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LIFE
Robert Bianco

Ask Bianco about anything TV, get your answers Monday

USATODAY
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Robert Bianco's Critic's Corner chat takes place Monday afternoons, when he talks TV with fans. He's currently on vacation, but the chat resumes on Tuesdays over the holidays, Dec. 27 and Jan. 3.

Mackenzie Hancsicsak as 8 year old Kate and Milo Ventimiglia as Jack in NBC's 'This is Us.'

Chatters should visit the USA TODAY Life page on Facebook at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, when Robert will be answering questions live. However, you may email early questions to askbianco@usatoday.com or submit questions below ahead of time, starting at 8 a.m. ET/ 5 a.m. PT Mondays.

We will continue to accept early questions submitted via Twitter. Tweet your early questions to@BiancoRobert and use the hashtag #askbianco. Robert will then include selected Twitter questions in the live video chat on Mondays at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT at facebook.com/usatodaylife. Remember, Twitter questions are subject to the 140-character limit. If your question is longer than that, tell us how many Tweets to look for. (1/3, 2/3, 3/3, etc.)

About Critic's Corner: Robert Bianco is the TV critic for USA TODAY. In his Critic's Corner column each weekday, he picks the day's best shows on prime-time TV. On Mondays, talk live with Robert Bianco about the best and worst of this season's TV lineup. In addition to Critic's Corner, Bianco writes TV reviews and features for USA TODAY. They can be found elsewhere on USATODAY.com.?

Watch Robert answer reader questions at the USA TODAY Life page on Facebook when the chat returns at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT Dec. 27. .

Here are recent questions and answers:

What’s the latest on FX’s Sons of Anarchy spinoff about the Mayans? I heard it was a go, now I’m hearing it’s not. Any word?

When I first saw your question, I momentarily thought someone out there was working on a series about the ancient Mayans — which to be honest, would pique my interest far more than a Sons of Anarchy sequel from FX and Kurt Sutter. But you seem to want one, so the good news is that the proposed show, while not precisely a go, is at least going forward. FX has ordered a pilot for Mayans MC, which will shoot in March and follow the post-Jax Teller adventures of a Mayan club on the California/Mexico border. It’s not been ordered as a series yet, but unless the pilot is a total bust, odds are it will be. Meanwhile, if anyone wants to do a series about the actual ancient Mayans, you have an eager, waiting audience of at least one.

OK. I tried. I tried. I watched six episodes of This is Us. Nope … don't get the hype.

Then you should stop trying. In this social-media-obsessed age, a kind of critical group-think can take hold, reinforced by constant tweets and posts from fans of a show. Combined, they can leave you feeling that watching some current, buzz-heavy favorite is a cultural requirement. Well, it isn't. With some significant reservations (it’s often too sweet and almost always too manipulative), I like This is Us. It’s a well-done piece of mass-market entertainment with a welcome focus on family and a few important things to say. But it won’t brighten your teeth, cure your ills, or get you a better job, partner or house. You’ve given it a fair chance to entertain you, and it hasn’t succeeded. You have my blessing to move on.


I’m missing my favorite all-time show, Castle. It offered good, clean, family entertainment with a bit of drama and comedy. Do you agree that ABC dropped the ball by not giving longtime fans a final season?  Its replacement, Conviction, is failing. Some of that could be due to Castle fans boycotting that time slot and ABC.

I understand how hard it can be to lose a favorite TV show — but with rare exceptions, they all come to an end eventually. And to my mind, Castle came to a creative end two or three years before it left the air. So while I share your wish that the writers had come up with a more satisfactory ending, I wouldn’t have entrusted them with another year to do so. As for Conviction, my hope and belief is that this ABC drama failing on its own lack of merits. I’d hate to think Castle fans are boycotting the show or the slot, as that just seems pointless. Killing Conviction won’t bring back Castle, just as ordering Conviction isn’t what killed Castle.  Hating one thing to demonstrate your love for another just strikes me as an odd and counter-productive form of affection.

How long can AMC’s The Walking Dead realistically stay on TV?

Realistically? For as long as its ratings stay among TV’s best, particularly among younger viewers — and for as long as those ratings bring in more money than the show costs to make. Artistically? It overstayed  its welcome at least a year ago.

Are there any midseason shows we should be excited about?

Sure. Or at least maybe. PBS has the return of Sherlock and the debut of Victoria, both of which are likely to please its viewers. HBO has the big-ticket premiere of Big Little Lies, with stars Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. ABC has the high-concept comedy Downward Dog, starring Fargo’s fabulous Allison Tolman. And speaking of which, we’re expecting new seasons of Fargo, American Crime and American Crime Story. So yes, get excited.

Is Anthony Hopkins coming back for Season 2 of HBO's Westworld?

Well, if he does, he won’t be playing the exact same character, as that version of Dr. Ford is definitely dead. But remember, this is Westworld: There are a lot of different versions of characters available. Whether he will and what exactly Hopkins will play we may not know in full until the show returns — which won’t be until 2018.

Jimmi Simpson and Evan Rachel Wood in HBO's 'Westworld.'

Could the Westworld story be told without the shocking violence? I'm not saying it should, but am wondering about when violence adds to a story, versus when it merely adds to a certain kind of viewership.

The simple answer is no, I don’t think it could be told without the shocking violence. HBO's Westworld is telling a story about, among other things, the danger of urging people to succumb to their worst and most violent impulses,  and for that story to truly land in today’s explicit media climate, the violence itself has to register as shocking. Some of it does strike me as excessive, especially the violence against and objectification of women. But it’s a matter of degree.

