Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review.
Q: Any word if Megan Shinn is returning from maternity leave as weekend morning anchor on KDKA-TV?
— Paul, via email
Rob: Shinn, who joined Channel 2 in late 2023, has been on maternity leave, which she’s been posting about routinely on her Facebook page. Her first day back at the weekend morning anchor desk will be Sunday, Dec. 15.
Q: Where has KDKA-TV’s Josh Taylor been? I haven’t seen him recently.
— Andrew, Munhall
Rob: Folks who work in TV get vacation time, too!
Taylor was on vacation the week of Thanksgiving and then missed a couple of days after that holiday break due to illness but otherwise, he’s been working full-time since October and will be filling in at the anchor desk frequently this month.
Q: Why is Comedy Central suddenly bleeping out the f-word out of the 11 p.m. telecast of “The Daily Show?” I Googled this and apparently, they’ve been bleeping it the last couple of months since the election campaign heated up. It’s disappointing, not because I’m a fan of the f-word but with “The Daily Show” it was always anything goes. Why did they change their approach to it?
— Kitty, Charleroi
Rob: My understanding is the f-word has always been bleeped due to “The Daily Show’s” TV-14-L rating. On occasion, the episode rating is changed to an MA-L which allows for use of the f-word, but I’m told that hasn’t happened any more or any less in recent months.
Q: Are any new “Bosch” series coming?
— Eveline, via Facebook
Rob: “Bosch: Legacy” returns for its third and final season sometime in 2025. A spin-off developed about Bosch’s former partner, Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector), was scrapped but a separate spin-off focused on Det. Renée Ballard (Maggie Q) has been ordered to series and will most likely stream in late 2025. “Ballard” follows the lead detective in charge of the LAPD’s underfunded cold case division.
Q: Channel 22, WPNT-TV, only runs the Charlie Sheen episodes of “Two and a Half Men.” After his last episode, they circle back to the pilot, completely skipping all the Ashton Kutcher episodes. I also noticed that IFC network will only show the Ashton Kutcher after midnight, while the Charlie Sheen episodes will air during the day and evening. Do the Sheen episodes bring in more ratings/revenue than the Kutcher episodes?
— Lin, Pittsburgh
Rob: That would be my assumption, too. Studios may offer different packages of syndicated reruns and if some seasons draw better ratings than others, that might be a differentiator in which packages are offered and/or get picked up by stations/networks.