Pittsburgh Pop podcast finale: Myron Cope sings; ‘American Rust’ switches platforms, David ‘Mr. McFeely’ Newell honored

In this final episode of the “Pittsburgh Pop” podcast (alas, we’ve been canceled), host Tim Benz and TV Talk columnist Rob Owen discuss Pittsburgh pop culture news of the moment including WTAE-TV’s new local special, “Holiday Flashback” (7 p.m. Dec. 30, repeating at 5 p.m. Dec. 31), which will include holiday-themed stories from Channel 4’s archives, including Myron Cope singing a Steelers-themed Christmas Carol in 1978, community members helping a family in need in 1988 and Santa’s Helpers reading letters to Santa in 1992. WTAE did not make a screener of the special available for review in advance of air.

Benz and Owen also discuss a Channel 4 newscast clip from Christmas 1983, featuring Sally Wiggin, that made the rounds on X (formerly Twitter) this week.

Christmas in Pittsburgh in 1983 was a cold one. pic.twitter.com/z4GfxvdW4t

— Pittsburgh History Pie (@PghHistoryPie) December 24, 2023

A premiere date for the second season of filmed-in-Pittsburgh “American Rust” hasn’t been officially announced, Owen reports, but in a recent letter to crew the show’s producers say it’s probable, though not yet set in stone, that the new season will stream in March on Amazon’s Prime Video. That would be a change: Sister-platform Amazon Freevee ordered season two. But it’s a change that makes sense when you consider that another Amazon Freevee show, “Leverage: Redemption,” will move from Freevee to Prime Video for its next season (Owen misspoke in the podcast and said “Bosch: Legacy,” but only “Leverage” has been announced to be relocating at this point). The second season of “American Rust” will be titled “American Rust: Broken Justice.” As for a third season of the show, producers indicated that is still to be determined.

The pair also discuss that, as announced in November, Pittsburgh actor David Newell was inducted into the National Academy of Television Arts Sciences Gold Circle at the second Children’s Family Emmy Awards in Los Angeles Dec. 17.

The CW, always on the hunt for cheap programming, will air reruns of ABC sitcom “The Conners” at 8:30 and 9 p.m. Thursday beginning Jan. 4. The CW will also air the first season of canceled Hallmark Channel Western “Ride,” starring Nancy Travis, at 8 p.m. Mondays beginning Jan. 22.

Viewers who watch the new George Clooney-directed film “The Boys in the Boat,” about an American Olympic rowing team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, can learn more about the true story that inspired the film via PBS’s 2016 “American Experience” documentary “The Boys of ’36,” which is available for free streaming at PBS.org and via YouTube.

Benz offers his take on Netflix’s new Bradley Cooper movie “Maestro.”

Over the holidays Amazon’s Prime Video renewed “Good Omens” for a third and final season, Apple TV+ renewed “Platonic” and “The Buccaneers” for second seasons, Starz renewed “Power Book IV: Force” for a third season but canceled “Shining Vale” after two seasons, HBO renewed “The Gilded Age” for a third season, Netflix renewed “My Life with the Walter Boys” for a second season, MGM+ renewed “Beacon 23” for a second season, Max canceled “Warrior” after three seasons and FX’s vampire comedy “What We Do in the Shadows” will end after its upcoming sixth season.

Benz and Owen also discuss two recently unearthed oddities on YouTube: The fastest-canceled show in TV history and special editions of “Star Trek” episodes from the ‘90s when the show first aired on what was then Sci-Fi Channel.

Listen to this last episode of Pittsburgh Pop on the TRIBLive Podcast Network or on iTunes.