Nov 21, 2016 4 min read

Thoughts on a November to remember – or to forget:

• One item that’s become apparent in light of the 18-month buildup to this month’s presidential election is the need for an actual cable news outlet. It’s painfully clear that neither CNN nor Fox qualifies.

The litmus test comes when discussing news bias: Republicans will tell you CNN is one-sided; Democrats will point fingers at Fox; and independents will just throw up their hands.

Aside from the perplexing fact that CNN and Fox, for the most part, ignored any news except the presidential election, the two outlets evidently assume their viewers cannot, given the facts, make decisions on their own.

• I miss Headline News, the capsule, half-hour news program that tanked in the ratings, perhaps because CNN and Fox are sadly correct. People want to have news interpreted for them.

• I’m not certain why all three Pittsburgh stations devoted hours of airtime to last week’s funeral for slain Canonsburg police Officer Scott Bashioum, but it was surely a somber, yet gratifying and impressive television experience.

Several readers asked why the same coverage was not afforded to the four officers killed in a Pittsburgh suburb a few years ago. The answer is most likely that there were separate funerals (the stations did cover a unified memorial service, as I recall).

What I saw of Bashioum’s funeral coverage was exceptional, especially KDKA’s John Shumway’s at times emotional verbal account of the church service (cameras were not permitted.)

• Once again, it’s maddening that just eight weeks into the television season, we’ve already had series “fall finales” with no indication of when a show might return. Historically, television viewing dips between Thanksgiving and Christmas, so it’s understandable why networks might want to give some series a break over the holidays.

However, last year, some series did not return with new episodes until late February or early March – missing the two heaviest TV viewing months of the year.

ABC has already announced that “Match Game” will sub for “Designated Survivor” for several weeks beginning in January, while “To Tell the Truth” gets a two-hour Sunday block the same month, subbing for “Once Upon a Time” and “Secrets and Lies.”

• At least one network has promised its show will be back by the time the holiday decorations come down. (Of course, in this neck of the woods, that could indeed be March.)

• So far, just two fall series have been canceled, both on ABC. Episode orders for both “Notorious” and “Conviction” have been cut.

The five biggest freshman hits in the ratings that count (18- to 49-year-old viewers within three days of original broadcast) are “This Is Us,” “Designated Survivor,” “Kevin Can Wait,” “Lethal Weapon” and “Bull.”

• Although it’s no guarantee they will air, episode orders for an unusually high number of newer series have been extended through the end of the season. The latest shows to get full-season commitments are CBS’s “Code Black,” The Great Indoors” and “Man with a Plan.” The guess here is that CBS plans to run out the string of the low-rated “Code Black” episodes until spring, when it will be replaced by a spring tryout.

I’m guessing the appeal of “The Great Indoors” is limited to millennials, but as that is a missing element of CBS’s audience, it’s no surprise it was renewed and given the prized berth after “Big Bang Theory.” “Man with a Plan,” like the also extended “Kevin Can Wait,” is a perfectly average show. I do like the set’s kitchen photo of the Pittsburgh incline, however.

• “The Odd Couple” has not yet been given an episode extension, which most likely means it’s the odd man out on next fall’s schedule. It didn’t help that the comedy was paired with “Two Broke Girls.” Two different audiences – completely.

• To no one’s surprise, HBO has renewed “Westworld,” “Divorce” and “Insecure” for a second season, while, in a mild surprise, “Duck Dynasty” is ending its run on A&E after this spring.

• One of the more compelling, albeit least publicized, cable dramas is USA’s “Eyewitness,” a small-town murder mystery that’s more about atmosphere than storyline. With washed-out colors and a washed-up lead character, it’s primarily about townspeople trying to reidentify themselves, although it’s engrossing enough on its somewhat superficial solve-the-murder level as well.

It airs Sundays at 11 p.m., but you’ll need to catch up on past episodes first.