Submit your question to Rob Owen
This week's TV Q&A responds to questions about "Criminal Minds," "Monk" and WTAE's THIS-TV. As always, thanks for reading, and keep those questions coming.
-- Rob Owen, Post-Gazette TV editor
Q: Will this final season of "Monk" be split into two halves again, or will they just continue this fall until the series ends? They normally run July through Sept./Oct. and then again from January through March. I noticed in this week's TV listings that this Friday's episode of "Psych" is the last for this part of the season, but no such designation was given for "Monk's" episode. I read in one of your previous columns that Bitty Schram will be in the Nov. 20 episode, and I didn't know if this was just their Christmas episode or if the series was going to run through the end of the year.
-- Grace, 52, Trafford
Rob: Good question because you're absolutely right about the past roll-out strategy and I figured they'd follow it this year. But no, according to the show's publicist, "Monk" will run straight through with the series finale on Dec. 4. "Psych" has had its summer season finale and returns with new episodes in January.
Also, that Bitty Schram episode has moved to Oct. 23.
Q: I really like "Three Rivers" so I have a feeling it will be canceled. How is it doing?
-- Linda, 45, Cecil
Rob: Not well, especially among the younger demos prized by advertisers. In addition, it's tied (with CBS's "Good Wife," which has been renewed for a full first season while "Three Rivers" has not) as the oldest-skewing new show with a median viewer age of 57. (Fox's "The Cleveland Show" is the youngest at 28).
CBS has "Three Rivers" scheduled through November sweeps so there is time for a miraculous ratings turnaround but I'm not holding my breath.
Q: First off, thank you for all of the work you do at the Post-Gazette.
My questions have to do with the CBS drama, "Criminal Minds." I noticed after a recent episode that ABC Productions concluded the credits. How often does a network broadcast a program produced by a rival network? Is that why full episodes are not available online? Are plans being made for some kind of spinoff show? If so, which network would produce and broadcast the program?
Thank you again and best wishes for continued success.
-- Nick, Cary, N.C.
Rob: It happens less often now than in the past before the federal government did away with Financial Interest and Syndication rules (http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/F/htmlF/financialint/financialint.htm) but it does happen.
Mostly Warner Bros, which co-owns the CW, produces for all the networks, but NBC produces "House," which airs on Fox. Since the end of the fin-syn rules in the early 1990s, networks are more likely to buy from their affiliated studios than from other corporate entities and independent producers are few.
I don't know specifics of why "Criminal Minds," which is a co-production of ABC Studios and CBS Television Studios, does not stream online but it could be a mirror of the situation surrounding "The Big Bang Theory," which Warner Bros. produces for CBS. Due to an impasse between the parties involved, "Big Bang" does not stream online.
Yes, a "Criminal Minds" spinoff is in development with plans for it to air on CBS.
Q: I recently read that "Flashpoint" was renewed for a third season and Tuesday was the release of the first season on DVD. Did I miss a season somewhere?
-- Mary Catherine, 47, Upper St.. Clair
Rob: You did not. CBS has aired some but not all of the second season episodes. Nine remain unaired. I imagine after those air, a second season will be released on DVD. CBS recently ordered 13 more episodes of "Flashpoint," which will be its third season.
Q: We purchased a new TV which has TV stations we have never had before. Is it possible to get programs listings for WTAE (4-2) THIS-TV?
-- Wilma, 71, Bethel Park
Rob: It is. Listings for digital subchannel stations can be found at post-gazette.com/tv under TV Listings (http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tvlistings/ZCGrid.do), listed as WTAEDT2.
WTAE dropped its digital weather channel for the THIS-TV digital movie channel in August (http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/tunedin/archive/2009/07/30/wtae-drops-weather-channel-adds-movie-channel.aspx).
Q: I know it's only been a few weeks, but what are your thoughts on the new KDKA morning news and any word if it has helped ratings for them.
-- David, 30, Cranberry
Rob: I have only seen morning news intermittently in recent weeks because I've been using the 6 a.m. hour to catch up on shows I DVRed the night before (fall is a busy time for TV critics). That said, I like the morning team just fine, just as I liked the Keith Jones-Sonni Abatta team. (Actually, I probably preferred the Keith-Sonni team because it was different for this market -- re: younger -- but that's probably also one of contributing factors why it never really gained traction among viewers.)
Ratings-wise, it's too soon to say if there will be a long-term impact. I don't see overnight ratings regularly but my understanding is there was a slight bump initially and then ratings generally returned to pattern. We'll have a better idea where things stand in the mornings at the end of October.
It's late and I would like to go to bed since I have to get up early but I quickly tune to KDKA-TV [late news] against my better judgment and there is the lead story -- the most important news of the evening -- they have canceled trick or treating in Bobtown. Really? And Ralph is somewhere live to report it -- probably in front of the Smithfield St. Bridge. Ken, you are a quality guy but you have sunk a bit as you shake your head and make it seem like someone has committed a crime.
So I decide to just briefly switch to WTAE before turning off the TV and one of their top stories is: A cow is dead, having been hit by a car in Washington County. And who better to report it than Wendy Bell.
Then there is the story that will never go away, that never dies, that will be with us until the end of 2009 on all the local channels and maybe until the end of time -- the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh.
Is it any wonder that I almost never watch local news? Perhaps the only one of the three channels that ever has anything newsworthy is via KDKA's Jon Delano.
Pittsburgh local news -- trying 30 minutes at a time to become "The Daily Show" but without the wit (at least intentionally), satire and believability.
>-- Steve, Scott
"I was watching your show on October 12. There was a game where you had to pick the product that was made first. The lady picked the post-it notes and per the information found on this web site (www.3m.com/us/office/postit/pastpresent/history_ws.html). I feel that she should of won the trip to The Virgin Island.
View history and the whole story. Please get back to me and let me know if I was right.
I just love your show, I was so glad to see it come back with Wayne.....I love you Wayne...."
-- Misty, who thinks I have something to do with the content of the new "Let's Make a Deal" after I wrote a preview of the program (https://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09277/999975-67.stm)
First Published: October 16, 2009, 4:00 a.m.
