Question: I would like to know why PBS’s Call The Midwife is ignored by all of the awards shows. Could it possibly be because it isn’t violent, has compassion, and has prominent female characters? —Ellen
Matt Roush: Putting one’s understandable cynicism aside, I figure Midwife’s low profile on the U.S. awards circuit—it has been nominated for a variety of awards in the U.K.—may have more to do with the fact that in its earliest and best seasons, Midwife was crowded out, along with most other British imports, by the global success of Downton Abbey. It has been around long enough now that it just doesn’t make much noise.
Question: Is The Crown ever returning? We are waiting with bated breath to see the next season. —Jetty
Matt Roush: You and millions others, including me. Netflix hasn’t announced a timetable for the show’s return—and with streaming, it can take a while, because the entire season must be finished, including post- production, before it can be made available. All that we know for sure is that the new season will air sometime this year, and with Olivia Colman (an Oscar contender for The Favourite) as the queen and Outlander fan favorite Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip, there’s plenty to be excited about.
To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com