The Highs and Lows of Winter TCA 2022: ‘This Is Us’ Says Goodbye, ‘Promised Land’ Makes a Move and More
variety.comTelevision Critics Association press tour finally concluded on Wednesday after a dizzying number of sessions. Once again virtual due to the pandemic, the press tour was so long that a new show hyped by ABC one week into the tour had already been pulled from its lineup by the time TCA ended.The virtual tour was also marked by greater-than-usual access to executives, and had its share of technical glitches along with bittersweet goodbyes.
Here, Variety breaks down some of the highs and lows of the tour.Exec Sessions: Less FillingHeading into TCA, journalists were pleasantly surprised to see more executive sessions on the schedule, since they allow media to pursue topics that network heads may not otherwise want to discuss.
That kind of verbal sparring used to take place in a scrum following sessions, when reporters would approach execs with questions.
With the virtual format, however, it’s become nearly impossible to re-create that access. While TCA has brought back the executive sessions via teleconference, it has failed to find a way to replicate the in-person experience, turning microphones on and off seemingly at will and making it difficult for members of the media to pose follow-up questions.And the (Bzzzt!) Goes to …Although this was the fourth virtual press tour — they began in July 2020 mid-pandemic — technical issues persisted.
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