CHAT WITH ROBERT
USA TODAY’s Robert Bianco chats with readers Mondays at 2 p.m. ET at facebook.com/USATODAY. Read edited excerpts below, email questions to askbianco@usatoday.com or tweet them to @biancorobert and visit him live online.
Q After that Law & Order: SVU episode that was based on the sexual abuse allegations at Fox News, there is no doubt that Dick Wolf has an agenda.
A I have no doubt Wolf, producer of NBC’s SVU and its multiple Chicago shows, has an agenda. But as far as I can tell, his agenda is to get and keep as many shows on the air as he can, without regard to politics, social causes or, it seems, quality.
If you comb through all of Wolf ’s shows, you’ll find some episodes that will please or offend you, no matter where you stand politically. It may even be true that SVU, because of its subject matter, ripped-from-the-headlines approach and New York setting, may be more liberal than Chicago P.D. and Chicago Fire — but my guess is that from week to week, any substantial difference would be hard to spot.
Q I’ve given up on Modern Family, which has become too silly a show about a group of overprivileged people who seem to take that privilege for granted. That’s opposed to my very favorite, The Middle.
A I adore The Middle, and I agree that Modern Family is not as good as it once was — though considering how good it once was, some decline was pretty much inevitable. The genius of Modern Family was its ability to make us see past any economic, ethnic or sexual-identity difference we may have with the characters to the humanity that we all share. The problem with the show these days is not excess privilege; it’s that excess silliness is making that shared humanity harder to spot.
QI wish Matt LeBlanc were in a better sitcom than CBS’ Man With a Plan.
A Oh, me too — and thankfully, he is. It’s called Episodes, it runs on Showtime, and it returns Aug. 20 for a final season. So enjoy it while you can, because after that, we’re stuck with Man.