Q:What’s up with “SEVERE WEATHER” every five minutes during the local news? So nice to DVR the news so I can fast-forward through the weather after the first mention.

— Ken, via email

Rob: To some degree, this should be seasonal: Viewers are more likely to hear legitimate talk of “severe weather” when there’s a snowstorm in the forecast in winter or the potential for thunderstorms and tornadoes in spring and summer. (Remember the June 1998 tornado on Mt. Washington?)

Beyond actual severe weather incidents, nonsense “impact days” and “alerts” are just efforts by TV stations to keep viewers tuned in to local newscasts at a time when viewership is decreasing.

TV stations threaten to become “the boy who cried wolf” around “severe weather,” but they do this because weather is the No. 1 reason viewers watch local TV newscasts. A 2025 survey found that “95% of respondents said their local broadcast news station is important for providing information during severe weather and emergencies.”

Q: I saw your preview about the release of Apple TV’s “Star City.” For us, “For All Mankind” really petered out in Seasons 4 and 5, so much so that we gave up on it halfway through Season 5. Because of that, we’re not sure we want to spend any time starting to watch the spinoff “Star City.” We’re curious what you thought of it after seeing the first five episodes.

— Richard, Wexford

Rob: I agree that “FAMK” was at its quality peak in Season 2, but I continue watching anyway.

Star City is good, but there’s less time spent in space and far more attention paid to cloak-and-dagger Soviet politics. I didn’t read anything about “Star City” before I watched the first five episodes made available to critics, so I did not initially understand we were seeing younger versions of several “FAMK” characters who are present in Star City. I probably would have enjoyed “Star City” more if I had known that going into it. I’m still eager to watch the last three episodes of the season, but I’m curious to see whether it goes beyond one season. I’m surprised it even got ordered, given that “FAMK” is not exactly a well-known title even five seasons in.

Q: Is Animal Planet going to air any more episodes of “North Woods Law” in the near future? My husband and I just got hooked on it recently and we’re starting over again with Season 1.

— Sherry, Murrysville

Rob: The last new episode of “North Woods Law” aired in 2021, so it’s safe to say the show is dead. (All 16 seasons are available to stream on discovery and HBO Max.)

Reruns continue to air on cable’s Animal Planet, including overnights Tuesday into Wednesday and 8 to 11 a.m. June 23.

One of the show’s stars, Jeremy Judd, was no longer working as a game warden for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife as of late 2023 after a second complaint was filed against him by a member of the public.