TV Talk: Stephen Colbert bids a sci-fi-infused farewell to ‘Late Show’
Throughout Thursday’s final episode of CBS’s “The Last Show with Stephen Colbert,” a green light appeared behind and around Colbert’s desk accompanied by a static sound, foreshadowing a comedic, sci-fi twist to the show’s swan song, perfectly tuned to Colbert’s interest in science fiction and fantasy. Eventually Colbert goes backstage...
TV Talk: ‘Stranger Things’ + ‘Cocoon’ = ‘The Boroughs’Video
The Duffer Brothers, creators of Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” didn’t invent Netflix’s “The Boroughs,” but they did executive produce this worthy successor to their first hit series. Created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance”), “The Boroughs” is “Stranger Things” crossed with “Cocoon” as it follows...
TV Q&A: Who are the background people at televised news conferences?
Q: On local stations, when police or emergency personnel are giving an update on an event, what is the purpose of the people standing behind the person giving the update? They never offer any additional information. Is their purpose just to get on TV? Also, if they are vital to...
TV Talk: Broadcast’s scripted originals go on vacationVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming summer viewing season. Gone are the days when broadcast networks experimented with new episodes of scripted shows in summer. Due to the decline in linear TV viewing and media executives choosing to prioritize programming for streaming...
TV Talk: Less Yellowstone, more problems in ‘Dutton Ranch’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Just as the first “Yellowstone” sequel series “Marshals” had to open with a big change from the original show to create a new story – Kayce (Luke Grimes) became a widower – so, too, does...
TV Talk: Broadcast networks announce 2026-27 season shows
CBS announced its 2026-27 TV schedule last month, but this week the remainder of the Big Four broadcasters showed off their wares to the advertising community in New York during the annual “upfronts,” where advertisers get a sneak peek at new shows and commit advertising dollars to the next TV...
TV Q&A: Could another network pick up canceled ‘Watson’?
Q: Any chance another network might pick up “Watson” next season? — Judy, via Facebook Rob: Alas, that won’t happen. While we have occasionally seen shows with cult followings get a second chance on another network (see: “Lucifer” moving from Fox to Netflix), it’s happening less often as streaming services...
TV Talk: Fred Rogers’ wisdom courses through ‘Friends & Neighbors’ documentaryVideo
Meeting Fred Rogers in 2001 led Benjamin Wagner to make the documentary “Mister Rogers & Me,” which screened locally at the 2011 Three Rivers Film Festival and aired on PBS stations nationwide. Wagner sees a direct line from that film to his latest doc, “Friends & Neighbors” (4-5 p.m. May...
TV Talk: CMU grad Judith Light stars in ‘The Terror’Video
Though she came to prominence in the 1980s sitcom “Who’s the Boss?”, 1970 Carnegie Mellon drama school grad Judith Light began her career on a daytime soap (“One Life to Live”) and has been most often seen in dramatic roles, including “Transparent,” “American Crime Story” and filmed-in-Pittsburgh “Manhunt: Deadly Games.”...
TV Q&A: Why does KDKA-TV have a source praising John Shumway?
Q: Why is an employee of PennDOT praising John Shumway on a KDKA-TV promotional ad? I’ve never seen anything like this. — Darrin, via email Rob: Darrin is correct, it’s extremely odd and not exactly a paragon of journalism ethics to have someone who is often a source for a...
TV Talk: WQED debuts ‘Conversations with Coach Cowher’ celeb interview showVideo
Following last year’s “Steel Links” program, produced by Connecticut’s Shore Road Productions, WQED engaged with the same company for the new seven-episode series “Conversations with Coach Cowher” (8 p.m. April 30, WQED-TV). Former Steelers coach Bill Cowher sits on a sofa in a comfy Connecticut home (not his) and conducts...
TV Talk: WTAE’s Sheldon Ingram exits TV news to pursue acting
Back in 2022 when Channel 4 reporter Sheldon Ingram guest starred as the deputy mayor of New York on NBC’s “Law Order: SVU,” we should have guessed this day would come. Ingram will put down his microphone and reporter’s notebook and retire from WTAE after his May 29 broadcast to...
TV Q&A: When will KDKA-TV’s Jessica Guay return?
