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TV Media Weekly | July 7 - 13, 2018 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Why did they cancel "Des- ignated Survivor"? It's just the sort of show we need more of on TV. A: As is often the case, ABC had a lot of reasons for canceling "Des- ignated Survivor," the political thriller starring Kiefer Sutherland. After a solid first season, the show's ratings dropped signifi- cantly in its second year. That drop may have had a lot to do with constant upheaval behind the scenes. The show went through four different head writers in its first two seasons, and season 3 would have been led by yet anoth- er one. Variety magazine wrote a post- mortem of the show, and it report- ed that the constant change was upsetting the show's star (who also happened to be an executive producer). Sutherland was said to be frustrated with the fact that the instability in the writers' room had led to instability in the storyline. There's also the fact that Suther- land's contract stipulated that if the show earned a third season, it would move production to Los An- geles (the first two seasons were produced in Toronto). The move would have added to the show's already large budget. But as I said, these problems would have evaporated if the show's ratings had been better, but they weren't. Q: Didn't Jeff Bridges do a boxing movie when he was young? What was it called, and what can you tell me about it? A: I can tell you that 1972's "Fat City" was based on a book, that it was one of Jeff Bridges' first major roles, and that he owes it to his big brother Beau. Beau Bridges auditioned for the role of Ernie, a fresh young kid with a natural talent for boxing, but he said (in an interview on the pod- cast "WTF With Marc Maron") that he was told he was too old. And so he recommended his little brother Jeff in his stead. Jeff, of course, fit the bill perfect- ly. At the time, he was just starting to gain fame playing innocent- looking kids, most notably in "The Last Picture Show," released the previous year. He shared top billing with Stacy Keach, who played an aging boxer who develops a friendship, and ri- valry, with Bridges' character. They both ended up being good choices, as "Fat City" is now con- sidered a classic. It was helped by its source material — the 1969 novel of the same name by Leon- ard Gardner, which was a finalist for the National Book Award in 1970. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Hollywood Q&A By Andrew Warren TV Media L et's be honest: summer car- nivals have a ton of attrac- tions and reasons to spend a day enjoying them. There are thrilling rides, catchy live mu- sic, prize-laden games and fun- filled shows at any carnival worth its salt, and they're all very well and good. For some of us, though, they're just the icing on the pro- verbial cake: the real attraction at a summer carnival is the over-the- top food. "Carnival Kings" is a new se- ries that premieres Thursday, July 12, on Cooking Channel, and it's all about the wild and outrageous eats that can only be found at a carnival. Similar to "Carnival Eats," another Cooking Channel favorite, each episode of the new series follows Michelin-starred chef Richie Farina ("Top Chef") as he visits some of the biggest fairs he can find, where he immediate- ly zeros in on the most outra- geous food item that he can find. He isn't there just to taste the decadent dish, though — he's there to improve on it. It's a format that evokes mem- ories of the defunct Food Net- work series "Throwdown! with Bobby Flay": the super-creative chef Farina challenges carnival chefs on their own turf and tries to make an over-the-top dish somehow even more mouthwa- tering and extreme. In the premiere, the host is at the Pima County Fair in Tucson, Arizona, where he encounters a bacon-wrapped duck slider with flaming hot cheese puffs and car- amel apple slaw that's served with a side of bacon fat tater tots. It's decadent, it's wildly delicious and oh-so wild, and the host has just 24 hours to break it down, figure out what makes it tick, and then create his own take on it that not only tastes just as good, but that also somehow exceeds its creativity. Many carnival chefs love to compete, and plenty of fairs even have competitions between them to see who can come up with the most creative dish. Chef Richie Farina is definitely going up against the best in his quest to create the most over-the-top foods imaginable. 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