‘Stranger Things 2’ starts in Pittsburgh

Fans of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” are likely to appreciate season two, another nostalgia trip that continues to embrace the vibe of 1980s-era Steven Spielberg and Stephen King stories while adding a nod to Joe Dante’s “Gremlins,” too.

Local viewers may appreciate “Stranger Things 2” — the name apes ’80s movie title conventions — just a little more: The first scene of the new season is set in Pittsburgh, complete with the familiar skyline and Pittsburgh police cars giving chase to a new character.

From there the story shifts back to Hawkins, Ind., a year after season one.

Will “Zombie Boy” Byers (Noah Schnapp), lost to the Upside Down for most of last season, has waking nightmares of a giant spider-like creature tromping through town. It’s the “Anniversary Effect,” according to his new, reassuring doctor (Paul Reiser), who says, “Trust me,” ensuring viewers will do the opposite.

Will’s mom, Joyce (Winona Ryder), didn’t get together with Sheriff Hopper (David Harbour), instead finding romance with nice guy Bob, played by Sean Astin (“Lord of the Rings”).

Hopper, last seen leaving food in the forest for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), fends off questions from an investigator (Brett Gelman) who may be preparing to take the family of the late, lamented Barb to the cleaners.

But the heart of “Stranger Things” remains the three young friends — Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) — who have a new mystery to solve: Who is this “MADMAX” who beat their top score on Dig Dug at the arcade?

Entertaining and warm in appropriate 1980s fashion, “Stranger Things 2,” now streaming, fills its nine episodes better than season one filled its eight episodes. There’s one exception: the second season’s seventh episode goes off on a tangent that executive producers/

producers/brothers Matt and Ross Duffer likely opted for because of the character exploration it offers, but it still feels like a distraction fromthe season’s main plot.

Thankfully, season two’s story isn’t too duplicative of season one. The characters grow and age, stumbling headlong into first crushes.

As for the Pittsburghness of season two, “Stranger Things 2” did not film in Pittsburgh but shot in Atlanta with the Pittsburgh skyline added in postproduction. And it turns out the new character in that first scene doesn’t reappear until episode seven and by then she’s in Chicago, so Pittsburgh’s turn in the “Stranger Things” spotlight is short-lived.

The Duffers had no comment on “Why Pittsburgh?” beyond a Netflix publicist saying the new location stemmed from a desire to expand the universe beyond Hawkins, but there was no specific reason for choosing Pittsburgh.

‘S.W.A.T.’ debuts

Among the new fall military/law enforcement shows, the pilot of CBS’s “S.W.A.T.” (10 p.m. Thursday, KDKA-TV) proved a slightly better bet than the already-faltering-in-the-ratings “Brave” (NBC) and “Valor” (The CW), and better, too, than CBS’s own more successful “SEAL Team.”

That’s not to say “S.W.A.T.,” a reinvention of the 1970s series of the same name, is great TV. It’s a pretty pedestrian procedural but executive producersAaron Thomas (“Sleepy Hollow,” “CSI: NY”) and Shawn Ryan (“The Shield”) allow some current events to play in the pilot that give the show’s first episode deeper resonance as a white Los Angeles S.W.A.T. team leader inadvertently shoots an African-American teen while pursuing a criminal suspect.

The team leader gets fired and replaced by Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson (Shemar Moore, “Criminal Minds”), who is black, for improved optics, according to the police department’s top boss. Of course Hondo has his own baggage: He’s sleeping with his supervisor, Jessica Cortez (Stephanie Sigman).

Then in episode two, any pretense of exploring an acute social issue mostly disappears in favor of banter among team members, busting down doors, potentially unconstitutional stops, searches and seizures and the showboating sight of Hondo hanging off the side of a S.W.A.T. helicopter— basically CBS procedural business as usual.

Kept/canceled

CBS All Access renewed “Star Trek: Discovery” for a second season.

FX renewed “Better Things” for a third season.

Hulu renewed “Casual” fora fourth and final season.

CBS renewed “Salvation” for a second season to air next summer but canceled “Zoo”after three seasons.

Showtime will bring back “Ray Donovan” for season six.

Netflix renewed both the animated comedy “Big Mouth” and “American Vandal”for second seasons.

Channel surfing

CBS News named Jeff Glor the new anchor of “CBS Evening News,” replacing Scott Pelley, who returned to “60 Minutes.” … The final season of “Longmire” debuts on Netflix on Nov. 17. ... Mt. Lebanon native writer Terri Minsky's live-action series “Andi Mack” (8 p.m. Friday) returns, breaking new ground for a Disney Channel series when one of the series regulars begins to realize he is gay.

Tuned In online

Today’s TV Q&A column responds to questions about “NCIS,” “Chicago P.D.” and “Wheeler Dealers.” This week’s Tuned In Journal includes posts on “At Home with Amy Sedaris.” Read online-only TV content at communityvoices.post-gazette.com/ arts-entertainment-living/ tuned-in.