TV Talk at TCA: ‘Kindred Spirits’ visits Western Pa.

You can tell the popularity of ghost-hunting TV series remains high because Travel Channel visited the same Western Pennsylvania property twice in two years.

“Destination Fear” visited the Greene County Almshouse (AKA the Greene County Historical Society) for an August 2021 episode and now “Kindred Spirits” kicks off a new season (9 p.m. Friday, Travel Channel) with a trip to the same location. “Kindred Spirits” also visits an Observatory Hill home in Pittsburgh in the Feb. 3 episode.

Matt Cumberledge, executive director of the Greene County Historical Society, said “Kindred Spirits” visited for a week in August 2022 and Cumberledge and some of his staff members were interviewed on-camera by “Kindred Spirits” paranormal investigators Amy Bruni and Adam Berry.

“I think ‘Kindred Spirits’ got a little more [paranormal] evidence than ‘Destination Fear’ did, but it was similar in nature,” said Cumberledge, who’s happy to welcome paranormal TV series as a way to buoy the Historical Society. “What we’re really hoping it does is encourage more people to book private paranormal investigation overnights. That’s one of our main sources of funding.”

Cumberledge said the building is a “maintenance nightmare” with 147 windows that need work.

“Kindred Spirits” host Adam Berry said paranormal investigators’ goal is to identify the activity, identify the ghost of the person making the activity and hopefully provide some resolution.

“From a viewer standpoint, it creates the narrative, something that people can find interesting and then can connect with it on a human emotional level,” Berry said in a recent phone interview.

Barb King of Observatory Hill reached out to “Kindred Spirits” “because we were having paranormal activity that had increased to the point that we were not wanting to stay in our home,” King said via email (Travel Channel did not make her available for a phone interview.) “I felt Ami’s and Adam’s approach to investigating was a good investigating style for what was happening here.”

In that Feb. 3 episode, King wonders if her late husband is haunting the house.

“There was a lot of things that they withheld from us, initially, I think, because they were concerned about what we would think about them,” Berry said. “They were dead-set on who they thought was haunting the house, but when we reach the outcome and we tell them what it is, I think they’re relieved and they’re shocked. But it helps them better understand.”

King said paranormal activity in her home has “calmed down quite a bit but activity is still going on” since the “Kindred Spirits” visit.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Berry said. “If you humanize spirits, they were human. I don’t know about you, but I can’t tell people what to do. They will do what they want to do. The idea here is to find out what it is they want, give it to them, and then hopefully they find peace. Barbara and her family have a better understanding of what’s happening, and so they have the power to speak to them to tell them that they don’t like something that’s going on. They are in a position of control, and their fear is no longer there. Hopefully, whoever’s there in the spirit plane gets what they need eventually and can move on.”

‘Star Trek’ spin-off

It’s been four years – and one platform name change; then: CBS All Access, now: Paramount+ — since the “Star Trek” spin-off “Star Trek: Section 31” starring Michelle Yeoh was announced.

Since then Yeoh’s star has risen even higher, capped this month by a Golden Globe win for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

My understanding is Yeoh is still interested in leading her own “Star Trek” series, reprising her role as the mirror universe Philippa Georgiou and her adventures in Starfleet’s top secret Section 31.

“It’s definitely not [dead],” “Star Trek” universe executive producer Alex Kurtzman told me at a Paramount+ party last week. “Hopefully we’ll be hearing things soon. I can’t say too much about it.”

Kurtzman said “Section 31” remains in development and he’s also noodling around ideas for possible “Star Trek” “event series” that would be shorter in duration.

“I think you’re gonna see all kinds of things,” Kurtzman said. “You’re gonna see event series, you’re gonna see series-series. We’re gonna run the gamut.”

Channel surfing

Netflix says filmed-in-Western Pennsylvania “The Pale Blue Eye” rose to the No. 1 most-watched English-language film for the week of Jan. 9. … Meryl Streep has joined the cast of Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building” for the show’s upcoming third season. … “The Ms. Pat Show” returns for its third season on BET+ on Feb. 23.