TV Q&A: What’s happening to Benny on ‘Bull’?

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review.

Q: When is CBS’s “Bull” starting a new season? And why is Benny really leaving?

— Millie via email

Rob: Many returning series will start rolling out new episodes for the 2021-22 TV season the week of Sept. 19. “Bull” will be back at 10 p.m. Oct. 7 in its new Thursday time slot.

Both showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron and actor Freddy Rodriguez, who played Benjamin “Benny” Colon, were dismissed from “Bull” in May following a workplace investigation. CBS gave no details on the reasons for the dismissals.

How will Benny’s off-screen departure be explained? Per co-showrunners Kathryn Price and Nichole Millard, “When we begin our new season, Bull and the TAC team are raising a glass to celebrate Benny’s newfound love. After a whirlwind romance during a European vacation, he married an Italian woman and moved overseas.”

Q: I read that Anthony Mason will become a culture correspondent for CBS, leaving his co-anchor spot on CBS This Morning to Nate Burleson. Where do the morning rankings stand? Is NBC still the top dog in overall audience or demographics? What about GMA? Thanks.

— Barb via email

Rob: CBS News has once again given its weekday morning show a makeover. Beginning this week it’s now “CBS Mornings” and broadcasting from a new Times Square studio. The content is also changing a bit with CBS pulling stylistic elements from its most successful morning show, “CBS Sunday Morning,” for the 8 a.m. weekday hour, including more feature pieces, longform stories and in-depth reporting.

As for the weekday morning news horse race, CBS remains in third place on weekdays while ABC’s “Good Morning America” is No. 1 in total viewers and NBC’s “Today” is No. 1 in the key demo of adults ages 25-54.

Q: Last month “American Rust” was filming on our street. They set up light stands on our property for a scene. We said hello and they were pleasant. Somewhere along the line, a production guy told my wife they didn’t have to ask permission if they didn’t see a house (ours is on top of the hill and out of immediate sight). We were happy to have them and we got to meet Jeff Daniels in the process. Have you heard of the “we don’t have to ask permission” line before?

— Thomas via Facebook

Rob: Yeah, “we don’t have to ask permission if we can’t see the house” is not an actual thing. There is no “cinematic immunity.” Thomas was given bad information.

If they put a big toe on your property, someone from the production is supposed to talk to you beforehand. My guess is whoever told Thomas that was a rookie production assistant who doesn’t know protocol.

Q: Any idea when KDKA plans to remove that scan box – QR code — in the lower left-hand corner of the screen during the news broadcasts? It is very annoying and distracting when one is trying to watch the news.

— Jake via email

Rob: In a Sept. 1 email, KDKA general manager Chris Cotugno explained the QR code was put up for last week’s severe weather and resulting flooding.

“One of our responsibilities is to help our community stay safe; particularly during weather events,” Cotugno writes. “Our app allows our viewers to stay connected and informed of potential weather threats when they are out of home. With the advanced knowledge of a major storm approaching our area, keeping viewers up to date with the latest information is our job. Our app is another tool that does just that. Several thousand people have downloaded the app since yesterday. The QR code will come down as the storm vacates our area.”

Q: Do you know if AT&T SportsNet will be airing “Mountaineer Game Day” and the “WVU Coaches Show” this year? The Comcast cable guide does not have either Game Day or Coaches Show listed.

— Louis via email

Rob: AT&T SportsNet will air both shows. The one-hour “WVU Coaches Show” will air a new episode at 5 p.m. Friday with “Mountaineer Game Day” airing at 11 a.m. Saturday.