TV Talk at TCA: ‘American Rust’ actor talks season 2; PBS CEO on WQED’s search for new leader

PASADENA, Calif. – Before co-starring in filmed-in-Pittsburgh “American Rust,” actor Rob Yang was a series regular on the first two seasons of HBO’s “Succession” and since “Rust,” he’s filmed a pivotal role in Paramount+’s upcoming Kiefer Sutherland thriller “Rabbit Hole” (March 26).

Yang was at the Television Critics Association winter 2023 press tour last week to promote “Rabbit Hole” and he took some time to discuss “American Rust” before flying back to Pittsburgh to continue production on season two of the Pittsburgh-set crime drama about a small-town cop, Del Harris (Jeff Daniels), who takes the law into his own hands. Yang’s deputy Steve Park appeared to question Del’s choices and motivations at the end of season one.

“This season, all the hammers come down on Del and it’s just off to the races,” Yang said, adding that the slow burn that began season one is not repeated at the start of season two. “You really see the letdown Steve feels. In a way he looked up to Chief Harris and it’s a major letdown because Steve’s so principled. He doesn’t have a long [poop] list but if you’re on it, he won’t give up.”

All this means Yang’s Park will be more involved in season two.

“I have a lot more to do this season,” Park said. “It’s exciting. You’ll see some more of [Park’s] personal life.”

Because season one of “American Rust” filmed earlier in the pandemic, Yang didn’t get out in the city much, mostly shuttling between the set and his Pittsburgh apartment. He aims to change that as production continues on season two.

“I’m from the Midwest myself, Chicago, and everyone’s friendly and down to earth so it doesn’t feel that different from where I grew up,” Yang said of Pittsburgh.

After “American Rust” was canceled by Showtime – and before it got picked up for season two by Amazon Freevee – Yang jumped into the Paramount+ series “Rabbit Hole,” the story of John Weir (Kiefer Sutherland), an expert in corporate espionage charged with keeping Yang’s character, Edward Homm, safe after Weir is framed for murder. Yang filmed the eight-episode “Rabbit Hole” in Toronto from February to September.

“The big theme with this show is everything you see is not what you think it is,” Yang said. “Homm has been complacent in life and that all gets shattered through this season. He’s a real stand-in for the audience.”

WQED’s CEO search

While PBS leaves local management to local stations, PBS president Paula Kerger said PBS’s station services department can help local stations with that process, including offering guidance on up-and-coming public media executives.

Pittsburgh’s WQED Multimedia has been in search of a new leader since CEO Deb Acklin retired in September. Kerger said WQED board of directors co-chair Mildred S. Myers reached out to her.

“Ultimately, the decision of who runs the stations is made within the community, within their board, but I’ve talked to the board chair and they’re going for a big search,” Kerger said. “I will be talking to the search firm — I haven’t yet, but it’s scheduled — like I do a lot of times when we know that a CEO slot is coming available.”

Kerger said the role of public media CEO has changed in the past decade.

“You’re no longer just running a broadcast organization, you’re really thinking about a multi-platform digital company that’s supporting the community,” Kerger said. “A lot of times we’ll talk to the search firm and sometimes we’ll even give them a list of some people that we’ve seen that they might think about.”

Kerger said stations should look at both people already working in public media and local community leaders.

“There have been people that have come into public media that don’t have public media experience. That’s sometimes an interesting way to go, but you want them to do the search,” Kerger said. “They should really cast the net as wide as possible and really try to talk to as many people [as possible]. Going through the process helps you really think about what kind of person really is going to lead us in this next iteration.”

Channel surfing

Moviemaker magazine moved Pittsburgh from No. 4 on the best small cities and towns list for filmmakers to live and work to No. 10 on the best big cities for filmmakers to live and work in its 2023 list behind No. 1 Atlanta which is followed by Vancouver, New Orleans, Toronto, Albuquerque, Montreal, Chicago, Calgary and Philadelphia. … Disney+ released a new trailer for “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” which returns for its third season on March 1. … Nick 2005-08 tween series “Zoey 101” gets a sequel with the Paramount+ movie “Zoey 102,” now in production and starring Jamie Lynn Spears (but not Victoria Justice or Austin Butler). … Fox’s “The Masked Singer” returns for a new season at 8 p.m. Feb. 15. … Warner Bros. Discovery raised the monthly subscription cost of HBO Max ad-free from $14.99 to $15.99. … The CW announced premiere dates for the final seasons of “Riverdale” (9 p.m. March 29) and “Nancy Drew” (8 p.m. May 31) with both series having their finales on Aug. 23. … PBS’s “Masterpiece” ordered a follow-up to “Magpie Murders,” “Moonflower Murders,” with Lesley Manville (“The Crown”) returning as Susan Ryeland. … Ken Burns traces the near-demise of “The American Buffalo” (Oct. 16-17, PBS) in a two-part, four-hour documentary. … Hulu renewed “Letterkenny” spin-off “Shoresy” for a six-episode second season that’s set to premiere in the U.S. on May 27. … HBO’s “The Last of Us” started strong in the ratings Sunday, drawing 4.7 million viewers, HBO’s second biggest premiere in 13 years, ranking behind only last year’s “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon.”