TV Q&A with Rob Owen
Post-Gazette TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions online every Friday in Tuned In Journal blog at post-gazette.com/tv. Here’s a selection of recent queries.
Q: Where is CBS moving “Mike & Molly” to or is it on a hiatus? I have not seen the show on the schedule for a while.
— ELAINE, MT. LEBANON
Rob: “Mike & Molly” has been on hiatus but it will be returning this week at 8:30 p.m. Monday on KDKA-TV. The show’s final episodes will air back-to-back at 8 and 8:30 p.m.
Q: On the Jan. 31 episode where Madame Secretary's father-in-law died and was buried here in Pittsburgh, it showed establishing aerial shots of Pittsburgh but did the rest of the shooting take place in the 'Burg? If so, where?
They did a few references to our dialect (yinzers, Mellon, etc) so there has to be a connection somewhere.
I also remember an earlier episode when they visited his father in Pittsburgh and they took a walk in what looked like the same park as in the most recent episode. Again, where was it?
— JOE, ALLISON PARK
Rob: The episode’s writer has no particular Pittsburgh ties, as for locations, “Madam Secretary” is shot entirely in New York. The park scene was filmed at Sunset Park in Brooklyn.
Any Pittsburgh footage was likely stock footage filmed locally for previous productions and purchased for use in “Madam Secretary.”
Q: Since “Suits” character Mike Ross’ “secret” is out that he is not a lawyer and did not attend law school will this be the last season for the show?
— RON, BETHEL PARK
Rob: Nope. “Suits” has been renewed for a sixth season that will begin airing sometime this summer. These days the best dramas paint themselves into a corner and then find a creative way to take the show in a new direction. (Think: “Breaking Bad.”)
Q: I was wondering if the television series “Appalachian Outlaws” and “Top Gear U.S.” are being renewed?
— PETER, FOREST HILLS
Rob: A new season of the American “Top Gear” recently completed production and will debut Tuesday [4-26] at 9 p.m. on History.
“Appalachian Outlaws” was canceled and won’t be back.
Q: Has the conversion to HD been halted or are cable providers choosing not to pick them up? For instance, are WGN America and TV Land broadcast in HD? Why the halt in conversions on Comcast?
— JOHN, MT. LEBANON
Rob: I suspect there are money issues at play. Also, until recently (especially in the case of WGN America), both networks were largely rerun channels without a lot of original programming.
“These channels are available in standard definition,” said local Comcast spokesman Bob Grove. “We have more than 100 channels in HD, but no plans at the moment to add these in HD.”
Ask TV questions by emailing rowen@post-gazette.com, including your first name and location, or submitting the form at post-gazette.com/tv.
First Published: April 24, 2016, 4:00 a.m.
