Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Saturday Tribune-Review.
Q: I was getting set to watch the Dec. 21 morning news on WPXI at 5:30 a.m., but they had another prerecorded show on. Their news came on at 6 with meteorologist Adis Juklo reading the news and doing the weather. Then at 6:30, Lauren Talotta showed up and it was business as usual. Someone sleep in or was it a schedule screw-up?
— Robyn via email
Rob: My understanding is it was the latter.
Evidently, someone at Channel 11 scheduled Talotta to fill in, but Talotta was never told about the assignment. When called that morning, she headed to the station.
Reddit was also buzzing with speculation about what happened and why Juklo was pushed into doing double duty.
Talotta and WPXI news director Scott Trabandt did not respond to requests for an answer to Robyn’s question.
Q: What’s going on at HGTV? They are no longer showing any of my favorite shows, such as “Married to Real Estate,” “Renovation Aloha,” “Property Brothers” — just to name a few, and replacing them with either reruns or old movies.
— Jack, Stockdale
Rob: Per an HGTV spokeswoman, “Like many networks, HGTV rotates through seasons, premieres and special events throughout the year, which sometimes means leaning into reruns or curated programming blocks between new launches. We’re actively in production on returning fan-favorites, developing exciting new series and preparing fresh episodes that will be rolling out soon. HGTV continues to be deeply committed to the shows and talent our viewers love — including the franchises [Jack] mentioned — stay tuned because there’s plenty of new inspiration, heart and home storytelling on the way.”
HGTV parent company Warner Bros. Discovery is in the midst of being sold – either outright to Skydance’s Paramount or broken up and partially sold to Netflix, with the cable channels, including HGTV, being spun off into their own company. The latter, as of Dec. 26, has been the preferred method of the WBD board, so maybe skimping on original programming is a way to pad the bottom line.
In December, HGTV announced a 2026 slate that includes new seasons of “Zillow Gone Wild” and “Castle Impossible” and a new show, “Wild Vacation Rentals,” described as an “epic girls’ trip” starring actresses/comedians Sherry Cola (“Joy Ride”) and D’Arcy Carden (“The Good Place”).
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Q: What goes through your mind when you need to watch a full series that you find insufferable?
What are your thoughts when you see a respected actor miscast or in a series that’s so bad that he/she can’t save it?
There are times when I start something with great expectations and enthusiasm and then stop after a couple of episodes.
Not sure how I’d feel about being forced to keep watching based on what I do for a living.
Again, I genuinely appreciate your insight and detailed articles (see: “The Pitt”).
— Frank via email
Rob: Thank you, Frank, for your kind words.
When it comes to watching screeners for review, there is nothing set in stone about how many episodes a network or streaming service will provide to critics. Sometimes we get one episode, sometimes two or three, sometimes all but the finale and sometimes the whole season.
It’s certainly more fun to watch all of a series if the show is good or at least shows potential. But there’s also the question of how much time I have available for any one program. I do try to watch all the episodes provided, but I won’t claim to have a 100% track record of accomplishing that.
As for my feelings when reviewing a “bad” show, I do try to look for what works even if the show is boring me to tears. But I’m not going to sugarcoat it because part of my job is to be a kind of “consumer reports,” offering guidance on what’s worth your time and what is not.
Honestly, the most difficult reviews are for shows that aren’t great or terrible. It’s easier to praise or pummel a program. It’s more challenging to write about shows that land in that murky middle ground.
