TV Talk: ‘American Rust’ makes case for renewal with a twisty 2nd season

The first season of filmed-in-Pittsburgh “American Rust” started too slow and painted most of its characters and the fictional town of Buell, Fayette County, with the same turbid gray. It’s no wonder viewers tuned out and Showtime canceled the show.

But even in that first season, “American Rust” found its way and became a better, more propulsive series by the end of its initial nine episodes. Asking viewers in a Peak TV environment to have patience may have been foolhardy but it did ultimately pay off for those who stuck around.

Season two, now streaming all 10 episodes on Amazon’s Prime Video, takes what was great about the latter half of season one and bakes it into season two from the jump.

Now called “American Rust: Broken Justice,” the new season grabs viewers and whisks them along on a ride that ratchets up multiple mysteries while continuing to delve into the characters and their relationships, although some of the characters seem to have had personality transplants in the season’s early episodes.

Best of all for Western Pennsylvania viewers, “American Rust” ups its Yinzer game. None of the characters speak in a Pittsburghese accent –Paramount+’s “One Dollar” did that better than any modern TV show – but there are tons of shout-outs to local landmarks, something that was lacking in season one, aside from a stray Giant Eagle reference.

Del Harris (Jeff Daniels) left his job as police chief of Buell and is back working as a detective in Pittsburgh, where he even has a studio apartment. He returns home to his cabin in Buell to see girlfriend Grace Poe (Maura Tierney) on weekends.

The cases Del works with his new partner, Det. Angela Burgos (Luna Lauren Velez, “Dexter”), all take place in Pittsburgh, including a mysterious package bomb case.

Back in Buell, Harris’ former deputy, now police chief Steve Park (Rob Yang), has gone full Javert in his pursuit of Del and his suspicions about Grace’s involvement in a cover-up. Park has the support of Fayette County district attorney Sue Herlitz (Emily Davis), who’s up for re-election and yet she still does karaoke to the profane Khia song “My Neck, My Back (Lick It),” which almost no politician would ever do, a discordant note that’s likely to take viewers out of the story.

Perhaps that scene at Rylan’s – renamed Snarly by new owner Virgil Poe (Mark Pellegrino) when he re-arranges and repurposes the letters of the neon sign out front – is the result of trying to lighten up the show, which was much-needed and mostly welcome.

Virgil, previously depicted as an adversary, is now more of a wayward rascal and his scenes with Grace offer some great comic relief. “American Rust” leans into Grace’s rambunctious, attack dog tendencies, which works to juice the drama and comedy, depending on the scene. Tierney seems to relish the opportunity and she’s clearly this season’s MVP.

In addition to the Pittsburgh bombing plot, there’s also an ongoing story involving Del, Pittsburgh police internal affairs and the FBI in Pittsburgh, a possible cover-up of fracking that poisons well water and a murder spree in Buell that provides at least one shocking plot twist.

If there’s any downside to this new season it’s that the first half feels stronger than the second half. Returning characters’ personality changes in the first half of the new season are necessary tweaks that help lift the show’s overall mood, which makes “American Rust” more entertaining and less depressing. A revelation in the back half of the season that results in a character about-face seems less honest, a change solely for the sake of the show’s plot.

The season ends on a cliffhanger that leaves multiple characters in mortal and potentially legal jeopardy. Fingers crossed Prime Video orders a third season that offers resolutions.

‘Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show’

There’s a sweetness to comic Jerrod Carmichael that made his 2015-17 eponymous NBC sitcom an unsung gem and that likeability still shines through in HBO’s “Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show” (11 p.m. Fridays starting March 29), even as he’s meeting hookups from gay dating app Grindr. One of the young men – Carmichael clearly has a type! – wears a “Pittsburgh No. 1” T-shirt when they meet in Los Angeles before Carmichael’s similarly confessional “Rothaniel” won a 2022 Emmy for writing for a variety special.

A highly produced docu-series, there’s a sincerity to Carmichael’s efforts to find love while selfishly making up for lost time when he was closeted even after he meets and cheats on a boyfriend. The show’s fly-on-the-wall intimacy – surely it will make some viewers uncomfortable — combined with Carmichael’s winning but deeply flawed nature makes this series a viewing experience that’s hard to tune out.

‘Renegade Nell,’ ‘Parish’

It’s great to see an action-adventure with a young woman in the lead role as Disney+’s “Renegade Nell” offers. But this series is too violent for its intended audience of kids, teens and families. Streaming March 29, the show is set in 18th-century England where Nell Jackson (Louisa Harland, “Derry Girls”) is framed for murder and becomes an outlaw with the help of a magical spirit called Billy Blind (Nick Mohammed, “Ted Lasso”).

In “Parish” (10 p.m. Sunday, AMC), the always-impressive Giancarlo Esposito (“Breaking Bad,” “The Mandalorian”) plays a New Orleans family man grieving the murder of his son when he gets involved with a criminal syndicate. Bad choices naturally lead to worse outcomes in this anti-hero series that would have been innovative in 2005 but today feels like a dull relic.

Pirates on SNP

The Pirates 2024 regular season begins on SportsNet Pittsburgh at 2:30 p.m. March 28 in a game at the Miami Marlins with the home opener set for 4 p.m. April 6 at PNC Park against the Baltimore Orioles (coverage starts at 2:30 p.m.).

SNP will televise 161 Pirates games for the 2024 season, including one hour of pre- and post-game coverage for most matchups. The program “Inside Pirates Baseball” will air monthly.

No direct-to-consumer version of SNP has been announced, but subscribers to cable/satellite services that carry SNP can authenticate their subscription and access games through the SportsNet Pittsburgh app. Details at getsnp.com.

SNP announced multi-year naming rights sponsorship for its Pittsburgh studio, which will now be known as the Highmark Studio. Highmark signage will be featured in the studio, on the set and in-game features during telecasts.