One problem, of course, is that we all have different “shock” thresholds when it comes to violence, so what may be more than enough violence to make the show’s point for one viewer is not nearly enough for the next. Another, perhaps more troubling problem, is the one you raise: That certain viewers may be watching precisely for the violence, and in particular, all that violence against women, without much regard for the anti-violent point being made. That, however, is an issue for any series about sex or violence — and is one that we can’t ask Westworld’s writers to solve all on their own.


I agree 100%  with the response you gave to the Hallmark movie question. As an African-American, I was recently discussing with co-workers my concern that all of the Hallmark movies, past and current, show only white people. (You read my mind!). I have purchased Hallmark cards for many years and am happy to see the Mahogany and Tree of Life and Spanish language line of cards. I am also pleased to see and purchase cards related to same-sex couples. It makes me wonder why, if the cards reflect the diversity we have in our society, Hallmark has not carried this over into their movies. Hopefully Hallmark will re-think their movies and produce movies that more reflect our society.

The movies don't “only” show white people: Mariah Carey starred in a Hallmark Christmas film last year, and has a new three-film deal with the company. But I can say that the actors pictured and promoted on the website for this year's Christmas films are almost exclusively white — and while some African-American or Latino characters may appear in supporting roles, they’re not having many stories built around them. And yes, that does seem like a curious stance to take for a company that’s in business to sell cards to everyone.


Do you think Grimm will be back on? I looked forward to seeing it on NBC.

And see it you shall. Grimm will be back on NBC for a sixth and final season starting Jan. 6.

Of the new shows, I’m sticking with ABC’s Speechless and NBC’s Timeless. When a time-traveling show strikes me as more believable than Designated Survivor, that ABC "jaw-dropping drama" formula is broken.

I'm definitely with you on Speechless, and very close to joining you on Designated. On the plus side, I’m enjoying Kiefer Sutherland’s performance, and am pretty much invested in his character’s attempts to pull a wounded nation back together and get the government up and running, even when those attempts strain credibility. (Is there anyone who doubts our nation's governors would leap at the chance to appoint two new senators, no matter the circumstances?) I’m less invested in the conspiracy around the terrorist attack — and totally disinterested in the soap-opera plot the show has going around paternity, the first lady and the oldest son. So one out of three, which isn't so good.

I'm sad that Crazy Ex-Girlfriend isn't gaining any viewers in its Friday night slot. I guess I should be thankful that the CW gave it another season and enjoy it while it lasts.

In general, that’s good advice for all TV shows, none of which last forever (however much it may seem like some of them do). But I think it’s particularly applicable to Crazy, a wonderful series many of us thought would never see a second month, let alone a second year. And it’s not dead yet. True, the ratings are nothing to brag about, but they were nothing to brag about last year either. CW kept it around for other reasons, and there’s always a chance those reasons will still apply. If not, well, as you said, be thankful it was on for as long as it was — and that it brought Rachel Bloom to our attention. Crazy may vanish, but my bet is Bloom isn’t going anywhere.

Why was The Carmichael Show cancelled? It was by far the best new sitcom last year — brainy, topical, and very appealing. 

I'm not as fond of the show as you are, but I’m glad you enjoyed it — and happy to be able to tell you it hasn’t been cancelled. Carmichael has been renewed for a third season and will return sometime next year, odds are in the spring.

Is there some kind of law that requires American television shows to have at least one British or Australian character on it?

It isn’t a law, but it does seem to be an increasingly strong custom. There are two main reasons for that, if you’ll forgive me for speaking in gross generalities. The first, which holds true when those actors use their native accents, is that Americans tend to “read” traits into those accents, which writers are able to use as shortcuts when creating characters.  The second is that British actors, or at least the ones we hire here, tend to be well-trained and serious about their craft. No, that doesn’t mean all British actors are serious, or that all American actors are not; it just means, in general, that British actors have a very good work reputation over here. Of course, it could just be that we’re suckers for the accent.

 The wife and I grew up in the days of TV shows that (ran) from September to May, with a few repeats during holidays and during the summer. Now there seems to be no rhyme or reason to when shows start, stop, or have reruns. There are some new shows that I think I may like to try out but if you don’t catch the first shows, you lose the plot. And when a new season starts, or stops, is anyone’s guess.  Is this the future of TV?

If current events have proven anything, it’s that none of us — especially none of us in the media — are very good at predicting the future. But if the chaos-of-choice is not the future, it certainly is the present, a product of the increasing number of TV outlets trying to find their own gaps in the schedule, and of a growing trend toward viewing on other platforms, particularly among the young.

I read your thoughts on Hallmark movies, and hope you'll read mine. Hallmark Christmas movies boast calm, stress-relief, non-violent, happy-ending viewing. No evil people (some a little cranky), no blood and gore - it's a great brand. These movies are a positive, loving escape for viewers from the burdens and sorrows of life. An incredible, guaranteed pick-me-up. Delivers 24/7, 12 months a year! 

I have nothing in general against Hallmark’s movies — though I do yearn for the days when the old Hallmark Hall of Fame had a bit more ambition than happy-ending stress relief. My problem is with the cable channel beginning its Christmas movie barrage before we’ve barely gotten past Halloween, and with the movies’ seeming belief that only white people celebrate the holiday. Christians come in all colors; it would be nice to see a few more shades reflected in Hallmark’s films.

 

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