Welcome to the Q&A with TV critic — also known to some TV fans as their “TV therapist” — Matt Roush, who’ll try to address whatever you love, loathe, are confused or frustrated or thrilled by in today’s vast TV landscape. (We know background music is too loud, it’s the most frequent complaint, but there’s always closed-captioning. Check out this story for more tips.)

One caution: This is a spoiler-free zone, so we won’t be addressing upcoming storylines here unless it’s already common knowledge. Please send your questions and comments to [email protected]. Look for Ask Matt columns on most Tuesdays.

What Does the Late Show Cancellation Say About CBS?

Question: My comment concerns the CBS network as a whole. They are steadily losing fans because of their unpopular decisions, and the network doesn’t even seem to care. They cancel shows like NCIS: Hawaii, The Equalizer, So Help Me Todd, etc. (which I realize are tough decisions made by the bottom line of a show’s profitability and viewership). CBS entertainment president Amy Reisenbach even went as far as to insult the intelligence of CBS viewers by saying that Blue Bloods was ending to “refresh the schedule” (which, if this were true, the network would also cancel Survivor, The Amazing Race and Big Brother, shows that have been on the air for far longer), And now The Late Show is ending. It’s one thing if Stephen Colbert leaves CBS at the end of his contract; it’s another when the network tells him the show will cease production. Saving money or another way for CBS to bend the knee to the Trump administration so the Skydance merger will be approved? What are your thoughts about the network as a whole? — Kyle

Matt Roush: That’s a lot to unpack, but I’ll start with the Late Show situation, which I’m still trying to process. Coming on the heels of CBS’s indefensible settling of the frivolous and petty 60 Minutes lawsuit in advance of the proposed Skydance merger, the network’s insistence that this latest blow had nothing to do with the Late Show‘s content or performance or what was happening at Paramount is akin to the Wizard of Oz telling Dorothy to pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. (Thanks to my friend Alan for that analogy.) Lousy timing and terrible optics aside, this cancellation exposes the precarious state of late-night and other programming on broadcast network TV, where ad revenue continues to fall and viewing habits continue to evolve amid the streaming revolution. This is especially acute in the late-night space, where it’s harder to monetize shows that are now largely consumed the next day or later on YouTube or other digital platforms.

For CBS to entirely abandon the Late Show franchise after next season, and to announce the news so early, is a tragedy on a number of levels. Which is why I can’t just beat up on CBS when its primary rivals, the behemoth dinosaurs of the TV industry, have also contributed to diminishing the value of their broadcast networks year by year, canceling series right and left, producing fewer series altogether, loading the schedule with cheaper reality and pointless game shows (The Quiz with Balls?) and siphoning their most provocative and original programming to their streaming platforms. (Someone explain why Poker Face doesn’t air on NBC, or why CBS is putting NCIS: Tony & Ziva on Paramount+ instead of on the network that made these actors famous.)

I will argue Kyle’s point that the network doesn’t seem to care about the impact of these difficult decisions, which are largely determined by the bottom line. (That includes letting Blue Bloods go, a move we’ve debated many times in this column.) They care deeply, which doesn’t mean they shouldn’t also feel shame and be held accountable for their handling of these crown jewels. What I hope we see in the short run is a big bump in Colbert’s ratings these next 10 months, giving him the last bitter laugh. I’m also begging the Emmy voters to reward Colbert and the Late Show writers with a much-deserved and potentially historic Emmy win. (The Daily Show already has plenty.)

Will CBS Just Go Dark After Prime Time?

Question: Regarding the abrupt cancellation of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the #1-rated show in its timeslot, along with the 32-year-old franchise: Does CBS plan to air a test pattern as their cost-effective alternative? Or will they have affiliates play the National Anthem, then sign off after the local news? — Monica

Matt Roush: That’s the multi-million-dollar question, isn’t it? Will late night, with few exceptions, go the way of Saturday-night prime-time TV, which once used to host many of TV’s top series (back in my formative years in the 1970s) but now is a wasteland? They haven’t said what, if anything, will go into this time period, and they’ve got some time to figure it out, but whatever the decision, it’s likely to be a step backward.

