TV Talk: Beaver County teen’s ‘Idol’ journey ends; ‘Tokyo Vice' drops on HBO Max

And then it was over: Morgan Gruber, the 17-year-old Riverside High School senior from Fombell, was eliminated on Monday’s episode of ABC’s “American Idol.”

“I just want everyone to know that I did not make it to the top 24,” Gruber wrote on her Facebook page Monday night. “They will not be airing my performance. I am so thankful for this amazing journey that @AmericanIdol has given me!!! I’ve met so many amazing people and I’m so thankful for this opportunity! This isn’t the last of #morgangruber.”

Gruber, who lives with her family on 12 acres in Franklin Township, Beaver County, made it through several rounds of auditions for “Idol,” including Sunday’s duets episode.

Without airing her performance or the judges’ response to it, it’s unclear why Gruber was not advanced again, although judge Katy Perry made comments Sunday that might have foreshadowed her elimination (“We need more from you,” Perry said. “You need to find that next level.”)

Gruber has a few local performances lined up, including the evening of April 9 at Koehler Brewery Pub in Ellwood City, April 16 at Carl’s Tavern in Wilkins Township. And on April 7 she’ll perform at the Passavant assisted living facility where she’s worked in Zelienople.

‘Tokyo Vice’

Director Michael Mann (“Miami Vice”) certainly steeps this late-‘90s-era crime drama in atmosphere as an American journalist, played by an unruly-haired Ansel Elgort, goes to work for a Japanese newspaper.

Streaming its first three episodes Thursday – one new episode will roll out weekly on Thursdays through April 28 – HBO Max’s “Tokyo Vice” looks gritty and authentic, marinating in its setting physically and culturally. But it’s also a little slow-paced.

Still, I stuck with it to see how Egort’s Jake Adelstein would fare working for a newspaper editor who only wants him to report official police talking points and avoid any actual reporting.

Inspired by the real-life Adelstein’s non-fiction account of covering the Tokyo Metropolitan Police department, “Tokyo Beat” co-stars Ken Watanabe (“Godzilla: King of the Monsters”), Rinko Kikuchi (“Babel”) and 2014 Carnegie Mellon University grad Rachel Keller (“Fargo,” “Legion”) who plays an American hostess Adelstein takes an interest in.

Over the first three episodes Watanabe quickly becomes the show’s MVP playing a cop who knows how the game is played and who’s willing to show Adelstein how the police work in Japan. When the focus is on the two of them, “Tokyo Vice” is at its best.

Mann’s use of neon signage in night scenes helps convey the tone of the Tokyo underbelly and its yakuza crime syndicates. Use of cigarettes by almost every character contributes to the gross, grimy feel to the point that at times I wanted to wave away the smoke as if cancer could be spread through a TV screen.

English subtitles proliferate, which in a post-“Squid Game” era should not be a barrier to entry. Perhaps the period setting will help offset the uncomfortable feeling that we’re past the point where a foreign-set series needs to focus on an American character’s point of view.

You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow Rob on Twitter or Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.