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.
Question: Low-rated but big-budget gems like NBC’s The Brave and Timeless seem too good to be true. How is it possible that Timeless was renewed for a second season and The Brave continues to air? I am so grateful for NBC’s patience or good will toward these favorites of mine.
Answer: Being a devoted and vocal fan of a low-rated series never hurts. In fact, last year NBC canceled Timeless and then reversed its decision and renewed it for a second season, thanks in part to USA TODAY’s annual Save Our Shows survey, in which the timetraveling series came out definitively on top. NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt told USA TODAY in May that NBC “heard from fans and the outcry and we thought, ‘Well, let’s figure out how to try to bring it back.’ ” The 10-episode second season is set to debut on March 11 at 10 ET/PT.
Q: Just finished watching the premiere of CW’s Black Lightning and it was fantastic! They did a great job of highlighting and relating to current events while maintaining the thrills and cliffhangers that are synonymous with the DC/CW universe! So excited for the rest of the season! I have my fingers crossed for an Arrow/Flash/Black Lightning collaboration soon.
A: You may have your fingers crossed for a while. Black Lightning’s creators have said that the show does
not exist in the “Arrowverse” alongside other CW superhero shows. However, that might change. When Supergirl premiered on CBS in 2015, the plan was for the show to exist on its own, yet eventually, Grant Gustin’s Flash made a crossover appearance. Depending on ratings and creative plans, Black Lightning could cross over, or keep saving the world solo.
Q: I understand that awards shows like the SAG Awards have to be open to all TV media outlets, but some of us fans who can’t afford all those pay services have never seen many of the shows up for awards. Any possibility of different categories for free TV and pay TV?
A: Doubtful. The technology through which we watch TV is changing rapidly, but the TV Academy (which votes on the Emmys) and others change incrementally. And while the streaming services are relatively new players, basic and premium cable shows have been dominating awards for several years now. However, it doesn’t mean that broadcast shows will never compete. This Is Us made a strong showing at the Emmys in September and picked up a win for drama ensemble at the SAGs.