TV Talk: WQED settles lawsuit; ‘Too Much’ on Netflix is just right

In January, veteran Emmy-winning design director Paula Zetter filed an age discrimination lawsuit against WQED after the public broadcaster eliminated her position in 2024. The case settled late last month.

Sam Cordes, Zetter’s attorney, declined to comment, but the court docket shows the case was dismissed with prejudice, meaning it cannot be refiled. Each side will bear its own costs and attorneys’ fees.

“We made a business decision to avoid the distraction and expense of litigation,” said WQED president Jason Jedlinski. “WQED admitted no wrongdoing.”

In the initial suit, Zetter sought reinstatement to her job or compensation until she could find a similar position.

Zetter, 58 at the time she was let go, worked for WQED for 23 years. She was dismissed alongside four other employees whose average age was 54.4. The suit stated that Zetter’s duties were assigned to three separate staff positions.

KDKA-TV special

KDKA-TV launches “KDKA Originals,” an occasional documentary series intended to deliver long-form storytelling about local and national events.

The first episode, “In the Crosshairs: The Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump” (7:30 tonight), recounts the events of July 13, 2024, when a would-be assassin took a shot at then-presidential candidate Donald Trump during a political rally in Butler.

The program includes clips from KDKA reporting, but it’s shot in a documentary style — there’s no reporter, host or narrator. The half-hour includes KDKA photojournalists Bryce Lutz and Fred Williams, reporters Lauren Linder and Jen Borrasso and retired KDKA political editor Jon Delano as talking heads interviewed. They offer some of their personal reactions to and reflections on that day, the days leading up to it and the aftermath.

There’s not a lot new or revelatory, but it’s a well-made recap of what happened that day with propulsive music juicing the action. The behind-the-scenes elements are most intriguing as viewers see Linder and a videographer react in the moment. When shots ring out, Linder jumps down from a podium and the videographer pans around the rally looking for the shooter.

‘Too Much’

Even if Lena Dunham’s “Girls” wasn’t your cup of tea — it wasn’t mine — don’t let that dissuade you from watching her latest show, Netflix’s “Too Much,” now streaming its 10-episode first season.

Funnier and more of a rom-com, “Too Much” largely isn’t too much in the way “Girls” was, thanks to Dunham leaning into a lighter tone and the likability of star Megan Stalter, best known from her role as Jimmy’s assistant, Kayla, on “Hacks.”

After New Yorker Jessica (Stalter) stalks and breaks into her ex-boyfriend’s apartment, she says goodbye to her family — Rita Wilson plays her mom, Dunham appears as Jessica’s sister and Rhea Perlman steals scenes as Jessica’s grandmother — and moves to London for a new job. In addition to an entertainingly bizarre crew of new co-workers (Richard E. Grant plays the office boss), Jessica meets musician Felix (Will Sharpe, who played the husband of Aubrey Plaza’s character in “White Lotus” season two).

Mysterious but sweet, Felix throws off red flags, but Jessica dives into a relationship with him anyway, introducing Felix to her made-for-TV hairless pet dog whose tongue constantly protrudes from its mouth.

Loosely based on Dunham’s move to London and romance with musician Luis Felber, who is now her husband, “Too Much” features damaged characters who make bad choices along the way but eventually find some degree of inner peace and the fortitude to move forward in a healthier manner.

Stalter is a riveting performer, allowing Jessica to flip between self-assured and awkwardly anxious within milliseconds. Even when Sharpe’s Felix screws up, there’s a kindness Sharpe imbues the character with that makes Felix difficult to dislike.

The supporting characters are often hilarious, and Dunham gives them small but recognizable stories and arcs through a season that wraps in a climax that suggests a second season isn’t necessary.

In a recent Netflix virtual press conference, Dunham said the lighter, more upbeat and sometimes sillier tone in “Too Much” reflects her own life.

“That’s what I find most interesting in other writers, too, is people who I feel are processing the world and their experiences,” Dunham said. “As a result, I’m sure my work has become more romantic or nihilistic or aggressive or cozy, depending on the moment that I’m in. I think the thing that motivates me to keep doing it is that feeling that it not only explains something to me, but that it also allows me to connect to other people.”

TCA Award nominations

The Television Critics Association (full disclosure: I’m a member) announced its 2025 TCA Award nominations and several shows with local ties received recognition.

Pittsburgh-set HBO Max medical drama “The Pitt” received four noms and three shows produced by Pittsburgh-based Fred Rogers Productions (“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Donkey Hodie” and “Odd Squad”) got nominated. Winners will be announced later this summer.

The full list of nominations:

Program of the year:

“Adolescence” (Netflix).

“Andor” (Disney+).

“Hacks” (HBO Max).

“The Pitt” (HBO Max).

“The Rehearsal” (HBO).

“Severance” (Apple TV+).

“The Studio” (Apple TV+).

“The White Lotus” (HBO).

Best comedy:

“Abbott Elementary” (ABC).

“English Teacher” (FX).

“Hacks” (HBO Max).

“Nobody Wants This” (Netflix).

“The Rehearsal” (HBO).

“Shrinking” (Apple TV+).

“Somebody Somewhere” (HBO).

“The Studio” (Apple TV+).

“What We Do in the Shadows” (FX).

