Nov 10, 2013 5 min read

With a nod to the late Byron Smialek …

Some things I know I think:

• Of the five new TV series that have been handed their pink slips – “Back in the Game,” “Ironside,” “Lucky Seven,” “We Are Men” and “Welcome to the Family” – only “Ironside” was accorded much advance publicity. (I can’t recall even one promo for “Lucky Seven.”) If the networks truly didn’t believe in these shows, why intentionally agitate a dwindling viewer base by airing such dreck in the first place? And why irritate the few millions who stumbled upon the shows by pulling them so quickly?

• Although CBS deluged the airwaves with promos for “Hostages,” the series was caught in the undertow that is NBC’s enormously popular “Blacklist.” Does CBS cancel “Hostages” – infuriating those who have invested several hours in the continuing story arc – or move it to Friday or Saturday night? The right answer is to let “Hostages” play out its storyline in its current timeslot and endear its grateful fans to the network.

• There’s not a chance that will happen.

• Here’s betting “Hostages” will exchange days with Friday’s “Hawaii 5-0” soon.

• Another dozen series, new and old, appear headed for cancellation early in the new year. While normally I don’t recommend wasting time on doomed shows, I’d suggest giving “The Neighbors” and “The Goldbergs” a look-see before they disappear.

• Critics derided “Neighbors” before it ever aired, but the show has moved beyond its absurd premise of an American family “invading” an alien neighborhood that has set up shop in a gated golf community. It’s since evolved into a sitcom that’s enjoyable on various levels, particularly as a goofy (think “My Favorite Martian” ) kids’ show, and as a rather biting, albeit humorous commentary on American culture. It also gets bonus points for having an actual theme song. Decades from now, the extremely well-written “Neighbors” will be recalled as one that got away.

• The main complaint about the struggling “Goldbergs” is that the family yells a lot. Having grown up in a family that yelled a lot, I’m not quite as bothered by the constant high-volume exchanges between family members. In fact, what I like about “The Goldbergs” most is its realism: the weekly incidents aren’t nearly as exaggerated as in most sitcoms. Judging by the real-life clips at the end of each episode, the scripts are indeed based on actual events. Tone down the volume, perhaps, but stay the course in the storytelling and this show may yet warrant a reprieve. (Over the weekend, an additional nine episodes of “The Goldbergs” was ordered, ensuring it will get a full season’s run).

• I also like the ratings-starved “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” but as Fox canceled two scheduled sitcoms before they ever aired, I’m pretty confident “Brooklyn” will get the time it needs to grow if only because Fox has nothing to replace it.

• Are you as impressed with that new “Saturday Night Live” cast as I am? The next election “coverage” should be interesting.

• While I agreed with this newspaper’s recent editorial on cable costs, it neglected to mention one viable alternative: a set cost for the four networks. Period. My only non-network viewing of late has been Root Sports, and I would sacrifice that if it saves $50 a month. I think others of a certain age also would endorse that alternative.

• That’s not to say there are no good or great cable shows. In fact, television’s best dramas are on cable. But there are alternate ways to view them that are much more cost-effective than buying another tier of unwatched stations.

• Over the past few weeks, I’ve been asked the name of the song played on the current Target commercial (“I think it’s so groovy now that people are finally getting together”). The tune is “Reach Out in the Darkness” by Friend and Lover. I’ve also been asked who sang the “Baby Blue” song on the finale of “Breaking Bad” (Badfinger). We’re not boasting of music knowledge here – anyone can find the answers on the Internet. Instead, we’re asking why radio – again – doesn’t respond to public buzz. It didn’t play Michael Jackson or Whitney Houston songs after their untimely deaths; it doesn’t play most “hits” until months after their release; and it doesn’t respond to listeners in general. I imagine radio disc jockeys have been deluged with inquiries about “Reach Out” and “Baby Blue,” but I have yet to hear them even sampled on a Pittsburgh morning show. Because, you know, we have to hear “Just the Way You Are” every three hours.

• The baseball playoffs were very kind to KDKA-FM. For the first time in its history, the sports talk station, which also airs the Pittsburgh Pirates games, is tops in the radio market.

• From KD’s perspective, it’s now spelled “Buck-tober.”