TV Q&A: Where is Rylan’s Tavern on filmed-in-Pittsburgh ‘American Rust’ located?

Q: Do you know where the bar under the bridge in “American Rust” is? It looks familiar.

— Rob via email

Rob: The underside of the bridge may look familiar (it’s in Rankin) but the exterior of the bar may not: Per showrunner Dan Futterman, it’s part-flats, erected for filming and then dismantled, stuck alongside the front of what was the now-shuttered Hidy’s Cafe.

I wasn’t wild about Showtime’s Fayette County-set “American Rust” (10 p.m. Sundays) when it premiered in early September, but I have been dutifully watching beyond the first three episodes made available for review.

“American Rust” began with Del Harris (Jeff Daniels), the police chief of Buell, Fayette County, covering up a possible crime for the benefit of the woman he loves, Grace Poe (Maura Tierney). Grace’s son, Billy (Alex Neustaedter, “Colony”), who was coming off probation, stood to look guilty of murder if not for Del’s intervention.

Either the show got better or I became more accustomed to its initial lackadaisical rhythm, but I think it has improved with tauter, more engrossing episodes.

One of the repeated criticisms of the first three episodes of “Rust” made available to critics for review was that the show didn’t seem all that interested in its murder-mystery plot. Turns out that was true: “Rust” identified the killer in the fourth episode. Perhaps if viewers had known that sooner, the show would have better set viewer expectations as to what it would be (a character-driven drama) and what it would not be (a whodunit, a la “Mare of Easttown”).

Some of the side stories have gotten more interesting, too, including the thread about Isaac, a gay man who’s on the run, experiencing life on the road and turning tricks with a john who wants him to make lowing sounds like a barnyard animal. Yeah, that was weird, but it wasn’t boring, which was one of the show’s problems in early episodes.

Del’s backstory has also been fleshed out but it also seems like there’s yet more to unearth there.

And “American Rust” finally got slightly more regionally specific — at the start it was a very generic rust belt — in the Oct. 17 a character mentioned Giant Eagle in passing. More of this, please!

Ratings-wise, “Rust” is faring better than I expected. While I doubt it’s burning up the Nielsen charts (what does anymore?), Showtime says midway through its nine-episode run an average of 3 million cumulative weekly viewers have tuned in across all platforms. The show’s streaming audience ranks second of all-time among Showtime debut seasons. Perhaps “Rust” will eke out a second season after all.

Q: Saw your story on “American Rust.” Is there any way to find out where they filmed the duckpin bowling scenes? I believe it was in the third episode.

— Anthony via email

Rob: Glassport Lanes at 839 Monongahela Ave. in Glassport is among the show’s shooting locations in a list provided by the Pittsburgh Film Office.

Q: A question about the “Ghosts” TV comedy: What happened to the headless ghost who was in the first episode for a few minutes? I watched episodes two and three and he is nowhere to be found. Was episode one the pilot and then they decided to erase him because there are too many characters or was it because he was headless and he couldn’t talk?

— Peter via Facebook

Rob: I really like “Ghosts” — it’s a rare show the kids and adults in our household enjoy watching together — but I have to admit I had not noticed Crash (Hudson Thames) disappeared after the pilot until Peter pointed it. He is correct.

The character likely disappeared for any one of a number of possible reasons: Dropping a cast member is a way to cut costs, particularly a cast member playing a character reliant on special effects work. It could be a creative choice: There are already a lot of characters to service and Crash seemed like the least interesting among them. When the show relocated from Los Angeles (where the pilot was filmed) to Montreal (where the series is shooting) perhaps Thames became unavailable (he does seem to have a music career, judging by his social media).

I was unable to reach Thames but got this response from CBS: “Crash is walking around somewhere in Woodstone Mansion – it’s a large place and you never know when we might see him again.”

Q: Where has WPXI-TV reporter Michelle Chavez been?

— Wayne via email

Rob: Freelance reporter Michelle Chavez was injured in a car accident earlier this year and is out on medical leave. She’s expected to return to the air on Channel 11 in the future, but there’s not yet an ETA on when that will be.