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Saturday Tribune-Review. Q: Whatever happened to Jessica Guay? She went out on maternity leave some time ago and has not returned. Any news? — Dominic, via email Rob:...
TV Talk: FCC targets ABC after another Kimmel joke
Here we go again. Seven months after Disney-owned ABC pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air because of a joke about right-wing reactions to the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the Federal Communications Commission is now targeting ABC on the heels of another Kimmel joke. The FCC directed Disney...
TV Talk: Summer streaming/cable TV options aboundVideo
It’s not officially summer in TV land until the end of the 2025-26 TV season arrives later this month, but that won’t stop streaming services and cable outlets from beginning their rollout of new scripted shows for the warmest months of the year, including: “Lord of the Flies” (May 4,...
TV Talk: NFL Draft TV coverage focuses on players over host city
While Pittsburgh may have gotten itself wound up in knots about reddin’ up for the NFL Draft, TV coverage was less about Pittsburgh and more about the players vying to land their initial NFL gigs. That’s to be expected. To the NFL and most of the NFL Draft audience, the...
TV Talk: Locations trail debuts, locally filmed thriller streams; ‘The Pitt’ ratesVideo
Just in time for all the visitors coming to town for this week’s NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Film Office launched a film locations way finder on an app and a Pittsburgh filmmaking timeline display in Downtown Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Film Trails App offers a digital guide to where various movies...
TV Q&A: What’s the deal with the vSeeBox?Video
Q: Several people I know have purchased a vSeeBox. While the box seems to be a good purchase, I am curious to learn how the box can air programs that are from pay channels without paying or stations outside of the Pittsburgh viewing market. The people made a one-time payment...
TV Talk: Duchovny revisits government secrets – real ones, this time – in ‘Secrets Declassified’Video
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. Now airing its second season on the History Channel, “Secrets Declassified with David Duchovny” (10 p.m. Tuesdays through May 12; then 9 p.m. Thursdays starting June 11) almost wasn’t a show Duchovny wanted to be...
TV Talk: Where and how to watch Draft coverage this week
The long-awaited NFL Draft arrives in Pittsburgh this week with ESPN, ABC and NFL Network planning robust coverage from Wednesday through Saturday. In addition, Disney+ and Hulu will stream coverage from the linear networks. With 14 hours of coverage dedicated to all 257 picks, established series covering the draft include...
TV Talk: ‘The Pitt’ to film in Pittsburgh again in November
After Thursday’s season finale, fans of “The Pitt” aren’t wrong to wonder: Did Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) make any emotional progress in Season 2? “The Pitt” showrunner R. Scott Gemmill doesn’t think he did. “That’s part of his problem: He’s very good at giving advice, not very good at taking...
TV Talk: Netflix’s ‘Beef’ back with more intimate conflict
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week. In its first season, Netflix’s “Beef” dealt with the everyday conflict of one driver who cuts off another, although in the series, the antagonism that follows escalates precipitously. Season two, now streaming on Netflix, explores...
TV Q&A: Why are weather readings for Pittsburgh taken at the airport?
Q:Why are all weather measurements reported as the official Pittsburgh temperature on local newscasts taken at Pittsburgh International Airport rather than at the confluence of Pittsburgh’s three rivers? — Joseph, via email Rob: Just about anywhere you go in the United States, you’ll find the city’s official temperature highs and...
TV Talk: Stations WPGH/WPNT get new GMVideo
Pittsburgh’s Sinclair Broadcast Group-owned duopoly, WPGH and WPNT, has a new general manager, Tim McCoy, currently GM at Sinclair’s WTOV in Steubenville, Ohio. He’ll now oversee both Pittsburgh stations and Sinclair’s Steubenville outlet. Longtime WPGH/WPNT general manager Rich Cook is out, as his position was eliminated in favor of the...
TV Talk: CMU grad stars in ‘The Boys;’ audacious ‘Audacity’ debutsVideo
Steel yourselves, TV fans: The flood of shows striving for last-minute Emmy nomination consideration premiere this week to get the bulk of their episodes released before the Emmy eligibility period closes at the end of May. ‘The Boys’ In its bleak-but-funny final season, now streaming its first two episodes, Amazon’s...
