Please send all questions to askmatt@tvguidemagazine.com

Thanks, readers, for your patience. With the TCA press tour, travel and a few special assignments behind me, I’ve finally cleared the deck to address your on-target questions. Here we go.

Question: 24 has been in the news lately due to its massive budget, including its well-paid main actor. I can understand the network needing to watch its budget, especially with a show that, while still performing well, is not pulling in the ratings it was a few years ago. Kiefer Sutherland has openly spoke about his desire to play Jack Bauer on the big screen for some time now, making his departure (if not the show's) more likely. 24 has reinvented itself many times in the past, usually with good results, and losing Jack Bauer could breathe new life into the show. Annie Wersching is certainly capable of taking over the lead role, possibly the most capable person 24 has had for such a task. Do you think a cheaper, Jack-less incarnation of 24 is possible, and do you think audiences will go for it?—Todd

Matt Roush: Let’s hope it never comes to that. What’s happening now is the first round of negotiations playing out in the press. In the new issue of TV Guide Magazine, Howard Gordon tells us, “It will require several weeks of serious discussion among cast members and executives to make that determination [about whether and how to continue].” There’s no question the show is expensive; the cost is all on the screen. If Fox (network and studio) can figure out how to keep the production economically viable, I’m sure they’ll do what they can to keep it on the schedule, where it’s such an essential asset in the back half of the season. Personally, I can’t see 24 existing without Jack Bauer. It would be like going to a James Bond movie and having 009 show up. That said, there may be a movement afoot to prove that, like ER or Law & Order or CSI (to name a few), maybe the format and franchise is the star here, and 24 can keep the clock running with a new hero. (Much as I like Annie Wersching, I don’t see taking over the lead position.) Again, if that happens, I think we’ll likely see a replay of those Mulder-less seasons of The X-Files, and do we really want that?

Question: In the June 8 edition of Ask Matt, you discussed how Conan O'Brien is doing on The Tonight Show. Have your feelings changed any since then? Personally, I can't stand the guy, never have, probably never will. Given that, is there any talk at NBC about bringing Jay Leno back to the 11:30 pm/ET show? How long can NBC wait while the current Tonight Show hemorrhaging viewers? They went from the No.1 show in the time period to a very weak second, and it continues to slide. Is there any concern or are they willing to wait for a while? But it isn't like Conan is new to talk shows, he already had one that was reasonably successful at 12:30 so it's not like he's learning the ropes. And how is Jimmy Fallon doing at 12:30 am? Are his ratings better, the same, or worse, than Conan in that time slot? If worse, it would seem to make sense to go back to Leno at 11:30 and Conan at 12:30 and admit the whole thing was a mistake. Sure, they're willing to give Leno lots of time at 10/9c to get/keep an audience, but even if it is a cheap way to fill five hours a week (which seems to be their only justification right now), I suspect they won't be winning all that many viewers at 10 pm. They've already admitted the "new king of talk shows" isn't, so what do you see happening? Whatever happens, I don't think NBC can wait too long to fix the problems all this shuffling around has caused.—Howard R

Matt Roush: It’s a bit premature, don’t you think, to suggest shaking things up again before the shake-up has even finished playing itself out. There’s no question that Conan’s summer plunge has been noticeably alarming, but NBC continues to argue that his younger demos (which they sell to advertisers) are all they care about. Whether you believe the network or not, it’s a sad statement when a franchise that was traditionally had a broad and wide appeal has been transformed into a niche broadcast that is turning off millions of former NBC loyalists. Does this mean NBC is about to throw in the towel? Hardly. Jimmy Fallon clearly isn’t the next best thing in late night, either, but NBC seems happy with his young following (while the rest of us flock to the more stimulating banter on Craig Ferguson's show). However Leno fares in his new prime-time experiment, don’t expect NBC to pull the plug anytime soon. They’re investing in this strategy for the long haul, and their bottom line is as much economic as creative. Again, reason to weep. But even if Leno ranks a competitive third most nights, NBC will probably find a way to make it look like a corporate victory.

Question: [Written before Mad Men’s premiere on Sunday] How excited am I that Mad Men is back? Too excited! I think this is one of those times when I have a serious case of envy for TV critics and their ability to screen things before the public can see it. As a TV critic, do you ever come across shows that didn't allow any previewing? Is it like films, where no screening usually means a not-so-great movie? And thanks for covering the TCA. So out of everything you've seen, what's the, say, top-5 shows to watch next year for you? (P.S.: Was watching Mad Men Season 1 DVD, and hey, there you are, in a special feature. Now you can say you were in Mad Men, huh? Anyway, it was a bit surprising. Are you in any other DVDs?—Belinda

Matt Roush: There are very rare occasions when a show isn’t made available for critical preview, and the result is rarely good. I can’t think of a specific example, but there are also cases given the rapid turnaround in TV production when final versions of shows aren’t screened in advance, and we have to keep an open mind about such works in progress. (Pilots this season that I haven’t yet seen a final version of include Three Rivers, The Forgotten, The Beautiful Life and Hank, and for various reasons, some perhaps unfair, these are regarded as among the most problematic new shows of the fall.) Since you asked, here’s my current top-5 new shows of the new season, or at least the ones I’m most eagerly awaiting watching new episodes of: Glee, Modern Family, FlashForward, Community and The Good Wife. Throw in Melrose Place as a possibly addictive guilty pleasure, and V (now set for a November launch) as another potential knockout, and you’ve got the building blocks for a pretty promising fall. Thanks for noticing the Mad Men DVD cameo. That was a true honor, as was moderating the Paley Fest panel for the show (clips available online) between seasons 1 and 2. You can also see me reflecting on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in one of the extras in the final-season boxed set. But the most memorable DVD moment for me was on the final-season set of Farscape, in which cameras capture the emotional mood as the show wrapped its fourth season only to learn it had been canceled, and the show’s producer reads my online tribute (and rant) to the assembled cast and crew. It’s enough to make you cry.

