast is very appealing. The guests are usually quite fun and some of the storylines are watchable enough. But I highly doubt ABC will renew this (it seems unloved and has lost a lot of viewers). — Fred
Related7 ‘Black Doves’ Season 2 Questions We Need Answered
Matt Roush: I’m not really one for hate-watching, but I’ll admit that I haven’t missed an episode of Doctor Odyssey (hammocked between two shows I watch by choice, 9-1-1 and Grey’s Anatomy), often groaning and eye-rolling from the couch while admitting the show works on the level of mind and eye candy. Especially regarding its colorful use of guest stars, an homage to the glory days of The Love Boat, which never had ambitions beyond being a guilty pleasure. Odyssey is guilty of something, that’s quite clear, and I’m still trying to figure out what and how many charges to press.
And Finally …
Comment: I had fun reading the “easter egg” comments about A Man on The Inside. But I would like to address the mistaken comment about the Brockelbank Apartments (where Madeleine Elster of Vertigo lived). This building is at Sacramento and Mason, three blocks away from the Cathedral Apartments (1201 California Street at Jones) that are featured as the Pacific View Retirement Community in this show. These are two different buildings. To be fair, they’re the same vintage and both sit atop Nob Hill. I also noted a scene shot atop the Stockton Street Tunnel, looking over downtown. This location at Busch and Burritt Street figured prominently in The Maltese Falcon. — Peter A.
Matt Roush: I defer to anyone with this sort of expert knowledge of San Francisco. Your Maltese Falcon connection seems to confirm that the creators of this series have a great fondness for classic noir. I’m still impressed at the resemblance of the missing jewelry to the necklace from Vertigo
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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