CHAT WITH KELLY
USA TODAY’s Kelly Lawler chats with readers Mondays at 2 p.m. ET at facebook.com/ USATODAY. Read edited excerpts below, email questions to klawler@usatoday.com or tweet them to @klawls and visit her live online.
Q I’ve watched every episode of Downward Dog on ABC. I enjoy this show so very much because I have two dogs and can relate to all of the situations that arise on the show. ... Any chance this critically acclaimed show with decent ratings will be renewed? AI
love Downward Dog, too! The show, which stars Allison Tolman ( Fargo), is a sweet, funny show, especially for dog lovers. But ABC canceled it last week. Creators Samm Hodges and Michael Killen, in a Twitter post, said the network (which declined to comment) “loved it creatively and really wanted to make more but couldn’t find a financial path to do so.”
Q What are your thoughts on the upcoming American Idol revival? A Mostly
I think it’s unnecessary. Besides being a little too soon to revive (we thought 2016 was the final season), the TV landscape is just so crowded now: NBC has The Voice and America’s
Got Talent, which share some DNA with Idol, and AGT has original Idol judge Simon Cowell on its panel. This summer has seen revivals of old game shows reach a fever pitch, and ABC’s
The Gong Show is reminiscent of Idol’s early, less kind, days. The first announced judge, Katy Perry, could be a huge hit (or miss) for Idol. She succeeds on TV talk-show bits such as “Carpool Karaoke,” but she also is a huge presence who could pull attention away from the performers. Q Are you excited for Star Trek: Discovery? A I am cautiously optimistic. The show, which premieres on CBS on Sept. 24 but will then be available only on CBS All Access, has been delayed twice. Delays can signal some issues. Yet the first trailer for the show has fantastic production values and a strong central character played by Sonequa Martin- Green ( The Walking Dead).