TV Q&A: Fourth season of ‘Transplant’ in limbo

You have questions. I have some answers.

I just finished streaming “Transplant’s” third season on Peacock. Is Season 4 not available? Is there some other service where I can watch it in the U.S.?

While the Canadian-made medical drama’s fourth and final season has already aired up north, U.S. rights-holder NBC has not set a date for telecasts. TVLine.com noted that “a full 15 months passed between ‘Transplant’s’ Season 2 finale on NBC and when Season 3 finally aired Stateside. NBC’s summer slate is well-populated by ‘America’s Got Talent’ and other unscripted fare, before giving way to Olympics coverage.” And the network has announced a fall lineup that does not include “Transplant.” By the way, the fourth season is a planned finale; according to NBC Insider, series creator Joseph Kay said, “I’d always intended a four-season window into Bashir’s life as he completes his medical residency for a second time, sets down roots in Canada, and learns to shed some of his past, and it’s incredibly fulfilling to be able to tell his complete story.”

Will “Schitt’s Creek” and “The Spencer Sisters” be returning?

No. The award-winning “Schitt’s Creek” ended in 2020 after six seasons. “The Spencer Sisters” was canceled earlier this year after one season.

In the late 1960s or early 1970s I saw a stunning movie where a hippie daughter was inadvertently shot and killed by her father after he turned into a vigilante flag-waver. It was prescient for predicting more turbulent times ahead and the eventual polarization of America. Yet the film seems to have disappeared. I believe it was given the simple one-syllable name of either the daughter or the father. Wondering what happened to it.

I think you are remembering “Joe,” a 1970 film starring Peter Boyle and featuring Susan Sarandon. It was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay, although it did not win. Film critic Chris Vognar called it “a sort of Rorschach test for a bitterly divided public” on rogerebert.com. The movie is available on Blu-ray and streaming on Tubi, Plex and other sites.

I recently reread the outstanding John Grisham novel “Calico Joe” and saw somewhere that a movie was to be made based on that book. Do you know if that’s still in the works or possibly released and I missed it?

You haven’t missed it. The movie rights to the baseball novel were acquired by one company in 2012, but apparently nothing came of it. In 2020, Smokehouse Pictures — founded by George Clooney and Grant Heslov — announced plans to produce a “Calico Joe” film, possibly with Clooney directing. That is the most recent news I’ve seen, but that doesn’t mean the project is dead. Making a movie can take a very long time, especially when the participants are as busy as Clooney.