Best drama:

“Andor” (Disney+).

“Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire” (AMC).

“Industry” (HBO).

“The Last of Us” (HBO).

“Matlock” (CBS).

“The Pitt” (HBO Max).

“Severance” (Apple TV+).

“The White Lotus” (HBO ).

Best movies/miniseries:

“Adolescence”(Netflix).

“Agatha All Along” (Disney+).

“Disclaimer” (Apple TV+).

“Dying for Sex”(FX).

“The Penguin” (HBO).

“Rebel Ridge” (Netflix).

“Say Nothing” (FX).

“Sirens” (Netflix).

Best new program:

“Common Side Effects” (Adult Swim).

“English Teacher” (FX).

“Matlock” (CBS).

“Nobody Wants This” (Netflix).

“North of North” (Netflix).

“Paradise” (Hulu).

“The Pitt” (HBO Max).

“The Studio” (Apple TV+).

Individual achievement in drama:

Jacob Anderson, “Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire” (AMC).

Kathy Bates, “Matlock” (CBS).

Owen Cooper, “Adolescence” (Netflix).

Stephen Graham, “Adolescence” (Netflix).

Britt Lower, “Severance” (Apple TV+).

Diego Luna, “Andor” (Disney+).

Adam Scott, “Severance” (Apple TV+).

Tramell Tillman, “Severance” (Apple TV+).

Noah Wyle, “The Pitt” (HBO Max).

Individual achievement in comedy:

Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear” (FX).

Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks” (HBO Max).

Bridget Everett, “Somebody Somewhere” (HBO).

Nathan Fielder, “The Rehearsal” (HBO).

Harrison Ford, “Shrinking” (Apple TV+).

Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary” (ABC).

Seth Rogen, “The Studio” (Apple TV+).

Jean Smart, “Hacks” (HBO Max).

Michelle Williams, “Dying for Sex” (FX).

Best in news/information:

“60 Minutes” (CBS).

“The Americas” (NBC).

“Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing” (Netflix).

“Frontline” (PBS).

“Leonardo da Vinci” (PBS).

“PBS NewsHour” (PBS).

“Pee-wee as Himself” (HBO).

“We Will Dance Again” (Paramount+).

Best variety/talk/sketch:

“The Daily Show” (Comedy Central).

“Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney” (Netflix).

“Hot Ones” (YouTube).

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC).

“Late Night with Seth Meyers” (NBC).

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (CBS).

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO).

“Saturday Night Live” (NBC).

“SNL50: The Anniversary Special” (NBC).

Best reality show:

“The Amazing Race” (CBS).

“The Boyfriend” (Netflix).

“Conan O’Brien Must Go” (HBO Max).

“Couples Therapy” (Showtime).

“Culinary Class Wars” (Netflix).

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (MTV).

“Survivor” (CBS).

“Top Chef” (Bravo).

“The Traitors” (Peacock).

Best family program:

“Doctor Who” (Disney+).

“Forever” (Netflix).

“Heartstopper” (Netflix).

“Jentry Chau vs. the Underworld” (Netflix).

“Star Trek: Prodigy” (Netflix).

“Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” (Disney Channel).

“WondLa” (Apple TV+).

“XO, Kitty” (Netflix).

“Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man” (Disney+).

Best children’s program:

“Bluey Minisodes” (Disney+).

“Carl the Collector” (PBS).

“Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” (PBS).

“Donkey Hodie” (PBS).

“Odd Squad” (PBS).

“Sesame Street” (HBO).

“Win or Lose” (Disney+).

“Wonder Pets in the City” (Apple TV+).

Kept/canceled

Apple TV+ renewed “Slow Horses” for a seventh season ahead of the show’s season five premiere Sept. 24 (Apple already ordered season six).

Netflix canceled mystery-comedy “The Residence” and medical drama “Pulse” after one season each.

Premiere dates

PBS cooking competition “The Great American Recipe” returns for its fourth season at 9 p.m. July 11 on WQED-TV with Al Roker (“Today”) as a guest judge in the season premiere.

Comedy Central bumped the season premiere of “South Park” from July 9 to 10 p.m. July 23 amidst legal tensions between the show’s creators and Paramount Global over the program’s streaming rights.

The seventh season of UPTV’s police/K9 procedural “Hudson Rex” debuts on the cable network at 8 p.m. July 17.

Channel surfing

Noah Wyle, star of Pittsburgh-set “The Pitt” (nominated in the TCA Awards and Dorian Awards this week), will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. … Neil Druckmann, who dreamed up the “Last of Us” video game while a student at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, exited the HBO adaptation and won’t be co-showrunner for season three, focusing his attention on a new video game. … As Deborah Norville exits as host of syndicated show “Inside Edition,” Eva Pilgrim will take her place, leaving her role on “GMA3.” DeMarco Morgan will also exit ABC News and “GMA3,” likely to be replaced by other “GMA” regulars. … Amazon Prime Video’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty” returns for its third and final season July 16 but Amazon declined to make former Carnegie Mellon student Lola Tung or 2022 CMU grad Isabella Briggs available for interviews.

Huge congratulations to our dear friend and colleague, Noah Wyle, on getting selected for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! ???? pic.twitter.com/llNVitulpx

— Warner Bros. TV (@warnerbrostv) July 3, 2025