TV Q&A: Is there a Pittsburgh connection on ‘NCIS: Hawaii’?

Trib Total Media TV writer Rob Owen answers reader questions every Wednesday at TribLive.com in a column that also appears in the Sunday Tribune-Review.

Q: In two recent episodes of “NCIS: Hawaii” Pittsburgh was mentioned. Both were in relation to someone’s history that was connected to the crime being solved. I tried to find out who in the writing or production might have a Pittsburgh connection. Can you find out?

— Julie, Point Breeze

Rob: Unlike on the original “NCIS,” where there is no Pittsburgh connection in the writers’ room, on “NCIS: Hawaii” there is.

Per “NCIS: Hawaii” executive producer Matt Bosack, “My brother-in-law, Josh Peters, grew up in Carrick, went to Pitt, and is a ride-or-die, watch-every-game-no-matter-where-he-is-in-the-world Steelers fan. Was more than happy when we could give the city a shout-out!”

Q: Will Lorraine Pascale ever return to the Food Network “Baking Championship” shows? I know covid stopped her last spring but was wondering if Carla Hall replaced her permanently?

— Linda, via Facebook

Rob: My understanding is Pascale informed Food Network execs that she was working on her Ph.D. and planning her wedding in England and had decided to step back from her work on baking shows, but Food Network left the door open for her to potentially return if she wants to in the future.

Q: I’ve been dying to rewatch the old NBC classic “Homicide: Life on the Street,” but I have no idea where to turn. This show was amazing, and it shocks me it never went into syndication. How come?

— Eric, via Twitter

Rob: That show was great, but it was always low-rated on NBC, and serialized shows don’t do well in syndication. I’m pretty sure it was syndicated on cable at some point, but it doesn’t look like it is currently available on streaming. It could be a messy rights issue.

But, the show is definitely available on DVD because I have the complete series box set in my basement.

Q: Where can I watch reruns of “Kate & Allie” and “thirtysomething” without a subscription service? And can you specify which services they are on if any?

— Janet, McCandless

Rob: The reason for the absence of a show on streaming is not always clear, but neither of these programs are on a streaming service that I could find when Janet’s question arrived last month.

Some “Kate & Allie” episodes are available for free on YouTube, but they appear to be illegal uploads and could be removed at any time. My guess is “thirtysomething” has a lot of music that has not been cleared for streaming, which may explain its absence.

Q: Why do local news shows only talk about townships and no longer towns or cities? If there is a road closed, I want to know it is in Greensburg, not Frazer Township. I grew up learning Monroeville, Greensburg, Latrobe, Washington and so on. I never learned local geography by townships.

— Tony, via Facebook

Rob: Townships are more precise and therefore more accurate.

For example, if something is happening in the Latrobe city limits, the script will be written to say “Latrobe.” But the Latrobe airport, Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, is located in Unity Township, so if something is happening there the script might say “Latrobe’s Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity Township.”