The Emmys’ Blind Spot: Network TV

Question: Once again, I won’t be watching the Emmy Awards show. I am bitterly disappointed that most of the nominees are from streaming shows, most of which I do not watch. My favorite shows, such as Chicago Med, Fire and PD, NCIS, Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order, SVU, Fire Country, so many more, are totally ignored. Why, why, why? I don’t understand how such great acting, storylines, directing, etc., are so neglected. Saying “this is the way the world is going” is a copout and sounds so ignorant. Very unhappy. — Christine K., Belmont, CA

Matt Roush: You’re not alone. And once again, I’m hearing cries from the disenchanted that the TV Academy should establish separate categories for broadcast comedies and especially dramas, since they’re basically invisible to Emmy voters. As I say every year, I don’t see this happening because the Emmys are already top-heavy with categories, and by annexing all of broadcast TV, that would preclude occasional breakouts like Abbott Elementary and, this year, Matlock‘s Kathy Bates from competing at the grown-ups’ table. The real issue is that the meat-and-potatoes fare that characterizes most popular network-TV drama hews to the formula of the crime/medical/rescue procedural, and while there is undeniably good work being done in this genre — if they weren’t entertaining viewers, they’d be gone — these shows aren’t taken as seriously as the ambitious series on streamers and premium cable that often defy and expand genre. It’s true they also tend to enjoy more creative freedom and expansive budgets, so it’s not a level playing field. Copout or not, that’s the reality of the situation.

Bring Back Ballard!

Question: I just finished watching Ballard, Prime Video‘s spinoff from the Bosch universe, and am puzzled why we haven’t heard news of a renewal yet for a second season. Should we be alarmed? I know you’ve cautioned in the past about writers leaving shows hanging on a cliffhanger if there’s no guarantee of continuing the story, but I’d really hate if Renée Ballard’s (Maggie Q) story ended on that dark note. — Nancy

Matt Roush: I agree. I wasn’t crazy about that cliffhanger, to be honest, but I’ll be surprised if Prime Video doesn’t give the show a second season. Bosch, which is also based on Michael Connelly‘s terrific novels (and whose characters made appearances throughout Ballard), lasted seven seasons, and its Legacy continuation another three. It hasn’t even been two weeks since Ballard dropped the entire season—which I’m not convinced was the best strategy—and it’s still ranked No. 1 among Prime Video originals as of this writing. I’m often baffled by the streamers when it comes to their release and renewal strategies, but there are reports that a Season 2 writers’ room is already up and running, so I’m hoping and betting that’s not just wishful thinking.

Too Many Contests, Not Enough Cooking

Question: Is it just me, or does it seem that much of Food Network‘s programming is tailored around food challenges? Do you think they’ll ever get back to their roots of actual cooking shows that I miss so much? It seems mornings, especially on the weekend, have been relegated to the cooking shows. — Todd

Matt Roush: I can say with some authority that it’s definitely not just you. As with many cable networks, they’ve found a formula and a handful of franchises that draw the most viewers, and they saturate the prime-time schedule with it to maximize the most eyeballs with the least variety. (This is also why you find almost nothing but paranormal shows on Travel Channel.) You have to get up pretty early to sample the more educational cooking shows, which play more like syndicated TV of the good old days. I doubt that strategy will change anytime soon.

And Finally …

Question: I know in the grand scheme of the world that this is a first-world problem, but I cannot understand what HBO is doing. I know they changed the name of their streamer back to HBO Max. Given that there is, somewhere, a Cinemax, and that HBO and Cinemax were often linked, way back in the cable days, the name HBO Max made me think the two had finally merged, and I would be getting both HBO and Cinemax content with my HBO Max subscription. Apparently, this is not the case. So, what is the Max? Why not leave it as HBO, or if they are trying to say that they are more than your gramma’s HBO, add a + like everyone else? — Chris D.

Matt Roush: I’ll admit to not understanding what Cinemax is even all about, especially since it no longer produces any original programming and is way off my radar. From the start, the name of HBO’s streaming platform has generated confusion, even before the new boss from Discovery took HBO out of the title for a while. I get that “Max” is basically another way to say “Plus,” indicating that the streamer offers more content than HBO’s linear channel, including movies from the TCM library, which I check out regularly. (I still don’t understand why an industry fave like Hacks isn’t on HBO as well, but that’s another issue.) I’m just glad that HBO is back in the brand’s name where it belongs.

That’s all for now, and because I’ll be taking some time off as we approach August, this column may not appear as regularly for a while. But remember, we can’t do this without your participation, so please keep sending questions and comments about TV to [email protected]. (Please include a first name with your question.)