Question: Do you like V or FlashForward better?—Zachary

Matt Roush: A direct, but tough to answer, question. Let me put it this way. I was more entertained by the V pilot, but also impressed by FlashForward, and I won’t really know for sure how I feel, especially about the latter, until I’ve seen a few more hours to discover how it plays on a weekly basis. The pilot for FlashForward is at times as spectacular as that of Lost, the show to which it is (perhaps unfairly) being compared most often, but the premise feels unnecessarily dense and confusing from the get-go (unlike Lost) and strangely limited, as the flash forward mind trip only carries the characters forward a number of months. I’m very much wait-and-see on that one, wondering if it will be a keeper of it will implode like The Nine. Whereas I can’t wait to see the next hour of V, which grabbed me right away in the manner of an old-fashioned page-turner. I hope both succeed, and would love for at least one of them to break out the way Lost did in 2004.


Question: My question is about Drop Dead Diva. I’ve seen the first four episodes, and I find myself enjoying it more and more. Of course it has elements (good ones) of Eli Stone (the interesting civil law cases) and the movies Heaven Can Wait and It’s a Wonderful Life (the body-switching and guardian angel). But it also has the interesting and original twist of the former model “trapped” in the “other-sized” body of the brainy Jane (the amazing Brooke Elliott). The combination of comedy and heart-tugging drama—such as when Jane had to handle the divorce of Deb’s parents—reminds me of the good old early days of Ugly Betty. So, what’s your thinking about the long-term future of this show? Is it catching on with audiences? After my disappointment at losing Eli, I’m happy to find a show our whole family can watch that’s entertaining and NOT a crime procedural (which I like, but jeez, do we need more of them?). P.S.: Brooke Elliott is equally as beautiful as the other women on the show, and I’m glad to see the role of the bigger woman played for more than comic relief.-Alison

Matt Roush: There is much to admire about Drop Dead Diva, which I gave an 8-out-of-10 ranking in the magazine upon its premiere. I agree with all your points, especially the rave about Brooke Elliott, who I described as “a delight playing two souls trapped in one body that’s uncomfortable in its skin, and it’s a hoot as Jane’s inner Deb learns to love having a brain, even at the expense of her fashion sense.” Happily, the show is performing very well, and I imagine it will be a part of Lifetime’s future for quite a while.

Question: I'm a huge TV science-fiction fan, and after hearing rumblings about Torchwood not long after it began, I decided to check out the first season. I watched a couple of episodes before giving up on it because I found it very silly and clunky and not worth my time. Now I'm hearing raves about it, and especially about the Children of Earth miniseries, which sounds much more serious and professional than what I saw in those first episodes. Did you like Torchwood from the start? Or, if your first impression was similar to mine, when do you think it got good? Also, can Children of Earth be enjoyed by someone who hasn't watched the regular series?—Julie

Matt Roush: I liked the regular Torchwood series more than you, but I can see where its jaunty tone might come to some as silly. Children of Earth, on the other hand, is from an almost entirely different universe. I can’t recommend it highly enough. It is tough, scary, unrelenting and operating on a much higher plane than I ever would have expected from this show. Don’t worry about the previous seasons. You can jump right into this one. I recommended this to many people, including fellow TV insiders who’d never seen Torchwood, and I heard no complaints.

Question: Since, more often than not, I have agreed with your television opinions over the years, I decided to watch Torchwood: Children of Earth, based on your glowing review. And I have to say, you were sooo right. Having to wait 24 hours for the next installment was almost torture. I have since seen the first two seasons on DVD, and now I'm completely hooked. But recently, I heard a disturbing rumor that John Barrowman might be joining Desperate Housewives next season, and I'm concerned about what that means for a 4th season of Torchwood. You said in a previous Ask Matt column that you spoke with creator Russell T. Davies, and that he said a sequel was very likely. But as much as I loved Children of Earth, it wasn't enough! I think I speak for many fans when I say we want a full 13-episode season of this awesome show. Any thoughts?—Camille

Matt Roush: Whatever John Barrowman does or doesn’t do in the near future, he has also stated very publicly that he’s eager to keep playing Captain Jack for as long as possible, so I wouldn’t worry on that front. Davies told me he probably won’t start brainstorming a new Torchwood series until the new year, but he seemed very taken by this miniseries format, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the next chapter in Torchwood’s history plays out in similar form. Unless the story he comes up with is so big it takes more than five hours to play out. Like you, I can’t wait to see what’s next.