TV Talk: Jeannette woman competes on ‘Meet Your Makers Showdown;’ local TV news ratings released

In an episode of “Meet Your Makers Showdown” streaming Saturday on discovery+, 23-year-old Erin Fulton of Jeannette is one of four stained glass artists competing for a $10,000 prize.

“Meet Your Makers Showdown,” which premiered on the streaming service last week, features artisans from a different craft field in each episode making artistic works that will be judged by singer/candle purveyor LeAnn Rimes, craft expert/author Mark Montano and a guest judge.

“This is Us” star Chrissy Metz, a crafting enthusiast, hosts.

Fulton, a 2016 Jeannette Senior High School grad, learned to make stained glass in a semester-long high school course she took with art teacher Jennifer Potter. Fulton continued making stained glass art in the basement of her South Side apartment while attending Duquesne University, where she earned a degree in integrated marketing communications and theater in May 2020.

She saw “Meet Your Makers Showdown” soliciting prospective contestants on stained glass groups on Facebook and in online forums. Fulton pulled up the application, decided she wasn’t good enough and closed it. Then she was contacted by a representative from the show encouraging her to apply. Fulton was flown to Los Angeles to tape her episode in May.

Fulton describes her style, which can be seen on her Instagram page, as inspired-by-nature with a penchant for pairing the beautiful with the creepy. She sells her art at her website, FloraFringeArtisan.com.

November TV news ratings

The big question going into November’s Nielsen ratings sweeps period that ended last week: What will the addition of 4 p.m. newscasts on WTAE-TV and WPXI-TV mean for KDKA-TV’s long-standing newscast in that time period?

In November, KDKA remained No. 1 at 4 p.m. in household ratings, a measure of overall popularity, and in the important-to-advertisers key demographic of viewers ages 25-54. But Channel 2’s ratings and audience share were down compared to a year earlier in household and demos as rival newscasts ate into its lead.

WPXI was last to enter the 4 p.m. race in September, but Channel 11’s Susan Koeppen-anchored newscast (with Joe Arena added as a co-anchor just as sweeps started) ranked second in the time period in households and demos, no doubt boosted by its “Judge Judy” lead-in, which, even in reruns, was No. 1 at 3 and 3:30 p.m.

WTAE, which added a 4 p.m. newscast over the summer, went from an also-ran in the time period a year ago (due to the low-rated “Ellen”) to a competitive third place.

The addition of 4 p.m. newscasts may have contributed to all three stations’ 5 p.m. ratings being down or flat in household ratings year-to-year. (A lack of inclement weather and less pressing pandemic/political news may also be a factor.)

The unexpected departure of Kelly Frey from WTAE at the start of sweeps didn’t seem to have much impact on the morning news ratings. WTAE maintained its lead in household ratings at 6 a.m. WPXI saw the most growth in the hour in households. All three stations saw ratings declines in the demo with WPXI in first place in the demo at 6 a.m. and WTAE and KDKA tied for second.

In household ratings, KDKA was No. 1 at noon, 4, 5 and 11 p.m. and tied for first with WTAE at 6 p.m. WPXI ranked No. 1 at 5 a.m. WTAE was No. 1 at 6 a.m.

In the key demo, KDKA ranked first at noon, 4, 5, 6 and 11 p.m. WPXI took the top spot at 5 and 6 a.m.

‘Abbott Elementary’

ABC’s winning new single-camera comedy, filmed mockumentary style like “The Office,” gets a preview at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday before settling into its regular time period (9 p.m. Tuesdays, WTAE-TV) on Jan. 4.

Created and written by star Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary” follows teachers at a Philadelphia elementary school, from naïve idealistic Janine (Brunson) to stern, seen-it-all Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph, stealing every scene she’s in).

With just the right mix of comedy and earned pathos, “Abbott Elementary” cribs from “The Office” and its Jim and Pam relationship for a will-they-or-won’t they plot involving Janine and new long-term sub Gregory (Tyler James Williams, all grown up from his “Everybody Hates Chris” days).

Sure, some of the characters are stereotypes – painfully woke, white teacher Jacob (Chris Perfetti); ziti-making Melissa “I know a guy” Schemmenti (Lisa Ann Walter, another scene-stealer) – but they’re all uniformly funny.

‘Landscapers’

HBO’s trailer for four-episode British drama “Landscapers” (9 p.m. Monday) focuses on the true-crime elements in this ripped-from-the-headlines story of seemingly normal British couple Susan (Olivia Colman, brilliant as always) and Chris Edwards (David Thewlis) who are accused of murdering Susan’s parents and burying them in their backyard 15 years earlier. (The real-life couple maintain their innocence.)

What the trailer leaves out is the manner in which screenwriter Ed Sinclair, Colman’s husband, chose to tell this story which involves artsy flights of fantasy.

Susan is a fan of Gary Cooper movies, so one episode revisits the crime as if it occurred in a Western. In the middle of an interrogation scene, the camera pulls back to reveal the soundstage as characters walk from the police station set to a set that’s an interior of a home.

As much a love story between Susan and Chris as it is a true-crime caper, viewers expecting a straightforward tale may be baffled by what “Landscapers” delivers, which is sometimes interesting and different, other times overwrought and pretentious.

Kept/canceled

Syfy renewed “Chucky” for a second season.

Hulu’s “Pen15” concludes with episodes that begin streaming Dec. 3.

AMC’s “Kevin Can Go F*** Himself” will end after its upcoming second season.

Channel surfing

Netflix’s fourth season of “The Great British Baking Show: Holidays” streams Dec. 3. … Cable’s Ovation TV reruns the first five seasons of the public TV hit “Doc Martin” in three-hour weekly blocks beginning at 11 p.m. Dec. 9. … ABC’s “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” (8-9:30 p.m. Dec. 7) re-creates episodes of “The Facts of Life” (Jennifer Aniston as Blair, Allison Tolman as Natalie, Gabrielle Union as Tootie, Kathryn Hahn as Jo, Ann Dowd as Mrs. Garrett) and “Diff’rent Strokes” (John Lithgow as Mr. Drummond, Kevin Hart as Arnold, Damon Wayans as Willis). … Next week, WQED-TV premieres “A Broken System: Health Care Inequity” (7:30 p.m. Monday), about health disparities facing the African-American and LGBTQIA+ communities. … To avoid running afoul of equal time rules, WPGH-TV has removed “Dr. Oz” from its lineup now that Mehmet Oz is running for U.S. Senate representing Pennsylvania. “The Doctors” will run in the 10 a.m. weekday time period this week as Channel 53 executives explore their options. .. Netflix’s “The Pale Blue Eye,” currently filming in Western Pennsylvania and starring Christian Bale (“Out of the Furnace”) and Harry Melling (“The Queen’s Gambit”), has added Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Robert Duvall, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Toby Jones, Harry Lawtey, Simon McBurney, Timothy Spall, Hadley Robinson, Joey Brooks, Brennan Cook, Gideon Glick, Fred Hechinger, Matt Helm, Steven Maier and Charlie Tahan to its cast.