TV Talk: Pittsburgh market rank drops (again); November sweeps ratings
Talk about a lump of coal in the local TV Christmas stocking: Pittsburgh’s market rank will drop another position as Nielsen downgrades the region from No. 27 to No. 28 nationally for 2026. Salt Lake City leapfrogged Pittsburgh, jumping one spot from No. 28 to No. 27. The practical impact...
Movie Review: In ‘Testament of Ann Lee,’ a blazing Amanda Seyfried can make you believe anything
Filmmakers Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet are clearly fascinated by ambition. They’re fascinated, too, by dreamers — difficult dreamers, brilliant but demanding people who have plans they must fulfill no matter the personal cost. They’re also interested in dreamers who cross the ocean to America with these difficult, lofty plans....
College Football Playoff ratings drop 7% as NFL competition impacts viewership
Last weekend’s first round of the College Football Playoff averaged 9.9 million viewers on ABC, ESPN, TNT, TBS and truTV, according to ESPN and Nielson. That is a 7% drop from last year. A big reason for the drop was that the final game, James Madison versus Oregon, was on...
Controversial ’60 Minutes’ segment on Trump immigration policy leaks online
A controversial news segment that was abruptly pulled from the television show “60 Minutes,” appears to have been leaked online this week after the last minute decision to pull the story exploded into public debate about journalistic independence. The segment featured interviews with migrants who were sent to the notorious...
TV Q&A: Is there a way to improve over the air reception of local stations?
Q: I recently cut cable and WTAE is not available over-the-air where I live. I have been told that it was never reliably available in the South Hills! Is that true and is there a way to get WTAE broadcasts south of the city? — Jason, Scott Township Rob: Pittsburgh’s...
TV Talk: ‘Yellowstone’ spin-off, ‘Scrubs’ revival on tap for midseason
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers viewing tips for broadcast network shows at midseason. The broadcast networks didn’t debut many new scripted series in the fall, saving these expensive-to-produce programs for a slightly more robust midseason rollout. Here’s what to expect for the second half of the 2025-26...
TV Talk: Bari Weiss’ decision to pull ’60 Minutes’ report draws criticism from some at CBS News
Three hours before Sunday’s “60 Minutes” broadcast, CBS took the rare, last-minute step of removing a segment on Venezuelan men deported by the Trump administration to what was described as a “brutal” El Salvadoran prison, leading to criticism from “60 Minutes” journalists. “Our story was screened five times and cleared...
TV Talk: ‘Bridgerton’ returns, new ‘Game of Thrones’ series debuts in JanuaryVideo
Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers viewing tips for the coming months. There will be no shortage of scripted streaming and cable series in 2026 as platforms and networks debut everything from a new “Star Trek” show to the long-awaited adaptation of author Patricia Cornwell’s Dr. Kay Scarpetta...
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ launches with $88M domestically, $345M worldwideVideo
NEW YORK — “Avatar: Fire and Ash” opened with $345 million in worldwide sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, notching the second-best global debut of the year and potentially putting James Cameron on course to set yet more blockbuster records. Sixteen years into the “Avatar” saga, Pandora is still abundant...
Trailer for Jimmy Stewart biopic teases Indiana County native’s career, WWII service
The first look at a movie about the life of Indiana County native Jimmy Stewart has been released. The 75-second teaser for “Jimmy” gives viewers a quick glimpse of how the film, starring KJ Apa in the title role, will delve into Stewart’s illustrious movie career and service during World...
TV Talk: ‘Pluribus,’ ‘The Pitt,’ ‘Andor’ among 2025 TV’s best scripted shows
As broadcast channels move into reruns for the holidays, it’s an ideal time to catch up on the best scripted series of the year: 1. “Pluribus” (Apple TV): Writer Vince Gilligan (“Breaking Bad”) re-teams with “Better Call Saul” star Rhea Seehorn for this unique, often darkly comic story of an...
The Oscars will move to YouTube in 2029, leaving longtime home of ABC
In a seismic shift for one of television’s marquee events, the Academy Awards will depart ABC and begin streaming on YouTube beginning in 2029, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday. ABC will continue to broadcast the annual ceremony through 2028. That year will mark the 100th...
