TV Talk: Missing this series? Watch that show instead

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen offers a viewing tip for the coming week.

With the 2023-24 TV season underway, viewers are mostly finding their favorite scripted series aren’t back due to the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes.

No new “Abbott Elementary,” no original “Chicago Fire,” no fresh “Blue Bloods,” no topical “Saturday Night Live.”

Even with a tentative deal between writers and Hollywood producers in place, it will take several weeks to get that contract ratified, which means we’re still months away from fresh episodes of scripted prime-time series (daytime shows and late-night shows will likely return in just a few weeks). And, actors still need a new contract.

If scripts were written pre-strike, nimble broadcast network shows, especially multi-cam, studio-based sitcoms, can deliver episodes in two months, though given the fast-approaching holiday season it’s unlikely new episodes of most returning shows will be on air before January.

In most cases, no scripts have been written, so it’s likely to be a three-month or more lag once new contracts get ratified by the unions’ memberships.

In place of regular ongoing series, broadcast channels are offering up a lot of unscripted fare and a few scripted imports from streaming and foreign channels. Here are some suggested substitutes for shows that won’t be back with new episodes anytime soon:

“Yellowstone”/ “Dallas:” The dirty little secret of TV, including streaming TV: It always regresses to the mean, per former NBC and Fox scheduler Preston Beckman. Netflix began proclaiming it would never have ads – now it does. Streaming began with Netflix releasing all episodes at once – now most streaming series roll episodes out on a weekly basis, just like traditional linear TV. When “Yellowstone” came along, prime-time soaps were in a bit of a doldrum, perhaps in part because pretty much every drama had become serialized, diluting the impact of ongoing storylines. But “Yellowstone,” for all its cinematic high-gloss sheen, is a modern-day “Dallas” transported from Texas oil fields to a Montana ranch. It’s yet another example of TV regressing to the mean. The strikes afford viewers the opportunity to go back and watch “Dallas” with seasons two-to-14 streaming on Amazon Freevee. (And if you haven’t seen “Yellowstone” on Paramount Network or streaming on Peacock, the first season is airing Sunday nights on CBS.)

“Poker Face”/“Columbo:” There’s no question the Natasha Lyonne-starring Peacock series “Poker Face” is a gussied-up, more cinematic and lightly serialized take on “Columbo,” with the murder up front and the rest of the episode following efforts to solve the crime. While waiting out the strike and the return of “Poker Face” with new episodes, why not try “Columbo” starring Peter Falk as the rumpled detective? “Columbo” is even on Peacock, same as “Poker Face.” “Columbo” episodes can also be found on Amazon Freevee and Tubi.

“Shrinking”/“Dispatches from Elsewhere:” Fans of Apple TV+’s shrink comedy starring Jason Segel might also enjoy his odd, one- season 2020 AMC show, “Dispatches from Elsewhere,” streaming on AMC+. Segal plays an everyday guy who finds himself thrust into a mysterious experience with three others. Like “Shrinking,” “Dispatches” harnesses Segel’s hangdog likability.

“Ghosts”/“Ghosts:” Even CBS is getting into the swing of like-minded replacement programming with “NCIS: Sydney” (8 p.m. Nov. 14) and the original British “Ghosts,” which previously streamed on Max. The British “Ghosts” will get a linear TV run on CBS at 9 and 9:30 p.m. Thursdays beginning Nov. 16. The premise of the show is the same as the American version, but some of the ghostly archetypes differ, including a caveman instead of a Viking; a WWII officer in place of a Revolutionary War soldier.

“Grey’s Anatomy”/“Dr. Romantic:” With the rise of streaming services, American TV viewers seem to have become accustomed to foreign series generally and subtitles in particular. Niche streamer Rakuten Viki, purveyor of Asian content, recommends the Korean drama “Dr. Romantic” as a “Grey’s Anatomy” sub. Two seasons of the Korean series on Rakuten Viki follow a doctor “capable of healing both physical and emotional pain” and the med students he teaches at a country hospital. (Season three is on Hulu.)

“Saturday Night Live”/ “Studio C:” Though not as topical as “SNL,” BYUtv’s family-friendly sketch comedy series “Studio C” enters its 17th season, dropping its season premiere online at BYUtv.org Oct. 15 and on the BYUtv linear channel at 8 p.m. Oct. 16.