Welcome to Q&A with TV critic—also known to some TV fans as “TV therapist”—Matt Roush, who will attempt to address whatever you love, hate, are confused or frustrated by, or excited about in today’s vast television landscape. (We know the soundtrack is loud, but there’s always closed captioning.) One note: This is a spoiler-free zone, so we won’t mention upcoming plotlines or developments here unless they’re already common knowledge. Please send your questions and comments to [email protected]. Look for Ask Matt columns most Tuesdays.
Could a new 9-1-1 spinoff replace Grey’s Anatomy?
Question: I’ve seen reports that ABC is considering a new 9-1-1 spinoff, suggesting that Ryan Murphy could take over an entire night, assuming they stacked both 9-1-1 and Doctor Odyssey on the same night. I don’t really care about any of those shows, but the obvious question is what would happen to Grey’s Anatomy if Murphy came in for that third hour? I assume any new 9-1-1 spinoff wouldn’t be happening until next fall at the earliest, so it’s probably too early to speculate. And of course, ABC could move Grey’s to a different night if all of these theories come to fruition. I assume most people move their airtimes to On Demand or Hulu, so it doesn’t really matter where they put it. But the idea of Grey’s airing on any night other than Thursdays after all these years is a very strange thought. — J Matt Roush: Another option is for Grey’s Anatomy to share the third hour with the new 9-1-1, with one of the two shows being retained mid-season—and given the current budgetary considerations for the long-running Grey’s, a shorter season wouldn’t be too surprising. Again, this is all speculation, and we don’t yet know whether ABC will renew Grey’s for a 22nd season. But as I’ve often said before when this issue has come up, I can’t imagine ABC suddenly canceling its longest-running drama—and the longest-running medical drama on television—without proper notice and fanfare. While it’s entirely possible that ABC will shift its entire Thursday slate to Ryan Murphy shows in the future, as NBC and CBS did with the Dick Wolf series, we could also see the network move Doctor Odyssey to another night if it believes it can stand on its own (or thrive on its own) while pairing the two 9-1-1 shows. Ultimately, while it would be odd for Grey’s Anatomy to air on a night other than Thursday, it’s not unheard of for a long-running show to air its final days on a different time and night. Not the way I expect ABC to say goodbye to the show, but those who pledged their allegiance to Grey’s until the very end will likely watch it wherever they go.
CBS’s Juggling Act Sunday question: With 60 Minutes expanding to 90 minutes for some episodes this season, it’s bound to make for a strange evening schedule. Lately, that has meant hour-long procedurals, Tracker and The Equalizer, starting on the half hour, followed by a half-hour comedy, The Neighborhood, at 10:30/9:30c. Wouldn’t it have made more sense to follow 60 Minutes with this comedy, like All in the Family/Archie Bunker’s Place used to do? Do you know what their intentions were?
Also, I have to comment on the recent scene on Tracker where Colter and Russell are riding in a convertible and discussing the case, which has to be the fakest car scene ever. It doesn’t even look like they’re trying to make it look believable. And what’s the deal with attaching Russell’s Chevrolet convertible to the hardtop Jensen Ackles drives as Dean on Supernatural? And does the show have a UFO/UAP aspect? Are we supposed to believe that Tracker is now somehow part of the Supernatural universe? — Tom Matt Roush: First, consider the scheduling issue. On nights when 60 Minutes is extended, or when football overload (which affects the Central and Eastern time zones in particular) causes the lineup to start a half hour late—and sometimes much later—the network has no ability to schedule sitcom reruns to follow the big newsmagazine. Airing popular procedurals immediately afterward has long been their strategy, leaving the last half hour or hour for drama or sitcom reruns, or in extreme cases just not airing the final show if it starts too close to the 11pm/10am time slot. (This will change in the new year after the NFL season ends and the new mystery drama Watson takes over the 10/9 hour.)