Faith-based entertainment sees a revival in Hollywood. Defining what it is can be a challenge
LOS ANGELES — At the movies this fall, Josh O’Connor plays a hot priest with a complicated past, Keanu Reeves is an angel who lost his wings, and Elizabeth Olsen has a romantic dilemma in the afterlife. Hollywood, it seems, has found God. But it’s not just starry big-budget Netflix...
‘Buck Rogers’ star Gil Gerard dies at 82
Actor Gil Gerard, best known for playing the title character in the popular TV series “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” has died. He was 82. Gerard died on Tuesday of “a rare and viciously aggressive form of cancer,” according to a Facebook post from his wife, Janet Gerard. “From...
Warner Bros. asks investors to reject takeover bid from Paramount Skydance
NEW YORK — Warner Bros. is telling shareholders to reject a takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, saying that a rival bid from Netflix will be better for customers. “We strongly believe that Netflix and Warner Bros. joining forces will offer consumers more choice and value, allow the creative community to...
TV Q&A: Where did KDKA’s Erica Mokay go?
Q: What’s up with Erica Mokay on KDKA-TV, who’s been missing from KDKA+ morning news with John Shumway? She has been off, then came back for a few days, and now she’s off again. Has she been sick? — Nancy, via Facebook Rob: It’s December, a time when TV news...
NBC’s Tom Llamas talks broadcasting from Pittsburgh
Tonight at 6:30 on WPXI, Tom Llamas will anchor “NBC Nightly News” from a familiar – but undisclosed for security reasons – Pittsburgh location as part of NBC News’ “Reporting for America” campaign, an effort to report from communities nationwide, not just from the media centers on the coasts. Llamas...
TV Talk: New ‘The Pitt’ trailer released; Hamlin on HallmarkVideo
Although a teaser for season two of “The Pitt” released in August, a new trailer offers more hints about what’s to come in season two — perhaps even some spoilers; watch at your own peril. This preview of the Pittsburgh-set ER drama, which debuts its second season at 9 p.m....
From Emmet Otter to Mr. Magoo, here are some overlooked holiday specials
It’s only about a week until Christmas, and, by now, you’ve probably exhausted the run of typical holiday specials. We all love Charlie Brown and Vince Guaraldi’s instantly familiar piano tunes, but you might want to look a little deeper to find a unique Christmas special. Here’s a handful of...
WPXI taken off Verizon’s FiOS TV in retransmission spat
Following weeks of negotiations and threats of a looming impasse, Verizon failed to reach agreement on a new retransmission deal with WPXI parent company Cox Media Group and Pittsburgh’s Channel 11 is no longer available to subscribers to Verizon’s FiOS TV. “The telecom giant is blocking viewers’ access to breaking...
‘NBC Nightly News’ to broadcast from Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh will be in the national spotlight when “NBC Nightly News” broadcasts live from the city on Tuesday night. As part of their “Reporting for America” campaign, the news program is bringing the broadcast to a number of metropolitan areas around the country, and their Tuesday night stop will be...
Rob Reiner’s death elicits social media tributes honoring film legacy
Online tributes poured in Monday across the internet and social media following the news of filmmaker Rob Reiner’s death. Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were found dead Sunday at their home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles in an apparent homicide. Investigators believe they suffered stab wounds, the...
Rob Reiner’s son Nick arrested after the director and his wife were found dead at their home
LOS ANGELES — The 32-year-old son of Hollywood icon Rob Reiner was arrested on suspicion of murder and held without bail Monday in the stabbing deaths of his parents in their Los Angeles home, authorities said. The case will be given to prosecutors on Tuesday as they consider formal charges...
Rob Reiner, ‘When Harry Met Sally’ director, ‘All in the Family’ actor and political activist, dead at 78
Rob Reiner, the son of a comedy giant who became one himself as one of the preeminent filmmakers of his generation with movies such as “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally …” and “This Is Spinal Tap,” has died. He was 78. Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were...
‘Zootopia 2’ reclaims No. 1 spot at box office, grosses $1B worldwide
NEW YORK — “Zootopia 2” regained the No. 1 spot at the domestic box office with $26.3 million in its third weekend of release, according to studio estimates Sunday, as The Walt Disney Co. animated sequel became the year’s second film to gross $1 billion worldwide. With “Avatar: Fire and...
